Feminism In Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

The Victorian era was a particularly trivial time for feminism. Many women had begun to speak up about their views that were previously muted by the fear of the predominant male-led society. With this time period and the publicity of feminism rising came female authors who sought to speak their views on the current society. The Bronte sisters were one of the most well known female authors of this time period, all three voicing their differing views on feminism. The impact of the male dominance loomed and had an apparent effect as well, as the three, as well as other female authors of this time, lived under pseudonyms in fear of judgment from the male-dominated world of literature. However, the pseudonyms served as a benefit to their desire to share their works and

The characters of Edgar Linton and Heathcliff are two particular instances of Emily Bronte’s portrayal of men in the male-driven society. Edgar Linton was shown as the typical wealthy man. He was calm and collected, overall a simple gentleman. He was the man all women would have loved to marry, as he had wealth and a sane personality. Heathcliff, on the other hand, was much more hot-headed. He seemed to be more reliant on Catherine than she was with him. Catherine ultimately chose Edgar over Heathcliff for his class and wealth, so he, as a result, sought out to be what Catherine wanted. His extreme actions, such as marrying Isabella, creating conflict between him and Edgar, and seeking wealth by obtaining ownership of the Heights were all to gain Catherine’s attention and an attempt to possibly win her love back. Heathcliff showed a contrasting character to the character of Edgar, who portrayed the man women were standardized live their life for and to love and take care of. Heathcliff proved to be a man who sought expressed love from the woman, rather than the woman trying to make the man