Wuthering Heights: Wealth, Power, Authority
(this was a group term paper for my british literature 2 class, marious was incharge of the creative presentation, airo the research, and arvi the report. i did the paper.)
(sources:
www.wikepedia.org
http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/marxistviews/
–Karl Marx,Communist Manifesto)
Introduction
The world we live in is dictated by power and desire. Society teaches its populace to follow a supposed natural order of boundaries between class strata. Yet, from within the society itself, struggle between the classes emerge. This struggle tries to break down the barriers between the classes. The clashes of the social strata then promote political instability and unrest.
As these boundaries are broken, central change within the society is driven. Thus this triggers the rise of the lower classes. Though it may seem that through this, social class boundaries were then erased. The truth is another wall is created between them. Even if the world turns topsy-turvy, those on top will oppress the ones below.
Wuthering Heights showed these class struggles. Lives of the characters were driven by their beliefs of a proper class order, thus resulting to their interactions with each other in the novel.
The rise of Heathcliff is his rebellion against being a member of a supposed lower class stratum. His oppression was his driving force to rise up. He broke the boundary that hinders him to climb through the classes. Yet what he did was a total reversal of the classes, thus creating another wall that will hinder others.
The beliefs of their society became the bases of their supposed order. Thus dictating the rules they were playing with. Wealth and power are the reasons for greatness. This driving force teaches members of the society that those on top has the right to look down to the ones below. Such is the actions of Heathcliff. Thus promoting false consciousness.
Even the concept of love is affected. Loving a lower class is one thing, but marrying that someone is degrading to the upper classes.
Chapter I: Heathcliff’s Social Class and Oppression
During the beginning Heathcliff was introduced in Wuthering Heights, he was viewed to be “like the gypsies and is very dirty; he looks roguish and has a lack of education” (61). This resulted to his rejection by the family of Mr. Earnshaw. Though the head of the family, Mr. Earnshaw himself treated Heathcliff as an equal, his children did not. The Lintons also saw him as a boy not fit to live in a decent house (45).
In this situation, the line between classes was drawn. Though it is clear that Heathcliff is also in the same class stratum as the others, the fact that he was the way he was gave the society their view, him being lower than the others. We can see here the idea of “proper physical appearance to deserve a social class” is also affected by the view of the society. This view became the source of his further oppression in the following parts of the novel.
By the time of Mr. Earnshaw’s death, Hindley took over and became the head of the family. This triggered further degradation of Heathcliff. He was force to go down to a lower class and was treated as a servant. His supposed equality with other characters was taken from him. Hindley even called him a “vagabond” (52), treating him horribly, it was Hindley who drove him from their company to the servants” (40).
Again, the wall between the classes is further highlighted. Mr. Earnshaw was like a jackhammer for Heathcliff at the beginning. Mr. Earnshaw was the way for Heathcliff to break the class barriers. He obtained was “equal” to Hindley and Catherine. After Mr. Earnshaw’s death, Heathcliff lost the ability to bring down the wall between classes. He was then portrayed as low as the servants. Hindley made it his life’s mission to supposedly correct his father’s treatment to Heathcliff. Hindley then gave his best to reduce Heathcliff down to the class status he was supposed to be on. This would be the example of struggle between classes. As society had taught, the upper class must degrade the lower class. The lower class then must look up to those above.
One dialogue mentioned “I cannot sit in the kitchen. Set two tables here, Ellen: one for your master and Miss Isabella, being gentry; the other for Heathcliff and myself, being of lower orders” (86). This then is a clear distinction between the classes. The two tables represent the idea of being in the “right place” of the society. The classes must not cross to the others for it will be a violation of the supposed natural order of the society.
Capitalist Society then teaches the members of each class strata to be what they are supposed to be, thus misleading them from the true relations of forces between those classes. Those in the lower class are hindered by those above to rise. But then again, Heathcliff is no ordinary lower class.
Chapter II: The Idea of “Love”
In a classless society, love and marriage will come and go as they see fit. But in a Capitalist Society such in Wuthering Heights, they can not.
It was clear that Catherine loves Heathcliff. Yet, it was her view that it is not proper to marry him for they are not in the same social stratum. For Catherine, it “would degrade her” if ever she marries Heathcliff, “so he shall never know how she loves him” (73).She then decides to marry Edgar. In doing so she “will be rich, and she shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighborhood¦” (71).
Catherine’s view of marriage then could be said as a means of climbing the social ladder. If one wants to be in a higher status, he/she must marry up, not marry down. In doing so will promote the interest of those who will benefit from the marriage, in this case, Catherine. Heatchcliff, although she “loves” him, being in the lower class, must not be considered to be her husband. “When wealth is present, love will follow later.” a line from the movie “A Knight’s Tale” by the character Lord Ademar.
Heathcliff himself married Isabella for him to climb the social ladder. He used Isabella to come to power and in doing so abusing her love as what Catherine said, “I know he couldn’t marry a Linton; and yet he’d be quite capable of marrying your fortune¦.” (94).
Society then once again dictates the supposed order of things. Even in the concept of love and marriage, everything must follow a natural order. Given that the movement is going up, the wall between classes could have a door. But if to move down, the brick wall that divides the classes could transform and become steel. It can be concluded then that love just not enough.
Chapter III: The Promotion of False Consciousness
It is known that Hethcliiff eventually rose and climbed the social ladder. In doing so he attained equal footing as the other characters (87).
Heathcliff’s character shifted from being a servant to a refined person. When he said “I’ve fought through a bitter life since I last heard your voice” (88), his struggle against social odds was shown. It seemed then that he was able to break the barriers between the classes.
Yet, what Heathcliff did was the total reversal of power. He did not create a classless society; he shifted the classes and became a dictator. He took over and made Hareton a servant (180-181).
When Mr. Green took Heatchcliff’s side instead of Edgar’s, he did so to acquire the Grange. Heathcliff then used his power to lower others.
This reaction of Heathcliff to the other characters could be attributed to the fact of his oppression in the first parts of novel. The society taught him that those with power can and must be able to stay in power by any means possible, even if the idea is to degrade other people. An example would be the statement, “Should Hareton offer to leave me, he’s a dead man: persuade him to attempt it, and you are a murderess! Am I to lose all, without a chance of retrieval? Is Hareton to be a beggar? Oh, damnation! I will have it back: and I’ll have his gold too: and then his blood¦” (129).
Thus, the novel Wuthering Heights could be said to suggest the fact that a person can rise to the top, clearly stating that the lower class can indeed become an upper class. Yet, as what Heathcliff did, once on top that person can do anything that he/she wants. Therefore saying that power and wealth is everything as what a capitalist society is teaching.
Conclusion
In essence, Heathcliff did create a classless society, he made everyone his servants. As what he did to Cathy; “That lass Cathy owes me her service for her bread; I’m not going to nurture her in luxury and idleness after Linton is gone” (262).
Heathcliff was made by the society. Though it is clear that what he did was an amazing feat. Yet all of this was in fact what he experienced before he rose to power. He made everyone who he was and thus making himself those who oppressed him. The society gave him the impression of having power is to control. He was mislead to think that the only way to have a good life is rising to the top and staying there no matter what.
