Tài liệu Tình yêu và thù hận thể hiện qua nhân vật heathcliff trong tác phẩm đồi gió hú của emily bronte

z VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER LOVE AND FEUD AS SEEN THROUGH THE CHARACTER HEATHCLIFF IN “WUTHERING HEIGHTS” BY EMILY BRONTE Supervisor THU H NG Student TR N TH H NH Academic year: QH.2008 Hanoi, 2012 z TR H IH NG H S U IH H GI H N I NG I NG TI NG NH U N T T NGHI T NH U V TH H N TH HI N U NH N V T HE TH I TR NG T H “ I GI H ” E I R NTE Gi o vi n h ng n THU H NG Sinh viên TR N TH H NH h : QH.2008 H N i ACCEPTANCE I hereby state that I: Tran Thi Hanh - student of class 08.1.E1, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordanc with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper. Hanoi, May 1st 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance and the help of several individuals who in one way or another contributed and extended their valuable assistance in the preparation and completion of this study. First and foremost, I would like to send my utmost gratitude to Ms. Do Thu Huong whose enthusiastic advice and encouragement motivated me a lot. Besides, I would like to thank all my friends in class 08.1.E1, especially my best friends Luu Xuan Lieu and Pham Thi Le Tuyet who always inspired me during the study process. Last but not the least, an honorable mention goes to my family and a special person who never stopped giving me the spiritual strength to plod on despite my constitution wanting to give up. Again, I wish to express my love and greatest gratitude to all those beloved persons for understanding & encouraging me through the duration of my study. ABSTRACT The author, with her personal interest in Literature in general and Emily Bronte’s literary works in particular speaking, carried out this study to investigate the nature of love and feud in the novel “Wuthering Heights”. Within the limitation of time and length allowance, the author could only focused on analyzing the love and feud of Heathcliff – one of the main characters in the novel. Throughout the study process, reading and evidence-based analyzing were the most important methods used, though referencing was indispensable. The study resulted in some findings about the nature of Heathcliff’s love for Catherine such as its state of being unconditional, passionate, sacrificial, pure, tragic, immoral, obsessive, and mortal. Besides, the causes of his feud – including both explicit and implicit ones - were also found, the result of the research also pointed out that the deepest reason for Heathcliff’s love was the social class discrimination. Within the research duration, the author was specially attracted by the Gothic aspects in the novel, however, she did not manage to include it in her study. As a result, this should be an interesting topic to investigate in further studies relating to “Wuthering Heights”. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. II. III. IV. Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………………. i Abstract……………………………………………………………………….. ii Table of contents……………………………………………………………... iii Main text ……………………………………………………………………….1 A. Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………….....1 1. Aims ………………………………………………………………….1 2. Rationale ……………………………………………………………..1 3. Methodology …………………………………………………………2 4. Scope of the study………………………………………………….…3 5. Significance of he study………………………………………………3 B. Chapter 2: Literature theory…………………………………………….5 1. Definition of fiction ………………………………………………….5 2. Elements of fiction …………………………………………………...5 2.1. Plot …………………………………………………………………5 2.2. Structure ……………………………………………………………6 2.3. Setting ……..……………………………………………………….6 2.4. Theme……………………………………………………………….6 2.5. Character…………………………………………………………....6 2.6. Point of view ……………………………………………………….6 C. Chapter3: Development ………………………………………………...7 1. Emily Bronte and the novel “Wuthering Heights” ………………….7 1.1. Emily Bronte ……………………………………………………….7 1.1.1. Life ……………………………………………………………….7 1.1.2. Career …………………………………………………………….8 1.1.2.1. Works…………………………………………………………. 8 1.1.2.2. Style …………………………………………………………….9 1.2. The novel “Wuthering Heights”…………………………………..10 1.2.1. Setting …………………………………………………………..10 1.2.2. Plot ……………………………………………………………...11 1.2.3. Significance …………………………………………………….12 2. Love and feud as shown in the character Heathcliff ………………13 2.1. The character Heathcliff ………………………………………….13 2.1.1. A character of mysteriousness …………………………………13 2.1.2. A man of no possession ………………………………………..14 2.1.3. A lonely soul abandoned by the society……………………… 14 V. 2.1.4. A symbol of immorality ………………………………………..15 2.2. Heathcliff’s love ………………………………………………….17 2.2.1. The beginning of love…………………………………………..17 2.2.2. The nature of Heathcliff’s love ………………………………..18 2.2.2.1. Unconditional…………………………………………………18 2.2.2.2. Tragic …………………………………………………………20 2.2.2.3. Passionate …………………………………………………….25 2.2.2.4. Unconventional ………………………………………………27 2.2.2.5. Obsessive ……………………………………………………..29 2.3. Feud ………………………………………………………………30 2.3.1. The reasons for Heathcliff’s feud………………………………30 2.3.1.1. Explicit reasons ……………………………………………….31 2.3.1.1.1. Heathcliff’s unhappy childhood ……………………………31 2.3.1.1.2. Heathcliff’s loss of love …………………………………….32 2.3.1.2. Implicit reasons ……………………………………………….34 2.3.2. Heathcliff’s revenge …………………………………………….35 2.3.2.1. The revenge on Hindley ………………………………………35 2.3.2.2. The revenge on Edgar ……………………………………..... 37 2.3.2.3. The revenge on Catherine ……………………………………38 2.3.2.4. The revenge on himself ………………………………………40 2.3.3. Reconciliation …………………………………………………..41 2.3.3.1. The offspring’s love ………………………………………….41 2.3.3.2. Heathcliff’s death …………………………………………….42 D. Chapter 3: Conclusion ………………………………………………...44 1. Major findings ………………………………………………………44 2. Limitation of the study ……………………………………………...44 3. Suggestions for further studies ……………………………………..45 References …………………………………………………………………….46 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Aims The aim of this study is to find out the nature of Heathcliff’s love for Catherine as well as the contradictions and the ties in the relationships which cause the feud in Heathcliff’s soul. To the author’s hope, both the explicit and the implicit causes of Heathcliff’s feud will be dealt with. Besides, the author aims to examine whether the setting or the social background played any roles in causing Heathcliff’s feud. Last but not least, how Heathcliff turned his internal feud into concrete actions and how it was reconciled would also be investigated in this study. 2. Rationale Literature, according to Nguyen (2003, p. 11), is a category of no theoretically precise definitions, but can be tentatively considered as “a form of Art representing boundless creativity of human imagination”. Literature has three main functions which interrelate closely to each other, it helps people acknowledge, educate, and entertain (Nguyen, 2003). As for me, English literature, has always been a favorite subject. As a child I was always keen on the fairy tales told by my grandmother. At high school, I were attracted by controversial literary works, and synthesizing or criticizing one in my own perception has always given me pleasure, even happiness. It has driven me to the sense of discovering a new heaven of knowledge that others have never touched upon, though my discoveries were sometimes considered crazy or weird. Thereby, up till now, as a student who is working on a thesis as the fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of art, I choose Literature as the subject of my graduation paper. Among the number of literary works I have read, “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte has obsessed me the most. A thorough reading of this great work still 1 makes it difficult for me to understand its shades of meaning. However, the more incomprehensible it is, the more strongly I am urged to learn about it until the bitter end. Throughout the novel, Heathcliff is the character who leaves the deepest impression on my mind. In my opinion, he is the most mysterious person in “Wuthering Heights”, from his appearance in the beginning of the story to his disappearance after misunderstanding Catherine, until his return with the merciless revenge, everything related to him is filled with enigmas. The most obvious aspect in this character is his passionate love as well as utmost feud which are caused by the complicated relationships in the story. As it is known as a difficult novel, very few critiques or analyses regarding “Wuthering Heights” can be found in Vietnam. Nguyen (2003) carried out a study on the wildness in this novel, in which she provided a lot of her understanding about this literary work as well as her profound analysis on the sense of wildness in the plot, the environment and the characters of “Wuthering Heights”. Another study was conducted by Le (n.d.) who paid much of his attention to love and feud presented in the novel. However, as the scope of his topic was too extensive, the love and the feud in his work were analyzed in a superficial way. He could only transcribe the plot of the novel in his own words without analyzing the nature of the love as well as the contradictions in the relationships which turned love into feud. With an effort to improve the limitations of this study and for my own interest, I have decided to carry out a study concerning “Love and feud seen through the character Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte”. 3. Methodology In the process of executing this study, the researcher carries out two basic steps: data collection and data analysis. 2 In data collection, the author searches from a number of sources to find the targeted data. The types of sources are various such as: books, literature critiques, online journals, and previous studies relating to the topic. Although data in both languages are encouraged, as a matter of fact, very little of Vietnamese sources can be found, so the data are mostly in English. After being collected, the data are read carefully so that the researcher can evaluate the information and choose the most suitable and reliable one before analyzing it. The data are generated and analyzed in a qualitative approach. The basic methods that the author uses for analyzing the data are comparison, contrast, and evidence-based analysis and synthesis. After the data are analyzed, the findings are synthesized and compiled in a logical way, which results in a complete chapter which is named “Development” in the graduation paper. 4. Scope of the study It can be drawn out that “Wuthering Heights” is a huge world which contains a lot of complicated issues such as: family life, the relationships of the members in the family and in the society, social prejudice, and even religious aspects (Le, n.d., p. 04). Love and feud can be seen as vital aspects that contribute to the novel’s success. However, due to the limitation of time and ability, the researcher just focuses on the love and feud as shown in the character Heathcliff – one of the main characters in this novel. 5. Significance of the study As a matter of course, this study is far from perfect and it contains a lot of limitations. However, as stated above, there are few data related to this literary work in Vietnam, the study could be a useful reference source for further studies as well as for people who are interested in “Wuthering Heights”. Hopefully, the paper will provide students 3 with an overview on the historical and social background of the novel, thus increasing their interest in English literature in general and in Bronte’s works in particular. 4 Chapter 2: LITERATURE THEORY As a matter of fact, there is going to be a number of literary terminologies in the research. Therefore, this chapter, as its name suggests, sheds light on the key terms which are going to be used in the study so as to help lay the concrete foundations for the readers’ understanding of the basic concepts. 1. Definition of fiction According to the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary, Eighth Edition, fiction is “a type of literature that describes imaginary people and events, not real ones”. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, also says that fiction is “a literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact”. However, according to Nguyen (2003), fiction is one of the three genres of literature in which the writer created the literary work by organizing the life in the way he/she perceives it. Consequently, fiction is not merely an invented story, it is the story of life in the author’s eyes. Therefore, bn reading the literary work of an author, the reader can easily find his/her perspective in the world and life. 2. Elements of fiction Fiction writing consists of the interconnection of some basic elements. Studying about those elements would provide the readers with vital background knowledge, thereby enhance their appreciation towards any literary works. 2.1. Plot Plot can be defined as “a unified or purposeful sequence of events which meaningfully relates events and details disconnected in time” (Cohen, 1963, p.132). Therefore, the plot is not only the story of the novel but also its underlying meaning. When the reader 5 interprets the events in a novel, it is necessary that he/she understands the meaning of those events as well. 2.2. Structure Structure is an important element of a novel. A novel is often divided into different chapters and scenes. Structure can be seen as the way the author divide and arrange the chapters in a novel (Bhattachrya, 2011). Understanding the structure of a literary work makes it easier for the readers to follow its plot. 2.3. Setting Setting refers to “geographical location of the story, time period, daily lifestyle of the characters and climate of the story” (Bhattachrya, 2011). Consequently, the setting of a literary work is important in founding a background for it and directing the readers’ mood throughout that work. 2.4. Theme The theme is one of the foremost elements that the writer should think of before writing a novel. Theme reflects the society as a whole set of “innocence, experience, life, death, reality, fate, madness, sanity, love, society, individual…” (Bhattachrya, 2011). The theme of a novel is conveyed through its plot and other elements. 2.5. Character According to Beaty (n.d.), a character is “anyone who acts, appears, or who is referred to as playing a part in a work”. A character is invented by the imagination of the author and thus it has its own characteristics. It is the characteristic of the character that leads his/her action and creates the conflicts or the flow of the story. 2.6. Point of view Point of view as stated by Nguyen (2003) is “the vantage point from which the story is told”, the point of view strongly influences the readers by deciding their “sense of what the story means”, directing them to the author’s perception and arousing in them the feelings that the author aims to create. 6 Chapter 3: DEVELOPMENT This chapter is divided into two separated parts. The first one provides readers with profound knowledge on the biography of the author Emily Bronte as well as the historical and social background of the novel “Wuthering Heights”. The second part consists of evidence-based analyses on the characteristics of the character Heathcliff together with his love and feud shown in this novel. 1. Emily ronte n the novel “Wuthering Heights” 1.1. Emily Bronte 1.1.1. Life The life of Emily Bronte, as being noted by Pykett (1989, p. 17), could be seen as a typical nineteenth-century woman’s life: “private, domestic, and hidden from history”. Despite lots of efforts to unravel the myths and legends surrounding her life by many biographers, still it seemed to be “monolithic and biographer-proof”. It seemed that Emily Bronte did keep neither a diary nor a journal. The only few sources from which some fragments of her life and personalities were discovered were a set of three letters written by herself, two “Birthday Papers” and some parts of a diary which she wrote together with her sister Anne. Besides, Emily’s life was also revealed through the neighbors’ hazy recollections, through the scattered reminiscences of her sister Charlotte’s friends and collaborators, and through “Life of Charlotte Bronte” – a biography written by Elizabeth Gaskell about Emily’s sister who was much more sociable and successful than her. But whatever sources from which her information was found, Emily appeared to be elusive, just like “a figure glimpsed in the margins of her sister‟s life” (Pykett, 1989, p. 22). Emily Jane Bronte was born on 30 July 1818 in Thornton, a secluded village in Yorkshire, England in which her father was the Reverend. She was the fifth among the 7 six children of Patrick Bronte and Maria Branwell. In 1820, her family moved to the parish of Haworth, where Emily was to spend her whole life, except for some brief periods of absence. In 1821, when Emily was at the age of three, her mother died of tuberculosis, followed by the children’s unhappy life without the mother’s love and care. Soon after that, Emily also had to witness the death of her two sisters – Maria and Elizabeth – of tuberculosis too. Among the four remaining children in the family, the only brother Patrick Branwell was said to have been “destroyed by a hopeless sexual infatuation, by equally deluded fantasies of literary success, and by drugs and alcohol”, which resulted in his “moral and physical decline” (Pykett, 1989, p. 24). During their childhood, Emily and her remaining siblings - Charlotte, Anne, and Patrick - were mostly educated at home by their father and aunt Elizabeth Branwell who always encouraged the children’s creativity and artistic goals. At seventeen, Emily attended the Roe Head girls’ school, where Charlotte was a teacher, but managed to stay only three months before being overcome by extreme homesickness. She returned home and Anne took her place. At this time, the girls’ objective was to obtain sufficient education to open a small school of their own. When she was at the age of twenty, Emily became a teacher at Law Hill school. Her health broke under the stress of the 17-hour-working day and she returned home the next year after which she became a domestic girl. She spent her time studying French and German in anticipation of opening the Bronte’s own school. Later on they managed to open a school at home but could not attract students to the remote area. Emily’s health, like her mother’s and sisters’, suffered from the unsanitary conditions in the hometown, was even weakened after her brother’s funeral, but she still rejected medical help until her death on 19 December 1848 (William, 1910, p. 41). 1.1.2. Career 1.1.2.1. Works 8 The Bronte sisters published their works under the male-like pseudonyms: Charlotte was Currer Bell, Emily was Ellis Bell, and Anne was Acton Bell. The first letters of the pseudonyms were also the beginning of their names. Emily Bronte wrote a lot of poems which were included in the volume “Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell” published in 1846. But she was more famous for the novel “Wuthering Heights” which came out in the following year (William, 1910, p. 56). 1.1.2.2. Style During Emily’s life, there were a number of factors affecting and creating her unique writing style. The first one is her sorrowful childhood in which she had to suffer the death of the mother and two sisters, by this she was deeply affected and would always feel the pain of their loss in her life. That is the reason why in her novel “Wuthering Heights” and some other poems the main characters were often motherless. Besides, in the lack of mother’s love, the father’s concern for his wife, his duties in the parish, and the retreat to his study forced the Bronte’s children to rely on their own resources, and led Emily to the strong and independent characteristics noted in most of her works (Pykett, 1989, p. 27). Her hometown also affected this writer’s style a lot. She was born in Thornton and moved to Haworth a short time later. Both of these places were secluded and separated from other areas. And wherever they were, their house was in the parsonage, which gave Emily’s works a cold, wild, mournful and cheerless environment. Last but not least, the Victorian era when Emily lived was also an important factor that affected her styles. The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain. However, it was also the age when women put up with severe discrimination. 9 They did not have suffrage rights, the right to sue, or the right to own property. There were very strict rules on how women and young girls should behave, and they were allowed very little freedom or independence. Emily realized there were many things wrong with her society, and especially for women. Emily loved having her own freedom and she refused to be the proper “lady” her society demanded she be. She would spend her entire life in rebellion against the limitations placed on her just because she was a woman. Because of her strength of character, many people thought of her as “rude, strange, and a misfit” (Wilson, 1972, p. 72). The novel “Wuthering Heights” 1.2.1. Setting “Wuthering Heights” is a classic story about an unconventional love and possessive ambition, a fiercely wild and mysterious novel about Catherine – a rebellious daughter of the Earnshaws – who fell in love with a crazy vulgar man whom her father had adopted and named Heathcliff. Their story took place on a wild and interminable moorland of England which was no more pristine and solitary than their love. From the beginning till the bitter end, their relationship became more and more obsessive. Family, social status and even fate all tended to go against them. Consequently, the two lovers spent most of their lives in feud and desperation, and death was just a beginning when the two passionate souls would meet again in the rabid and desolate winds surrounding the Wuthering Heights. The name “Wuthering Heights” proceeded from the name of a grange on a wild moorland in Yorkshire. It is also the place where all the events in the story happened. “Wuthering” is a local word meaning “turbulent weather” – a typical kind of weather in this place. So from the very beginning, the title of the work has given readers a premonition of gales and tease of destiny. 10 1.2.2. Plot “Wuthering Heights” has a very creative structure which is just like a Matryoshka doll. The story is framed by two narrators: Mr Lockwood and the house keeper Nelly Dean, and through the reminiscence of some other characters. The story started in 1801 when Mr. Lockwood moved to live in Thrushcross Grange – a large house which he had rented from Heathcliff – the landlord who lived in another house named Wuthering Heights. In a snowstorm, Mr. Lockwood spent a night in Heathcliff’s house and had a consternated nightmare in which the wraith of Catherine Earnshaw appeared and begged for her entry into the house. Back to Thrushcross Grange, Lockwood asked the housekeeper Nelly Dean to retell the Heights’ story. Nelly started to tell the story thirty years ago when Heathcliff – an abandoned child living on the streets of Liverpool – was adopted by Mr. Earnshaw – the owner of Wuthering Heights. Mr. Earnshaw had two children – the daughter, Catherine, who quickly made friends with Heathcliff, and her older brother, Hindley, who was very hostile towards the newcomer and never missed a chance to degrade and treat Heathcliff cruelly after Mr. Earnshaw’s death. Hindley’s wish to sever the intimacy between Heathcliff and Catherine was given opportunity when Catherine made friends with Edgar and Isabella Linton – the children of Thrushcross Grange, who transferred her into a more graceful lady than ever before. One year later, Hindley’s wife died after giving birth to the son Hareton. Being too doleful about her death, Hindley was caught up in gambling and alcohol addiction. At this time, Catherine chose to marry Edgar and moved to Thrusscross Grange in spite of her absolute love for Heathcliff. Her intention was to use Edgar’s money to rescue Heathcliff from her brother’s ill-treatment. But Heathcliff did not understand her, he disappeared for three years. Catherine was very happy with her husband until Heathcliff’s return three years later for the purpose of taking revenge on everyone who 11 stopped him from being with his lover. At this time he was quite transformed into an imposing and compelling sort of person. He enraptured Catherine, and captivated Isabella, much to the annoyance of Edgar. Heathcliff again stayed at Wuthering Heights, with his former enemy - Hindley, whom he gambled with and took all the properties from. Regarding Catherine, on seeing the violent arguments between Edgar and Heathcliff, and recognizing Heathcliff’s conspiracy to marry Isabella for revenge, she suffered from a serious illness and died after giving birth to Edgar’s daughter named Catherine – or Cathy. Catherine’s death made Heathcliff even more inhumane and determined to take revenge. He got married to Isabella and maltreated her until she escaped and gave birth to the sickly Linton, their effeminate son. After the death of Hindley and Isabella, Heathcliff brought up the two children Hareton and Linton with all his hatred. He forced Linton and Cathy to get married so that they could become the master of both Wuthering Heights and Thrusscross Grange after the death of Edgar, and dispossessed them shortly after that. After Linton’s death, Cathy lived a miserable existence at the Heights, totally depending on Heathcliff. The story was continued by Mr. Lockwood’s narration. Cathy gradually became closer to Hareton when Heathcliff died shortly afterwards. The novel ended with the happy scene of the offsprings’ courtship and the image of three graves together: Catherine’s, Edgar’s and Heathcliff’s. 1.2.3. Significance This sole novel of Emily Bronte was first published in 1847 with contradictory comments. Through the love between Cathy and Heathcliff, “Wuthering Heights” created a brand new world in which the author ignored all the prejudices and regulations to touch the beauty of art and the darkest depth in human’s heart. This daring made “Wuthering Heights” one of the greatest and most mournful novels about 12 burning desires. This literary work appeared and remained as a unique phenomenon of classic literature. At first, many critics thought that “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte was the most successful work among those of the Bronte’s sisters. But as time passed by, many of them changed their minds and nowadays it is said that “Wuthering Heights” is the most outstanding. 2. Love and feud as shown in the character Heathcliff 2.1. The character Heathcliff 2.1.1. A character of mysteriousness Heathcliff is one of the two main characters in the novel. He was introduced by the housekeeper Nelly Dean as a foundling who had been brought to Wuthering Heights from Liverpool by Mr. Earnshaw. Heathcliff is said to be the most mysterious character in the story. The mysteriousness was shown from his first appearance at the Earnshaws’ house. The only introduction that Mr. Earnshaw could make about him was “his seeing it starving, and houseless, and as good as dumb, in the streets of Liverpool, where he picked it up and inquired for its owner” (p. 57). Not a little about this “dirty, ragged, black-haired child” was known. All about him, including real name, age, nationality, parents… was such an enigma. However, his outlook, which was “as dark almost as if it came from the devil” (p.57), foreshadowed a tragedy that was going to rush down on this family. Mysteriousness was also found in Heathcliff’s disappearance after Catherine had agreed to marry Edgar Linton. He went away in a stormy night and not a soul knew where he went. Three years later, to everyone’s surprise, he returned. Again, no one knew what he had done during this three year’s time and what on earth had turned him into such a vigorous wealthy sort of man. 13