Heathcliff could get rid of her brother’s oppression, and make rapid advances in his life. Catherine’s idea was the worst one, and it just reflected that women had no position or economic autonomy. Their only plan for a satisfactory life was to marry a rich man. Even Catherine, our rebellious innocent female protagonist, could not help thinking about it.
After the marriage, Catherine was enjoying a quiet life on the surface. In fact she was suffering from the pain of Heathcliff’s leaving. Years later the return of Heathcliff surely became the fuse of her depression. The uncontrollable violent feelings dumped out, which finally sent her to the grave. Since women’s low status, Catherine betrayed her love, paid a heavy price. The tragic love happened, with the low status of women being an indispensable factor of it.
Ancient and modern senses are interlinked. Even in recent days, we can also explain this aspect of the tragedy in our modern vision, for the phenomenon still exists in today's society. A girl with good-looking appearance and excellent education wants to have a wealthy future through marriage. Her marriage will be lack of love and her love usually keeps for a short time. She may become another Catherine, who had no ability to support herself and lost herself in the end. A lady in the new century should know sincerely that it is important to realize the equality between men and women. She would have a better life if she becomes independent financially and spiritually, without relying on her husband. It is a real and beautiful life for a lady. She need not to worry about how to live without somebody. She can do whatever she likes without asking for someone’s permit. She can enjoy her life as freely as a man. It is certainly that “no pains, no gains”. If we want to have a better life, we should pay much more than that we did before. Men are freer than women in the society, for they assume more responsibility at the same time. So it is necessary for women to assume more, learn more and carry out more. These are some inspiration from the analysis of the low position of women.
In brief, the reality of the society which included the two aspects fundamentally triggered the tragic love. And even today, it still works in our life, especially the life of love.
Chapter II. The Special Historical Background: the Opposite Social Classes
Brought by the Industrial Revolution
In the previous chapter we mentioned that in the first part of the novel, Heathcliff was a waif brought back by Mr. Earnshaw, while Catherine was a young lady of a noble family. It reflected a contrast from a low section to a high section in terms of family status. People always cannot change their family background; fortunately, they still have chances to change their future of life. In the second half part of Wuthering Heights, with his efforts, Heathcliff made rapid advances in his career. He became a wealthy, handsome gentleman. He had changed his social class, so he would never be that poor boy any more. But this did not mean Heathcliff was fortunate. On the contrary, it was the beginning that he went towards the abyss. The tragic color continued to deepen, and the reason of it was externalized to be the conflict between opposite social classes.
And the events mentioned above only happened in the special historical background: the Industrial Revolution.
A. The Industrial Revolution Reflected in Wuthering Heights
The Industrial Revolution began in 1750s, and developed quickly in1830s.It was beginning in the middle area of England. The Industrial Revolution was the early period of the industrialization of capitalism. Namely, the production in capitalist society had finished its task of manufacture industry, and began to turn its way into machines and engines. Because it was beginning with the invention and application of the machine, the period of the Industrial Revolution was also called the Age of Machine.
The Industrial Revolution emerged because of the development of capitalist economy. And the Bourgeois Revolution was meant to eliminate the feudal system, and dispel every block that was harmful to the development of capitalism. These were not accidental at all. The same was the contrasting classes. The feudal class and the bourgeoisie fought against each other fiercely. From this starting point, we can see the competitors in love in Wuthering
Heights, Heathcliff and Linton, were opposed opponents of different classes. In the novel, Heathcliff once had left Wuthering Heights for three years. And when he returned, Heathcliff had changed to another person. He was not that impoverished boy any longer. He became rich and charming, which made Catherine more regretful, and made Isabella crazy about him. If the Heathcliff years ago had been a poor pariah of the lowest class, three years later, he became a delegate of the rising bourgeoisie. And Linton, the young master of Thrushcross Grange, who owned the property succeed from the old generation, was obvious the representative of the landlord classes. And these two social classes were meant to be rivals. By the chance that they fell in love with the same girl Catherine, their conflicts developed in a new formation. But it was inevitable to involve the economic relation as well as the political position of the two relevant classes. So the clashes between the rivals of love could also be regarded as the collision of the different classes which were against to each other.
And at the same time the environment described by Emily, always reflected the special historical background, the Industrial Revolution, here and there. Wuthering Heights, as the title of the novel, was the main place for Heathcliff to revenge. “Wuthering”, is a word with special sense. It described the howling of the wind and the roar of the storm attacking the mountain villa. There was a cruel master, indifferent hostess, strange servant, several tumbledown trees, and badly skewed brambles. Compared with Thrushcross Grange, it seemed to be filled with gloomy and darkness all day long in Wuthering Heights, while legal system and moral norms in the civilization could not be found here.
All of these were just symbols of the Industrial Revolution. At that time the situation was of roaring waves, and everything could be full of uncertain factors. Living in the special background, people always performed involuntarily. They were winners in the Industrial Revolution. However they were the winners who used unscrupulous means for material interests of the temptation. In this brutal bloody battle, they lost the human nature and suffered alienation, which led to the tragedy of love. Therefore Heathcliff didn’t feel free as he supposed to be. He could not get any satisfaction and pleasure from the torture to others as well as the so-called victory. On the contrary, he longed for death, because only did the grave can offer him an end.
B. The Emerging Bourgeoisie Represented by Successful Heathcliff
Wuthering Heights’ old master Mr. Earnshaw brought back the homeless child who had strange black hair, spoke words that others could not understand. The master gave him the name Heathcliff which was also his surname. He fell in love with the master’s daughter Catherine, but she betrayed their love for marrying a rich man. And three years later, he came back. However, he was never a poor boy any more.
After leaving for three years, he came back and became a wealthy man. No one could say how he built up his fortune. With all the cruel and conspiratorial means, he finally gained the two big mountain villas into his hands.
In the process of the deliberate plan of revenge, no victims appealed to the law. After dreams of revenge and wealth came true, Heathcliff was mentally as well as physically exhausted, and lay in the grave in the end. However, no one could know his true origin. He didn't even have a surname. Finally, there was only a name carved on the gravestone.
We can find the answer of Heathcliff’s puzzle of life in the historical background of that time. The Victorian age in British history is a period of economic and cultural development. After they accumulated the huge capital, the emerging bourgeoisie wanted to win political power and status by relying on their strong force on economy. Heathcliff was just a representative of the bourgeoisie who was alienated through the process of the development of capitalism and the crazy pursuit of their own interests driven by economic interests. They damaged the interests of others by any manner of means and eventually won the political status. Through the bloody means, Heathcliff got what he wanted in economy, while destroyed what he loved thoroughly. He was a winner financially, but a miserable loser in love.
C. The Feudal Landlord Class Represented by Linton
Linton, as Heathcliff’s rival in love, represented the feudal landlord class. He had the surname and the estate of his ancestors, had a good upbringing, had the deportment welcomed by the upper class. As Heathcliff’s challenging competitor, Linton had a good educational
background.
However, just as the landlord class gradually lost its competitiveness in the Industrial Revolution, Linton always seemed pale and lack of energy. Facing the sudden intrusion from the previous love rival, he did nothing to protect his love and his family. When he learned that his sister was deceived by Heathcliff, Linton’s helplessness was more than anger. He recoiled again and again, and then pushed his daughter into fire. Finally, he died of sorrow and regrets, and his property was all fell into the hands of Heathcliff. Linton’s fail in the competition against Heathcliff, reflected the fail of the feudal landlord class in the Bourgeois Revolution. And the tragic love was also caused by the conflict between the bourgeoisie and the feudal landlord class in terms of the aspect of classes.
Because of Linton’s weakness as well as Heathcliff’s uncompromising determination, the crazy revenge in Wuthering Heights gained unprecedented power to carry on. So Heathcliff was regardless of other’s sufferings and feelings. He acted recklessly, cared for nobody, and finally hurt all the people whether he loved or hated. How mad he was. In course of the revenge, he just destroyed his love with Catherine totally. And Linton, who represented the landlord class with descending energy, opposed Heathcliff flabbily, which only accelerated the progress of the tragedy. Even we can say, he and Heathcliff pushed Catherine to the abyss together, though it was not his intention.
In conclusion, Heathcliff who represented the emerging bourgeoisie and Linton who represented the feudal landlord class struggled against each other, and in result that Linton suffered a disastrous defeat. Then this defeat made the revenge extending and boosted the progress of the tragedy.