Bronte vs.

Bronte Essay

4/14/11

Honors World Literature

11th grade

Faiza Ikram

Ms. Mansour

In Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, domestic
violence is discussed in both novels, however, the issue itself is conveyed through
separate, individual approaches. In the case of Wuthering Heights, domestic violence is
more keen and evident. Emily Bronte reflects on the issue of domestic violence through a
heavier form than Charlotte Bronte does. For instance, in Jane Eyre, domestic abuse
incidents are not as violent or aggressively described. The tone of the text during events
where domestic abuse is portrayed is not as intensely described as the ones within Emily
Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

In Wuthering Heights, domestic abuse is portrayed more through violent

male/female relationships. For instance, Heathcliff consistently abuses Isabella."He is
ingenious and unresting in seeking my abhorrence!"(Bronte 137) a great deal of child
abuse is displayed within Wuthering Heights. When the six-year-old Catherine spits at
Heathcliff, she earns '"for her pains a sound blow from her father to teach her cleaner
manners"' (Bronte 26). Further, Heathcliff, who '"would stand Hindley's blows without
winking or shedding a tear" (59), threatens Hindley with Mr. Earnshaw's wrath: '"if I
speak of these blows, you'll get them again with interest"' (Bronte 27). These disturbing
scenes displaying domestic violence through child abuse displays how Emily Bronte
treats the subject of domestic violence vividly and explicitly. Emily details the text so the
events may form an outlined image within the reader's head. Thus, in doing so, she

emotionally appeals to the audience to sympathize for the victims of domestic violence:
Isabella, Hareton, and 'young' Catherine (Linton).

Domestic violence is a a clear negative encounter to the the typical Victorian family
ideal , which is why the Lintons highly despise and oppose any physical violence. "...you
must choose between me or him!"

Early critics of Wuthering Heights endeavored to attribute domestic violence to

the lower classes. The Britannia (1848) writes: 'The uncultured freedom of native
character [...] knows nothing of those breakwaters to the fury of tempest which civilized
training establishes to subdue the harsher workings of the soul' (Allott, 1974, p.223). In
the case of Wuthering Heights, this statement proves to be false as most of the characters
such as Hindley (who withholds upper-class status) is shown to be vastly physically and
verbally abusive to Hareton, his son. For instance, his continual drunken state causes him
into long periods of rage

Heathcliff vows to obtain revenge on Edgar Linton by treating Isabella cruelly, illmannerly, and abusively. "...promising that I should be Edgar's proxy in suffering..."
(Bronte 137). Heathcliff ensures the suffering of Isabella for the rest of her life so he may
in a sense, take revenge on her brother, Edgar. He emotionally and physically tortures
Isabella by various ways while it may be through the means of money, lack of love, etc.
For instance, when Isabella inquired where "our room was" when she moved in with
Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights. However, the term "our" offended Heathcliff. He stated
that everything was his and she owned nothing in 'his' home. A factor of domestic

violence/abuse is dominance. Dominance is when "abusive individuals need to feel in

charge

of

the

relationship

(www.helpguide.org/.../domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm)."

form of dominance may take form when a person restricts their partner's possession of
and access to money, ownership of property,

Isabella does not merely experience domestic violence through financial means.
Heathcliff often humiliates, criticizes, threatens, and emotionally hurts Isabella. He
dehumanizes her through treating her indifferently and in an

Faiza Ikram
NOT PART OF ESSAY (part of assignment sheet):
The abusive patriarch and patriarchal family.
The male heads of household abuse females and males who are weak or powerless. This
can be seen in their use of various kinds of imprisonment or confinement, which takes
social, emotional, financial, legal, and physical forms. Mr. Earnshaw expects Catherine to
behave properly and hurtfully rejects her "bad-girl" behavior. Edgar's ultimatum that
Catherine must make a final choice between him or Heathcliff restricts Catherine's
identity by forcing her to reject an essential part of her nature; with loving selfishness
Edgar confines his daughter Cathy to the boundaries of Thrushcross Grange. A vindictive
Hindley strips Heathcliff of his position in the family, thereby trapping him in a degraded
laboring position. Heathcliff literally incarcerates Isabella (as her husband and legal
overseer), and later he imprisons both Cathy and Nellie; also, Cathy is isolated from the
rest of the household after her marriage to Linton.
Study of childhood and the family.
The hostility toward and the abuse of children and family members at Wuthering Heights
cut across the generations. The savagery of children finds full expression in Hindley's
animosity toward Heathcliff and in Heathcliff's plans of vengeance. Wrapped in the selfcenteredness of childhood, Heathcliff claims Hindley's horse and uses Mr. Earnshaw's
partiality to his own advantage, making no return of affection. Mr. Earnshaw's
disapproval of Catherine hardens her and, like many mistreated children, she becomes
rebellious. Despite abuse, Catherine and Heathcliff show the strength of children to

survive, and abuse at least partly forms the adult characters and behavior of Catherine
and Heathcliff .
The effects of intense suffering.
In the passion-driven charactersCatherine, Heathcliff, and Hindleypain leads them to
turn on and to torment others. Inflicting pain provides them some relief; this behavior
raises questions about whether they are cruel by nature or are formed by childhood abuse
and to what extent they should be held responsible for or blamed for their cruelties. Is all
their suffering inflicted by others or by outside forces, like the death of Hindley's wife, or
is at least some of their torment self-inflicted, like Heathcliff's holding Catherine
responsible for his suffering after her death? Suffering also sears the weak; Isabella and
her son Linton become vindictive, and Edgar turns into a self-indulgent, melancholy
recluse. The children of love, the degraded Hareton and the imprisoned Cathy, are able to
overcome Heathcliff's abuse and to find love and a future with each other. Is John Hagan
right that "Wuthering Heights is such a remarkable work partly because it persuades us
forcibly to pity victims and victimizers alike"?