Diseased Body in Wuthering Heights Essay Example for Free

Diseased Body in Wuthering Heights EssayIn Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte it can be viewed that there is more pitiful caused by a diseased intellectual than by a diseased body. The idea of a diseased mind is a mental illness or madness and the diseased body is a physical illness or injury, both of which are displayed by many characters in Wuthering Heights.Heathcliff is a prime example of a character with a diseased mind that causes him suffering. He spends the majority of his life contemplating and acting out revenge towards Hindley and the Lintons because he believes it was their fault Catherine thought it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff, even though she loved him this is one example of his unstable mind set. In chapter 9 Nelly foreshadows the suffering of Heathcliff by saying if you Catherine are his choice, hell be the most unfortunate creature, this is because Nelly understands that society wouldnt accept the pair to marry, therefore Heathcliff will be unfortunat ely heartbroken. Heathcliff believes that Catherine is a part of him I cannot live without my soul, he says which highlights that he is suffering without her. It is from this heartbreak and suffering that his diseased mind commenced. Heathcliffs diseased mind heightens when he asks for Catherine to patronize him when she is dead haunting is an element of the Gothic genre solely the madness of Heathcliff is enhanced when he requests that Catherine drives him mad.The word mad is ambiguous in this quotation because it could be viewed that Heathcliff wants to be haunted until he is angry with Catherine so he can destroy his love for her. An alternative view is that Heathcliff wants to be haunted until he is frantic and suffering since he is desperate to see Catherine, this becomes true because after Catherines death Heathcliffs mind is haunted by his love for her. Jerold E. Hogle develops this is accurate because characters in Gothic novels are haunted psychologically and this is acc urately shown through the character of Heathcliff. His mind is diseased by his separation from Catherine due to her choice of partner and her death, which causes him and everyone in the novel immense suffering because of his vengeance.Heathcliffs unconditional love causes Catherines melancholy mental state because it is overwhelming and she is in love with him but aVictorian society wouldnt accept their relationship because of the Heathcliffs very low class, which would result in them being beggars. Catherine has a peculiar expression arising from her mind set before she tells Heathcliff you have killed me, this highlights her diseased mind and the suffering it is causing her because she hasnt died yet but it could be interpreted that she feels as though she has which emphasises her suffering, but also her madness. The peculiar expression that Catherine is described to have could be because she was thinking of Wuthering Heights.The expression could be interpreted as a smile, which w ould be peculiar to Nelly because she has been cast down living with Edgar, therefore a smile would be unusual David Punter explains Gothic reminds us we are driven by our passions and Catherines passion is Heathcliff, which would explain her expression when thinking about Wuthering Heights. This idea of Catherines thought process in her diseased mind emphasises her pain and suffering because she cannot be without Heathcliff, her soul, yet she is infinitely thinking about him, this is essentially what drives her insane.Catherines mental suffering is closely linked with her physical suffering which is an example that represents the diseased body in Wuthering Heights. some other character with a diseased body in Wuthering Heights is Isabella, whose bruised body is a valid example of suffering. Heathcliffs diseased mind causes him to abuse Isabella which leads to her suffering and her injured body