Erica R., 12th Grade
The Psychology of Loneliness in
Wuthering Heights
According to Eric Levy, Emily Bronte’s characters go through two stages; childhood and then an afterlife-like adulthood. Once one enters this “adult afterlife”, the character has an already formed opinion of love that they acquired during their childhood years. The characters in Wuthering Heights all have been raised in an environment that hinders them from attaining a fulfilling love in their adult lives. The two types of these environments are the unlove and the overlove, the unlove represents the Earnshaw family where the child is subjected to neglect, abuse, and rejection. However, the Linton family exemplifies the overlove where the children are overprotected and coddled, sending the message that the children are “too weak to ever leave” Levy writes. The most prevalent result of either of these experiences growing up is the character’s inability to separate the need for love from the fear of abandonment. Regardless of whether the character was unloved or overloved, they all have a distrust of love either for fear of rejection (unlove) or an overwhelming attachment for fear of being left (overlove) (Levy).
At some points during the novel, a character will solve this love mystery and seem to be fulfilled. This is exemplified through Hindley and his wife, Edgar with Catherine, and Isabella with Heathcliff. They act as if they have gotten what they wanted and openly give their love to their significant other without the fear of rejection. However, this never seems to end well for them and they learn their lesson. Hindley is punished for his love with the loss of his wife, Isabella is punished for her love with the way Heathcliff treats her, and Edgar is punished with his love by watching Catherine love Heathcliff and not being able to stop it. On the other hand, Heathcliff and Catherine seem to always be at conflict with their love lives. They are constantly struggling to find some form of relief from their anguish but they are never able to find a solution. They never even admit their feelings for each other until Catherine is on her deathbed. Their need for love is not expressed by being with each other, but by their pain and loneliness. It is as if some strange force is interacting with all these characters, causing them pain when they are able to break the cycle and give themselves a chance to be able to love correctly, and continuing to torment those who are unable to let themselves fall into love (Levy).
Works Cited
Levy, Eric P. “The Psychology of Loneliness in Wuthering Heights.” Studies in the Novel 28.2 (1996): 158. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 2 Sept. 2014.
According to Eric Levy, Emily Bronte’s characters go through two stages; childhood and then an afterlife-like adulthood. Once one enters this “adult afterlife”, the character has an already formed opinion of love that they acquired during their childhood years. The characters in Wuthering Heights all have been raised in an environment that hinders them from attaining a fulfilling love in their adult lives. The two types of these environments are the unlove and the overlove, the unlove represents the Earnshaw family where the child is subjected to neglect, abuse, and rejection. However, the Linton family exemplifies the overlove where the children are overprotected and coddled, sending the message that the children are “too weak to ever leave” Levy writes. The most prevalent result of either of these experiences growing up is the character’s inability to separate the need for love from the fear of abandonment. Regardless of whether the character was unloved or overloved, they all have a distrust of love either for fear of rejection (unlove) or an overwhelming attachment for fear of being left (overlove) (Levy).
At some points during the novel, a character will solve this love mystery and seem to be fulfilled. This is exemplified through Hindley and his wife, Edgar with Catherine, and Isabella with Heathcliff. They act as if they have gotten what they wanted and openly give their love to their significant other without the fear of rejection. However, this never seems to end well for them and they learn their lesson. Hindley is punished for his love with the loss of his wife, Isabella is punished for her love with the way Heathcliff treats her, and Edgar is punished with his love by watching Catherine love Heathcliff and not being able to stop it. On the other hand, Heathcliff and Catherine seem to always be at conflict with their love lives. They are constantly struggling to find some form of relief from their anguish but they are never able to find a solution. They never even admit their feelings for each other until Catherine is on her deathbed. Their need for love is not expressed by being with each other, but by their pain and loneliness. It is as if some strange force is interacting with all these characters, causing them pain when they are able to break the cycle and give themselves a chance to be able to love correctly, and continuing to torment those who are unable to let themselves fall into love (Levy).
Works Cited
Levy, Eric P. “The Psychology of Loneliness in Wuthering Heights.” Studies in the Novel 28.2 (1996): 158. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 2 Sept. 2014.