Violence and hatred in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

Violence and hatred in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

Kurspahić, Ajla
BASTUG, Harun

It is very difficult to make decisions, especially when one's future depends on it. The focus of this research is on elaborating the elements of violence and hatred in Emily Brontë’s only novel, Wuthering Heights. Catherine, the heroine of the story, has to make a choice. She makes a mistake marrying Edgar Linton, leaving her true love, Heathcliff. The consequences of her mistake are tragical and cause suffering to all characters in the novel. Strong and passionate love leads to extreme hatred and eventually violence that destroy the lives of everyone in the story. These elements are an essential part of not only the storyline, but also its characters' personalities. The statements are followed by clear examples from the unabridged version of the book. For the sake of better understanding, the research is divided into three main parts; the elements of violence and hatred in the early years of the main characters, their adulthood, and the lives of their children. The violence and harshness of the weather and landscape, and the symbolism of the word Wuthering in terms of the main topic are included. Love and hatred run side by side, and the borderline between them is so thin that under bad circumstances, even the strongest love turns into selfishness and hatred. Still, the underlying reasons for these emotions to interweave are emphasized in this research paper.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2012-05

764