The Most Revolutionary Aspect of "Otherness" in Wuthering Heights (original) (raw)

Abstract

Edward Said states in his book Orientalism : "The development and maintenance of every culture requires the existence of another different and competing alter ego. The construction of identity… whether Orient or Occident, France or Britain… involves establishing opposites and otherness whose actuality is always subject to the continuous interpretation and reinterpretation of their differences from us." (1978: 202) This paper attempts to explore the four dimensions of 'Othering' by depicting the geographical, racial, ethnical and religious oppression in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. This exploration begins with how the novel should be considered and interpreted within a postcolonial context to depict how characters suffer ;because they are the other, psychologically and socially due to their gender, race and class. Specifically, this paper examines how the use of 'Othering' breaks with the conventions of the content to determine an unconventional form of this novel. In other words, 'Othering' is found in the language and also in the social, financial and religious incidents of the novel and all are manifested through an unconventional method of narration(a narrative within a narrative).Therefore this novel has been considered puzzling to be classified as a gothic story, a novel of manners, a Romantic or a metaphysical novel. To put it differently Wuthering Heights presents these genres unconventionally as Emile Bronte uses the gothic element of "Heathcliff" as a Byronic hero who rebels and seeks for revenge because of being betrayed and he acts unconventionally contrasted with the cuckold man of England culture who is known as the poor and the coward man because of the unfaithful wives portraying how the other Heathcliff revenged unexpectedly and differently from the normal cuckold man. Furthermore, the novel is classified as a novel of manners despite the full absence of moral scheme by which the novel is considered revolutionary regarding to how the characters "Catherine and Heathcliff" other and neglect society, religion and morality and follow their Id and marginalize their Ego. Also how Heathcliff seeks for revenge immorally to create the "self". In addition, Wuthering Heights is being revolutionary by not following the traditional characteristics of a Romantic novel that focuses on the relationship between the lover and the beloved who are emotionally satisfied and eventually who have an optimistic ending. Emile Bronte portrays the satisfying relationship between "Cathrine and Heathcliff" until they visited Trushcross when Cathrine marginalizes her lover to build her "self" financially by marrying Edgar for his social class. Moreover Emile Bronte revolutionizes the method of narration in Wuthering Heights by choosing two narrators , one is a governess " NellyDean" who doesn't have a stable attitude towards the lovers, once with and once against. The other narrator is a foreigner ''Lockwood" who marginalizes the characters' direct affection and emotions while narrating the story from his point of view. This narrative method offers obscure and unreliable source of reality and therefore othering the true perspective is clear in the novel which is considered a

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