The Implications of the Title Wuthering Heights Essay

It is a question that has baffled readers and critics alike through generations, a question that can be endlessly pondered upon and debated over, as to why Emily Bronte chose to name her first and only novel, after the house in which a sizable part of the action chronicled takes place, despite being armed with characters of such extra-ordinary strength and passion as Heathcliff or Catherine. But on close scrutiny, a reader can perhaps discern the reason behind her choice, the fact that Wuthering Heights is at once a motif, a setting and according to a few critics, even a ‘premonitory indication’ of the tempestuous nature of things soon to occur. ‘Wuthering Heights’, although having survived the test of time as a work that is poignant and†¦show more content†¦But leaving aside Wuthering Heights’ importance as the site of most of the action, the very word Wuthering is pregnant with meaning in the context of the story. To quote from the story itself, â€Å"‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather.† ‘Wuthering’ is a Yorkshire word referring to turbulent weather, and it is this turbulence that rages on and propels the story forward for most of its length. As a building also, Wuthering Heights, with its imposing, almost brooding faà §ade, characterizes the story better than Thrushcross Grange which is opulent and placid. The narrative is non-linear, switching between the voice of Mr.Lockwood, and that of Ellen Dean (called Nelly by most of the characters), a former housekeeper of Wuthering Heights and at the point where the narrative starts, present housekeeper of Thrushcross Grange. Mr.Lockwood describes the house at the very beginning, ‘happily, the architect had the foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large, jutting stones.’ He also mentions that there is a â€Å"quantity of grotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about the principal door, above which, among a wilderness of crumbling griffins andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The 491st Sin In Wuthering Heights1243 Words   |  5 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚   The 491st sin, or the failure to listen, is considered to be the unforgivable sin. In Wuthering Heights, a novel written by Emily Brontà «, Mr. Lockwood comes to Thrushcross Grange to learn a lesson about love and listening. While staying there, Lockwood learns the stories of many characters as lessons on refraining to commit the 491st sin. Catherine Earnshaw Linton has the most to teach him about this lesson.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Nelly, while able to teach Lockwood valuable lessons about listening, fails to teachRead MoreIssues in Philippine Cinema5002 Words   |  21 Pagesmovie houses. Though the obviousness of the Hollywoodization of Philippine cinema is less forgiving than before, there are still manifestations of the infamous colonial mentality in the Philippine movie texts. Clear examples are movies that carry titles of American songs like Dont Give Up on Us and I Will Always Love You (with San Franciscos Golden Gate Bridge in the posters background) among others, in a tropical climate like ours bad guys in the action films never fail to forget wearingRead MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 PagesGentlewoman s Companion (1673), one of many early modern conduct books I surveyed this past year for an honors thesis entitled Chaste, Silent, and Hungry : The Problem of Female Appetite in Early Modern England, 1550-1700. As indicated by the title, this project explores a provocative but as of yet scarcely studied facet of early modern gender constructions: female food desire. I use the word desire here rather deliberately, as early modern definitions of appetite extended well beyond the physiological