A Feminist Critique: Wuthering Heights.

Literature frequently provides authors with the opportunity to either reinforce or undermine gender stereotypes. Feminist critics are particularly concerned with the way some authors reinforce the belief that women are lesser or inferior and should conform to patriarchal standards, claiming that ‘The representation of women in literature, then, was felt to be one of the more important forms of ‘socialization’…[constructs] acceptable versions of the ‘feminine’ and legitimate feminine goals and aspirations.’ This makes ‘Wuthering Heights’ of significant interest given the way Brontë presents both women who subvert Victorian gender stereotypes, and those who conform to them. Particularly seen in Catherine Earnshaw who attempts to assimilate into societal expectations and simultaneously rejects their value.

In Catherine Earnshaw, it could be argued Brontë fuses together both masculine and feminine stereotypes. This fusion of gender traits presents Catherine as an utterly subversive character; a woman who pushes against oppressive societal standards. Leavis claims that the ‘truths’ lie in Earnshaw’s story, which is ‘at once a unique personal history, a method of discussing what being a woman means, and a tragedy of being caught between socially incompatible cultures’[1]. The two cultures in question being Linton’s conventionality and Heathcliff’s unconformity. Catherine’s divided state of mind is epitomised in her claim made to Nelly that ‘he’s [Heathcliff] more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same’. To Catherine, the pair are synonymous, with critics even reading the pair as doppelgangers, and her likening herself with him, coupled with her evident desire for the rugged Heathcliff, is reflective of her anti-establishment views. Written during the Romantic age, women were expected to be entirely obedient to their male counterparts. They were bred to be creatures of delicacy, frowned upon should they challenge this. Thus, her yearning to embrace the liberty that was often associated with masculinity, embodied in Heathcliff, is utterly subversive. Nevertheless, her conversation with Nelly also reflects her longing for Linton, and the civilised conventions that he comes to represent. She also claims, ‘It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now’, where her blunt comment, so damaging to Heathcliff’s ego, is demonstrative of her desire for social stature and prestige that Heathcliff entirely lacks given his unstable parentage. However, Catherine’s masculine traits are evident from the exposition of the novel as she is seen to be ‘tramping around the moors’ with Heathcliff. The dynamic nature of the verb presents her as being active, something unusual for the typical Victorian woman. Furthermore, the moors represent wild elements of nature, echoing the unconventional qualities that can be seen in Catherine. The moors are a limbo space between Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, perhaps reflecting the liminal nature of Catherine’s gender. The moors are boundaryless and are employed by Brontë as a symbol of liberty and freedom. Thus, Catherine’s apparent fascination with them is evidence of the way in which she pushes against the oppressive constraints that society placed onto women. Nevertheless, while Catherine is inculcated with archetypal feminine qualities during her visit to Thrushcross Grange, it is evident she wishes not to conform to the Linton’s ideal woman, what feminist critics have dubbed ‘the angel in the house’. This is apparent as she pronounces, ‘I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hard, and free,’ the triad of brash adjectives, synonymous with liberty, coupled alongside the recalling of her freedom as a child, demonstrates how Catherine’s view of womanhood contrasts both the Linton’s and society’s therefore, presenting her as undermining of traditional Victorian gender tropes. Her resistance against such stereotypes is epitomised in her personal relationships, notably with her husband Edgar Linton. Following Heathcliff’s unforeseen return to Wuthering Heights, Catherine’s adoration for him overwhelms her and she wishes to visit him. Her yearning for Heathcliff is apparent, triggering a roaring confrontation between herself and Edgar. If not allowed to visit Heathcliff she claims she will ‘be miserable all night, and I won’t be miserable for you!’. The use of the exclamatory phrase shows her intense craving for Heathcliff and her undeniable defiance of Linton. Catherine’s rejection of her husband, as indicated by the direct address, is evidence of her refusal to conform to conventional ideas associated with marriage and female passivity. In a world where women were deemed as merely commodities, belongings of the husband, her treatment of Edgar reflects her absolute non-conformity in being the ideal wife. Thus, Brontë undisputedly subverts Victorian gender stereotypes in her portrayal of Catherine.

Furthermore, Brontë depicts both a conforming and subversive character in Isabella. Her shift from Isabella Linton to Isabella Heathcliff, epitomises her increasing rebellion against Victorian gender stereotypes. However, as argued by a critic of the Electric Review in relation to her character at the beginning of the novel, ‘Isabella Linton is one of the silliest and most credulous girls that fancy ever painted’[2]. Isabella initially exists to be a symbol of what a woman of the age should have been. Nevertheless, she begins to challenge her image as the ideal Victorian woman. She is told by numerous characters not to pursue her love interest with Heathcliff as Nelly tells her to, ‘banish him from your thoughts’, and Catherine seconds this as she warns that ‘he’d crush you like a sparrow’s egg’. The simile and a likening of Isabella to a sparrow’s egg portrays her as a fragile being perhaps both mentally and physically thus, enhancing her femininity given the tropes attributed to women of the time. However, despite such cautions, she displays a level of defiance and subversion by marrying him despite others’ views. The act of marrying Heathcliff shows her rebellion given his limited social standing with even Catherine claiming that it would ‘degrade her to marry him’. The use of the verb ‘degrade’ depicts Heathcliff as lesser and therefore undesirable. He is a man of no connections, no family, and who those close to Isabella disapprove, yet she still pursues a life with him. In some ways, this implies that Isabella is far more non-conforming than Catherine. Despite Catherine’s boisterous characteristics, she marries the man deemed acceptable by society rather than the one she is deeply in love with. Isabella, on the other hand, shows a willingness to defy social conventions. Furthermore, once married to someone so overbearing as Heathcliff, Isabella continues to display resistance against his attempts to mould her into his perfectly submissive wife. She unarguably challenges the male dominant power dynamic, notably evident in her confrontation with Heathcliff. She claims in a letter to Nelly that once she took the blade that he was clutching, he was shocked to see the look of ‘covetousness’ across her face, as opposed to what he expected to be horror. Isabella’s fascination with the weapon reflects Bronte’s questioning of the relationship between power and gender – possessing the blade would provide her with the authority she had been yearning for and forebodes the later violent uproar between herself and Heathcliff. Additionally, the inclusion of her letter gives the usually silenced female victim a voice, allowing her to speak out and question her husband. Isabella’s decision to flee to London and raise Linton Heathcliff as a single mother, claiming that she would rather be ‘condemned to a perpetual dwelling in the infernal regions, than, even for one night, abide beneath the roof of Wuthering Heights again’, could be read as the climax of her rebellion. The embedded clause reflects her absolute hatred for Heathcliff and her desire to begin a new life where he is absent in all respects. She was not widowed, or of low social standing, merely a wife refusing to subdue herself to her domestically violent husband. By actively choosing to remove herself from Heathcliff’s volatility, she takes power into her own hands. Thus, while initially a seemingly fragile character, her refusal to be submissive in her own maltreatment shows her strong will and independence, therefore reflecting the way in which Brontë has entirely subverted gender stereotypes in her depiction of Isabella.

While Brontë does explore empowered women in both Catherine and Isabella, not all characters within ‘Wuthering Heights’ are as subversive. Ellen ‘Nelly’ Dean is employed by Brontë as the absolute embodiment of female passivity, to offset the radical female characters in the novel, conforming to gender stereotypes of the era. This conviction is supported by Leavis: ‘Nelly Dean is most carefully, consistently and convincingly created for us as the normal woman, whose truly feminine nature satisfies itself in nurturing all the children of the book in turn’[3]. She assumes this maternal role for both generations whose stories are told throughout the novel. She becomes a mother to Catherine Earnshaw, explaining to Lockwood that ‘she had ways with her such as I never saw a child take up before…Her spirits were always at high-water mark, her tongue always going – singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do the same’. Nelly’s frequent recollections of Catherine’s childhood reflect her desire to care for children. The asyndetic list generates the sense that she feels abundant joy when reliving her past as a primary caregiver, thus further demonstrating the way in which she internalises traditional Victorian stereotypes of women being nurturing beings. Just as she interiorizes motherly attributes, she also displays traits of female passivity, particularly in her responses to Hindley’s death claiming that she ‘sat down on the porch and wept as for a blood relation’. Despite Hindley’s treacherous maltreatment of Nelly, she continues to devote herself to the Earnshaw family, demonstrating the extent to which she prioritises family values. She is forgiving and kind towards Hindley when he has been nothing other than ‘tyrannical and evil’, as admitted by Nelly herself. She is thus portrayed by Brontë as a foil to both Catherine and Isabella as she does not display any agency in her personal relationships, rather she is silent in her suffering. Some critics may refute this given that the entire novel is told from Nelly’s perspective; we see the world through her lens, therefore giving her control over the narrative. However, the story is primarily focused on others, and she is merely a mouthpiece, often absent or silent. Furthermore, her narrative is framed by the male perspective of Lockwood, reflecting the way in which it remains under the control of patriarchal authority. This differing perspective of Nelly’s overarching voice that dominates the entirety of the novel is supported by Whitely who claims she ‘represents not only the power and wisdom of women, but also her compliance to the dominance of men. Nelly Dean is a manipulative creature who will go to considerable lengths to maintain the status quo of male authority’[4]. Despite the power of voice that Brontë gives to Nelly, she continuously upholds male authority, never once displays agency in rebelling against such patriarchal ideals. She allows herself to live in the shadows of Hindley, Heathcliff, and Linton, and then proceeds to let her story be framed by Lockwood’s perspective. Coupled with her internaliation of traditional gender tropes, she is unarguably the absolute embodiment of female passivity therefore not defying gender stereotypes.

While Brontë does explore subversive female characters in both Catherine Earnshaw and Isabella Linton, their freedom is merely an illusion. Isabella goes on to lead a life estranged from her family and home, while Catherine endures a marriage with a man she does not love. This fantasy of female liberation presented to us by Brontë is ultimately a didactic message to women about the need to conform to gender stereotypes, and the outcome for those who do not. Thus, Brontë ultimately conforms to traditional Victorian gender tropes in ‘Wuthering Heights’, while also disturbingly encouraging her readers to do the same.

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[1]  Leavis, Q.D, 'A Fresh Approach to Wuthering Heights' in 'Lectures in America'(Cambridge, 1969), vol.1

[2]  Anon, 'Isabella Linton is one of the silliest and most credulous girls that fancy ever painted', Eclectic Review (February 1851)

[3] Stoneman, P 'Wuthering Heights Contemporary Critical Essays' (Macmillan, 1993)

 

[4] Whiteley, 'Feminist Ideas in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights' (2000)