Topic > The Meaning of Cycles in Emily Brontë's Novel

The natural cycles of the universe promote continuity through repetition. Emily Brontë had a very cyclical view of life and uses these cycles in Wuthering Heights to demonstrate this. The story itself comes full circle, and death is an important cycle in the story. These two cycles are extremely important to the structure of the novel because they lead the reader to see Brontë's cynical views of life during the Victorian period. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the beginning of the novel, life and death are the most important cycles in Wuthering Heights. Lockwood introduces the reader to the supernatural in the early chapters. in a dream sequence he deals with the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw. “Terror has made me cruel; and, deeming it useless to attempt to shake off the creature, I drew his wrist upon the broken glass, and rubbed it to and fro until the blood ran down” (Brontë, 20). This brutality between the dead Cathy and Lockwood shows, in Brontë's view, how easily the veneer of civilization can be stripped away. To further his point the ghost moans, “I have been a troubadour for twenty years” (Brontë, 21). The word waif, meaning orphan, has a significant connection to the lost souls of Heathcliff and Cathy throughout the book and deepens the reader's curiosity about the events leading up to this haunting. This incident also marks the strong bond between Heathcliff and Catherine and the significance of Cathy's room. Lockwood is almost desecrating his sacred place and the ghost comes seeking revenge. The bloody and brutal language used in the quote shows how thin the line is between "gentleman" Lockwood and violence. Although Brontë seems to believe that Cathy and Heathcliff's souls find their paradise on the moor, she goes far enough to say that love can go beyond death. This Gothic interpretation of events is rooted in a strong belief in the supernatural and the unknown of the afterlife. “Much of Victorian death culture developed from subconscious reactions to widespread death, new scientific discoveries and popular culture and these fears and anxieties were reflected in much of the Victorian era.” Brontë uses her views on death to shape the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. On his deathbed, Heathcliff says: “Catherine Earnshaw, many of you will not rest, as long as I live! You said I killed you… haunt me then!” (Bronte, 130). It becomes apparent that the narrative structure introduced by Lockwood reveals truthfulness: Heathcliff may be telling the truth and Cathy may be a ghost, as seen at the beginning. The parallels between life and death are also significant to the author's view on cycles. of life. Brontë begins the second half of the novel with the birth of the second Catherine. This is important because it shows the cyclical nature of life. Catherine, the eldest, dies, but the youngest Catherine is born as a sort of reincarnation of her mother. Mrs. Dean says, “The capacity for intense attachments reminded me of her mother” (Brontë, 146). The author describes both of Cathy's as similar to highlight the importance of the novel beginning to come full circle. Brontë also delves into the pain that death causes others as a reflection of her own life. As a young girl, her mother died of cancer, and a few years later her two older sisters died. This ever-present, cruel loss in his life shaped the novel. He uses his close experiences with death to provide a detailed description of Catherine senior between life and death. He described: “The flash of his eyes was struck by a sweetness. 2016.