Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte
by Emily Bronte
Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.
Summary:
Wuthering Heights is a novel that follows the life of a man whose passion for one woman drives him to murder, insanity and eventually death. The story is told through flashbacks and the gossip of the life of Heathcliff. Once an orphan, he was adopted by the Earnshaw family. His new brother, Hindley, despises him and he falls in love with his new sister, Catherine. The book is a journey through Heathcliff's misfortune, from losing his lover and new family to being hated because he is the son of gypsy people. However, Heathcliff is very cunning. He manages to kill several of the people who brought hate upon him and take control of the very expensive estates of Wuthering Heights in order to please his Catherine. Unfortunately, these actions are futile for she marries another man. She dies during childbirth, which leaves heathcliff devastated and always hungry for revenge.
Wuthering Heights is a novel that follows the life of a man whose passion for one woman drives him to murder, insanity and eventually death. The story is told through flashbacks and the gossip of the life of Heathcliff. Once an orphan, he was adopted by the Earnshaw family. His new brother, Hindley, despises him and he falls in love with his new sister, Catherine. The book is a journey through Heathcliff's misfortune, from losing his lover and new family to being hated because he is the son of gypsy people. However, Heathcliff is very cunning. He manages to kill several of the people who brought hate upon him and take control of the very expensive estates of Wuthering Heights in order to please his Catherine. Unfortunately, these actions are futile for she marries another man. She dies during childbirth, which leaves heathcliff devastated and always hungry for revenge.
In a blog post I attempted to uncover a network of controlling values:
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Controlling Value 1
Purpose: Being social will cripple and insult your body and mind Context: Independence from all people and emotions will assure safety from harm and prejudice. |
Controlling Value 2:
Purpose: Those who avoid positive interaction will be unlovable and lonely Context: Caring for others assures unconditional love |
I attempted to another set as I read further. However, this is the one novel I did not finish, so the summary may lack clear network controlling values that fits the entirety of the book.
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Controlling Value 1
Purpose: Having love will fill your life with laughter, adventure and modesty. Context: Being loveless will corrupt your morality, making you a deviant. |
Controlling Value 2
Purpose: The absence of love will ensure riches and security. Context: Succumbing to love leaves you vulnerable to hate and violence. |
I believe this set of controlling values works much better than the last, but I also believe there is more to it. There is a lot of family and greed, lust and security, and other themes that can influence values. I must finish the book in order to figure out what is the major controlling value in the climax and which wins.