Wuthering Heights: A Tale for/of Generations

Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights uses a cyclical writing structure and motif of doubles to aid her exploration of the development of her characters' personalities/traits in regards to their backgrounds.


The most illusive yet prominent character, Heathcliff, does not provide much clarity to the subject, being from the streets with no knowledge of his parents. Nelly attempts to be an influence on Heathcliff's behavior, acting as a mother and, in his young age, encouraging him with these words: "You're fit for a prince in disguise. Who knows but your father was Emperor of China, and your mother an Indian queen... Were I in your place, I would frame high notions of my birth; and the thoughts of what I was should give me courage and dignity..." (p 51). Nelly's statement is in line with the idea that one's identity can be found in his or her parents, but in this case Heathcliff has the opportunity to make up his identity. In the end, the reader cannot substantially prove if his eventual morose, selfish behavior was his choice or his absent parents' manifestation upon him.

Nelly, in the end, expresses an ultimate confusion with Heathcliff's case while visiting his grave: "But where did he come from , the little dark thing... And I began, half dreaming, to weary myself with imaging some fit parentage fro him; and repeating my waking meditations, I tracked his existence over again, with grim variations..." (p 301). 

Bronte's juxtapositions between parents and offspring in the second piece of the novel display the idea that a person is a mixed image between the environment they grow up in and direct traits from the parents. For example, young Catherine is a double of her mother Catherine in appearance, and does have a wild way about her that the late Catherine possessed in her early years. She differs, however, in her sensitivity toward others rather than herself, a characteristic most likely harbored through her father, Linton, and nanny Nelly's teachings and love for her. 

Linton Heathcliff, on the other hand, is nowhere close to having the visage of his dark father Heathcliff, and has not the brute strength and will of his father either. Nor do I see much of Isabella in him, other than possibly the flaxen hair. She was a somewhat stronger willed being who pursued what she wanted despite the will of others. Linton, being raised under Heathcliff's mighty hand, became a menacing and sniveling character at the same time by Heathcliff's conditioning. If he had been under a different roof, Nelly and Edgar proposed he might have grown up to be a better man, completely independent of the identities of his counterparts.

Recycling names gets tricky throughout the piece for the reader, but serves a strong purpose in Bronte's message. For instance, though young Catherine resembles her mother strongly in certain aspects and would be expected to be a continuation of her mother's behaviors, the fact that she transitions from Catherine Linton to Catherine Earnshaw whereas her mother does the opposite (Catherine Earnshaw to Catherine Linton), proves one's ability to break free of family traditions passed down.

I must conclude that Bronte intends her readers to learn from the failures of Heathcliff and the other beginning characters, their inability to take control of what was happening around them and deciding who they wanted to be. Though there is evidence that parental influence carries weight among the Wuthering Heights second generation, their eventual ability to bury the deep historical distemper between two families is weightier and the goal of Bronte's inclusion of those personalities.

The complexity of Oedipus's origins

Relating Oedipus to his parents can be tricky because through much of his journey Oedipus doesn't know who his real parents are. It's precisely this conundrum that reveals him to be quite similar to his kin who abandoned him in the mountains.

Throughout the story Oedipus is in search of the truth of his origins. "But I account myself a child of Fortune, beneficent Fortune, and I shall not be dishonoured. She's the mother from whom I spring... . Such is my breeding, and I shall never prove so false to it, as not to find the secret of my birth." (Lines 1080-1086) The Greek culture that values family and understands a link between parent and child is shown by Oedipus's strong belief that he will be true to his breeding and "never prove false to it". Unfortunately Oedipus is subject to dramatic irony when he states he will be fortunate to uncover where he comes from, as the audience knows he is true to the character of his parents but the outcome is not so good.

Though we don't know much of anything about Oedipus's father, and his mother/wife doesn't partake in the same thirst for knowledge and truth as her son, the royal family shares a passionate recklessness. After hearing the oracle's grim prophecy, both father/mother and son react without a thought to avoid the situation, and in turn place themselves directly in the spot they were trying to avoid.

Why this question?

I listen to "Gambler" by fun. for one sole reason, one series of lines: "She has eyes just like her father's, they are  blue in skies of grey. And just like him she never  stops, never takes the day for granted. Works for everything that's handed to her, and never once complained."

If all else perished, and my dad remained, I should still continue to be... I give style points to Emily Bronte for this emulation that so accurately describes my relationship with my dad. We do have the same eyes, same sports fanship allegiance, same love for literature, same destructive way of holding in our deepest thoughts and feelings.

I wonder if I was just meant to be like him or if I chose to be that way because for some crazy reason being like him made sense to me. My mom never thought she would end up like her parents, they're nice enough but she and they do not share much of the same thinking. She tells me she reminds herself of her parents more and more each day.

My question is, to what extent do we become our parents? I have a great situation at home, but what about those that are dysfunctional? Despite the classic tale of the rebelling youth that strives to release themselves from their parental talons, how much poison or virtue can be concentrated through blood bonds? And how does this happen?