Premium Essay

How Far Do You Agree with the View That in Wuthering Heights More Suffering Is Inflicted by Mental Cruelty Than Physical Cruelty?

In:

Submitted By MollyCunningham
Words 1177
Pages 5
Emily Bronte explores the depths of both mental cruelty and physical cruelty in what has been branded by John Bowen as an “extraordinarily violent book”, Wuthering Heights. Mental cruelty is suffering without physical assault, whilst physical cruelty causes harm to another, whether intentionally or not. Both mental cruelty and physical cruelty are demonstrated within the novel, as a result of oppression, society and circumstances in this Gothic novel, each main character is exposed to excess elements of both said cruelties over the course of Wuthering Heights.
Based upon David Cecil’s theory that Wuthering Heights is an allegory to which he applies the ‘House of Storm’ and House of Calm’ concept, the Heights is immediately established to be a place of innate cruelty and of wild uninhibited primitive emotions. This is made evident when Mr. Lockwood, an educated gent of a high social class visits the heights and is met with the imminent cruelty of the residents. The dogs which inhabit Wuthering Heights are “not accustomed to being spoilt”, much like Heathcliff who is first labelled as “it” and experiences the long term effects of mental cruelty through exclusion and brandishing as a “gipsy boy”, which were deemed as undesirable and a pollutant to society at the time of writing. Instantly Heathcliff is faced with mental cruelty of both social attitudes at the time towards ethnic groups, and the torment which faces him in the form of Hindley and Edgar Linton as he is treated and brandished as an outsider, in the liminal state of acceptance. Arguably, more suffering is inflicted in this instance by mental cruelty by Hindley towards Heathcliff, as the mental cruelty absorbs itself into every fibre of Heathcliff’s being, constructing his future and his persona. Whereas he becomes somewhat immune to Hindley’s thrashings from the offset, as he would stand Hindley’s blows

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

All Aqa Alevel Litb3 Questions

...Year | Doctor Faustus | Wuthering Heights | Frankenstein | Section B | June 2015 | | | | | June 2014 | “Faustus is a gothic victim, rather than a gothic villain.” To what extent do you agree with this view of Faustus’s role in the play? (40 marks) | “In Wuthering Heights love is presented as an emotion which provokes violence rather than tenderness.” To what extent do you agree with this view? [40 marks] | To what extent do you agree with the view that the novel is a total condemnation of transgression? [40 marks] | “Gothic writing is exciting because it allows us to think the unthinkable.” How far do you agree with this view? [40 marks] | | | | | To what extent do you think gothic writing is a disturbing exploration of the unknown? [40 marks | | | | | To what extent do you agree with the view that gothic writing shows that human beings are naturally inclined to be evil rather than good? [40 marks] | June 2013 | “Although Faustus is eventually punished, the play is essentially a celebration of sin rather than a morality tale.” How far do you agree with this view of the play? (40 marks) | How far do you agree with the view that, in Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte shows that more suffering is caused by a diseased mind than by a diseased body? (40 marks) | Explore some of the ways in which Mary Shelley uses different settings to contribute to the gothic effects of the novel. (40 marks) | To what extent do you agree that, in gothic writing, fear and pain...

Words: 1332 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Cost Management

...G U I D E T E A C H E R’S A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE BY SOLOMON NORTHUP bY Jeanne M. McGlInn anD JaMes e. McGlInn 2 A Teacher’s Guide to Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup Table of Contents SYNOPSIS......................................................................................................................................3 ABOUT THE AUTHOR...............................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY GUIDE............................................................................3 MEETING COMMON CORE STANDARDS.............................................................3 THE SLAVE NARRATIVE GENRE...............................................................................3 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW..........................................................................................................4 DURING READING.....................................................................................................................6 SYNTHESIZING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.......................................................................9 ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES.......................................................................................................9 ACTIVITIES FOR USING THE FILM ADAPTATION........................................................ 11 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.....................................................................................

Words: 7281 - Pages: 30