I found it interesting how Emily Bronte's work could be interpreted through a feminist criticism. At the time she wrote "Wuthering Heights," women could not own property. After reading about Lady Caroline Norton's unfortunate circumstances, I was disturbed. I could never imagine the man I marry exploiting and slandering me for the sake of more property, more money, or a governmental position. I am so glad that because of Lady Caroline Norton's Letter to the Queen on Lord Chancellor Cranworth's Marriage and Divorce Bill that she created in 1855, women today can leave their husbands, own property, and gain custody of their children.
Reading this passage, I also realized Heathcliff was probably a victim of the Irish potato famine. Seeing the photos from the famine Heathcliff in a new light for me. He was not just a vindictive, bitter man. He was a peasant who rose from the ashes like a phoenix. He went from starvation to owning basically everything. I can't even endure skipping meals. I can only imagine how people suffering from the Irish potato famine felt.
I also wrote about Lady Caroline's experience and how her boldness has changed what women are currently able to do. I couldn't believe that her own husband would go to such lengths just so that he could gain more property.
ReplyDeleteI also felt the same way about Heathcliff. When I saw a photo from the reading describing what a person who was suffering from the potato famine would look like and where he was found, I immediately thought about how Mr. Earnshaw found Heathcliff in the state he was in, and how everyone called him rough. It was most likely because of the fact that he was a victim of the potato famine.
The Irish potatoe famine would have, indeed, sucked. Imagine if there was a McDonalds famine in the USA. There would be little fat peasant children crying on the streets. "Mommy, where is my Big Mac?" It would be absolutely terrible. On a less sarastic note, I don't think many people in the modern, developed world understand what it is like to go through a major famine.
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