On Reasons of the Tragedy of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights《呼啸山庄》希斯克里夫悲剧分析.doc

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1、On Reasons of the Tragedy of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights希斯克里夫悲剧分析Abstract: Even though the novel was written when the peak of the Romantic age had passed, we should be very grateful that Emily Bronte lived such an isolated life, and was in some sense behind the times. As the only novel written b

2、y Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights has been regarded as a tragic, gothic and unique literary work by the readers and critics since its publication. This paper discusses several reasons why Heathcliff, the hero of the novel, become a tragic role in Wuthering Heights as follow: background of the period

3、, the growing environment, the special personality of Heathcliff. Actually, the special background of the period and the growing environment creates the special personality of Heathcliff who has a dual personality. His passion and villainous revenge is impressive to me. How can an orphan become a cr

4、uel devil? How can a love story become a cool revenge? People belong to the society, such as Heathcliff. The special society shaped his special personality. But I think the class struggle and social oppression is the extrinsic factor, the betrayal of Catherine, who Heathcliff regards as his soul, is

5、 the inner factor. Heathcliffs tragedy is not only a love tragedy, but the tragedy of the society. Key Words: Heathcliff, growing environment, personality, love, betrayal, selfish摘要：虽然艾米利勃兰特在写这篇小说的时候，浪漫主义的高峰期已经过去，但是我们得感谢她那与世隔绝，甚至与时代有点脱节的生活。作为艾米丽的唯一一部小说，呼啸山庄自从出版之后，就被读者和评论家认为是一部悲剧的，哥特式的，独特的文学作品。本论文根据以

6、下几个因素来探讨小说的主人公希斯克里夫成为一个悲剧角色的原因：时代背景，成长环境，希斯克里夫的特殊性格。实际上，特殊的时代背景和成长环境导致了希斯克里夫的特殊的双重性格。他的激情和邪恶的复仇给我留下深刻的印象。一个孤儿怎么会成为一个残酷的魔鬼？一个爱情故事怎么会成为一个冷酷的复仇？人属于社会，希斯克里夫也不例外。特殊的社会塑造了他特殊的个性。但是我认为阶级斗争和社会压迫只是外在的因素，被希斯克里夫认为是他的灵魂的凯瑟琳的背叛才是内在的因素。希斯克里夫的悲剧不仅是一个爱情悲剧，而是社会的悲剧。关键词：希斯克里夫，成长环境，性格，爱，背叛，自私1. Introduction to Wutherin

7、g Heights1.1 About Emily BronteEmily Bronte (1818-48), was a poet and novelist. Her Irish-born father was a rector of the parish of Haworth in Yorkshire in 1820, where her mother died in 1821. After a period at a boarding school, when the two eldest sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, died of consumption,

8、 she was educated largely at home. An isolated childhood on the edge of the Yorkshire moors intensified Emilys imagination greatly. Her experience of the world beyond the rectory, she had ever been as a governess and teacher, then she had a visit on Brussels with Charlotte to study languages and sch

9、ool management and returning home at the age of 24 where she lived for the remainder of her life. While tending to household duties, she began to write poetries. Owing to Charlottes suggestion, she published some of her poems with those of her sisters using names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (th

10、e pseudonyms respectively of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) in 1846. In the small volume of poems by the three sisters, Emilys contribution was by far the most important. In 1847 she published her sole novel Wuthering Heights. In any event, Emily was not to live long after Wuthering Heights publication

11、. She tended her brother, Branwell, while he was dying from alcoholism and drug abuse. During his funeral she caught a severe cold which developed into tuberculosis. Refusing medical attention, she died very shortly after him in December 1848. A great many of critics at home and abroad have done muc

12、h research into Emilys Wuthering Heights, analyzing the work from different angles, such as Zhan Huis True Love Lasting Forever-On the Theme of Wuthering Heights.In the article, the writer says that the novel reveals the theme of love and reflects the true love between Heathcliff and Catherine. On t

13、he other hand, Zhang Aiming describes it from another aspectthe personality of human beings. He publishes his article An Ode to a Vindicative Soul. He thinks that the last part of the novel reveals the theme of revenge through describing the behaviours of Heathcliff. Besides, plenty of other scholar

14、s have studied this novel.However, many foreigner scholars have different ways to analyses the Wuthering Heights, but what the consistent agreements are these themes must focus on the Emily Bronte, Heathcliffs revenge, and a love story in Wuthering Heights. Whats more, some critics lay more emphasis

15、 on the comparative analysis of characters. This thesis is centred on the reasons why Heathcliff become a tragic role in Wuthering Heights. The background of the period, his growing environment, his heart and soul love of Catherine, and the blow of the betrayed love together serve as the main factor

16、s of his distortion personality and tragic life. His life tragedy reveals the viciousness of the society and lashes the harm of spirit from the social sense of hierarchy. 1.2 Illustration to Wuthering HeightsEmily is remembered as the author of the powerful novel Wuthering Heights till today. The no

17、vel deals mainly with the story of Heathcliff, a gipsy waif of unknown parentage, picked up by Mr. Earnshaw in the streets and brought up with his children. Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Earnshaws house in North England, remote from the outside world and amidst gloomy surroundings. Heathcliff

18、 is treated well by Earnshaw, but after Mr Earnshaws death, the young master Hindley bullies and insults him. He drives Heathcliff from their company to the servants, deprives him of the instruction of the teacher, and insists that he should labour out of doors instead and compels him to do so as ha

19、rd as any other hand on the farm. Heathcliff feels passionately in love with Catherine, Hindleys sister, who loves him but thinks it will degrade her to marry him. Heathcliff, finding it impossible for him to be united to Catherine, leaves Wuthering Heights. Three years later, he returns, becoming a

20、 rich man, but finds that Catherine has been married Edgar Linton. He lives again in Wuthering Heights and seeks his revenge. He resumes his love- making to Catherine, and his violent love brings her to her grave at the birth of her daughter Cathy. Then Heathcliff marries Edgar Lintons sister Isabel

21、la while not loving her, and treats her cruelly. In revenge for Hindley cruel treatment of himself when a child, he puts Hindley and his son Hareton entirely under his control, and treats Hareton brutally. He then forces Catherines daughter Cathy to marry his own son in order to seize the estate of

22、the Lintons. He nearly succeeds in doing so, but his son dies and Cathy falls in love with Hareton. Heathcliff, now an old man and haunts by the memory of Catherine, begins to see the pointlessness of his revenge and longs only for his reunion with Catherine after death. He dies and the two young lo

23、vers Cathy and Hareton are united happily. A little boy declares that he has seen the ghost of the Heathcliff and Catherine walking on the moor.Heathcliff is a rebel against the bourgeois matrimonial system- for a while Catherine is too, during her childhood. Their pure love has been crushes by the

24、class prejudice of the bourgeoisie. So Heathcliff is the oppressed and decides to have his revenge on his oppressor, but in the end, having has his revenge, the oppressed turns to be the oppressor. In the opinion of many critics, Emily is the most gifted of the three Bronte sisters. Ralph Fox, the r

25、evolutionary critic of England regards thatWuthering Heights is certainly the novel that becomes poetry, it is beyond all doubt one of the most extraordinary books which human genius have ever produced, yet it is these things only because it is a cry of despairing agony wrung from Emily by life itse

26、lf. However, since its earliest publication, Wuthering Heights is misunderstood for almost half a century. Almost all the critics reckon that this novel is much worse than Charlottes Jane Eyre. Moreover, some thinks that the author will have to learn the basic rules of writings. Her work is not acce

27、pted by the world until the beginning of the twentieth century. From then on, Wuthering Heights makes a strong impact in the literature field. 2. Introduction to Heathcliffs TragedyHeathcliff is the hero described with indignation, sympathy and ideal. In his early years he is characterized somewhat

28、by his fiery temper, his sulk, his proud nature, his fierce attachment to Catherine, his spitefulness and his capacity for hatred. The adult Heathcliff, who returns to Wuthering Heights after a three years absence, is a super-human villain driven by revenge, distorted by the sense of the wrongs done

29、 to him and made emotionally unstable by Catherines marriage. This later Heathcliff is characterized by callousness by incapacity to love and eventually by an all consuming passion for revenge against those who have wronged him and for unification with his beloved Catherine. The abandoned person is

30、deprived of the warmth in life that leads to his strong love and hatred. Hindleys whip let him know the cruel life. At the same time, he realizes that obeying could not change his fate. Part of Heathcliffs survival mechanism during the period that he is being terrorized by Hindley, is the thought an

31、d prospect of revenge, he is determined to have it own back and confesses to Nelly: I dont care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last, I hope he will not die before I do. (Wuthering Heights 75) So he makes a decision to resist. Catherine has ever been his loyal partner. During the period, the

32、 friendship between Heathcliff and Catherine developed into passionate love. But Catherine is unable to marry Heathcliff because of his low birth. She marries Edgar Linton from the “civilized” household of Thrushcross Grange in the valley, though she does not love him. Her actions destroyed Heathcli

33、ffs love. Meanwhile, her actions damaged the feeling of their generations. I think when Emily Bronte describes the heroine, she might be complicated in her heart. Catherines betrayal and her unlucky life after marriage were turning points in the book. They changed Heathcliffs full love into infinite

34、 hatred. As soon as Catherine died, his hatred burst out right away. And his hatred became his stimulus to revenge. In order to reach his aim, Heathcliff seduced and married Edgars sister Isabella, not loving her, and cruelly maltreats her. He not only let Hindley and Edgar die, but also pained thei

35、r generations deeply. His cruel revenge causes the tragedy of two families. At the same time, Heathcliff loses himself and becomes a part of the tragedy that he makes. Heathcliffs hatred comes from his unsuccessful love. But he is just like a man who is insane. He cannot control himself. His revenge

36、 was unconventional, but it expressed his uncommon rebellious spirit, which was produced in special environment. Heathcliffs tragedy has double meanings. It is not only the tragedy of love, but also the tragedy of revenge. To a significant extent, it is the tragedy of the society, meanwhile, the tra

37、gedy of the age. The story was end up with Heathcliff suicide after he attained his goal of revenge.3. The Reasons of Heathcliffs Tragedy3.1 Background of the Period In Emilys period, it can be said that race, class and education plays the most important parts in peoples life. So throughout the nove

38、l all the personality are prejudged by their race, class or education. When Heathcliff is first introduced, he is described as a dark skinned boy with dark hair, and because of this, people are prejudiced against him. He is called a gypsy, and the Lintons treats him badly and sends him away from the

39、ir house because of his appearance. Heathcliff also quickly dislikes his son because of his light skin and hair. Class is also an issue. Social class is not solely dependent upon the amount of money a person had; rather the source of income, birth, and family connections play a major role in determi

40、ning ones position in society. And, significantly, most people accept their place in the hierarchy. This can be seen in the novel as well. The Lintons are the most elite family in the novel, while Earnshows are the professional middle class. Even the setting of the story at Wuthering Heights and Thr

41、ushcross Grange provides a clear example of social contrast. While the Heights is depicted as simply typical and “domestic”, the Grange is described as a “scene of unprecedented richness”. Lets turn to the two protagonists, Catherine and Heathcliff. Although Catherine and Heathcliff grow up together

42、, they actually have the different birth backgrounds and the social class status. Heathcliff grows up as the foster child in the Earnshaw home and is regarded as an outcast by family members. His arrival at Wuthering Heights is marked by contempt and insults from every person in the family, except o

43、ld Mr. Earnshaw. Even Nelly considers herself superior to Heathcliff and refers to him as an “it”. Her actions further exiles Heathcliff from the Earnshaws company by treating him as inferior and sub-human. “TheyCatherine and Hindley entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their roo

44、m; and I Nellyhad to more sense, so I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it might be gone by the morrow.”(Wuthering Heights 46) The awareness of class difference makes Catherine realize the difference between her and Heathcliff. Although she loves him and even recognizes him as her soul mat

45、e, Catherine still will not lower her social status to marry Heathcliff, and instead, she marries into the rich Linton family, causing the major conflict in the novel. 3.2 The Growing EnvironmentHeathcliff is a foundling, and it formates his life experience and social status, and distorts his nature

46、 at the same time. He was abandoned by his parents after he was born and became a homeless orphan roaming in the streets, and this exerts a tremendous influence on his unreasonable disposition. Although Earnshaw adopts, blesses and takes care of him, Heathcliff understands that he is destined to be

47、discriminated by everyone. In the Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff sufferes not only from servants cold treatment but also Hindleys hostility. Hindley hates him because he has replaced Hindley in Mr Earnshaws affection. After Mr. Earnshaws death, Hindley inherits the house and becomes Wuthering Heights

48、s new master. Hindley exerts tyranny on Heathcliff. It is an important turning point of life for Heathcliff. Hindley drives him from their company to the servants, deprives him of the instruction of the teacher, and insists that he should labour out of doors instead and compels him to do so as hard

49、as any other hand on the farm. He is subjected to endless bullying and humiliation. Gradually, Hindleys uninterrupted torment, insult and hatred twisted Heathcliffs nature, causing him to be a man of few words. Despite the abuse of Hindley, Heathcliff still choose to endure and tolerate relying on the support of of Catherines love until they encounter Lintons. However, the seed of hatred plants in his heart gradually. He exposes to Nelly about his plan of retaliating against Hindley:“I