Unusual Points

The next thing to consider when discovering a Normal curve, or Wuthering Heights, are the unusual points. Although this refers to outliers in mathematics, I’m going to interpret this as something that stands out to me in Bronte’s writing.

Bronte has fabulous diction. She writes in a way that, in my opinion, literally doesn’t exist anymore. Each sentence is concise, uses the perfect words, and seems purposeful. It’s my opinion that if a contemporary author had just ONE sentence in their book that was reminiscent of a Bronte sentence, they would be the greatest author of our time. Bronte has a whole book of perfect sentences. While reading, I sometimes had to sit back and just watch her play with language.

For example, in Chapter 9, she writes, “If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” In the same chapter, she muses, “I have dreamt in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind. And this is one: I'm going to tell it - but take care not to smile at any part of it.” These lines, taken out of context, are strikingly beautiful pieces of writing. Thrown in with the rest of the great language in the book, Wuthering Heights makes for a masterpiece.

Another way in which Bronte manipulates language to drive the plot of her novel forward is through the names of her characters and places. Like a good porno, the names of the characters in Wuthering Heights reveal a lot about their personalities, role in the story, and perhaps their physical features. For example, Heathcliff—the antagonist—has a name that sounds as serious and hard as the character is. A "heath" is an area of uncultivated land, similar to how Heathcliff is uncultivated in his social upbringing and rugged beahavior. A "cliff" is jagged, dangerous, and sinister-- another one of Heathcliff's stand-out character traits. It’s also fitting that he has no last name, as he is an orphan who was found in the streets of London by the Mr. Earnshaw. Other character has similar meaningful names. The repetition of the name “Catherine” is something that cannot be ignored. Both the mother Catherine and the daughter Catherine share character traits (and even last names, though not as the same time). They are obviously supposed to be parallel characters of one another and their similarities are highlighted by their shared names. Finally, the names of the respective houses helps create the environment for both places. Wuthering Heights, as the author points out, is a "significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather" (1). The name of Wuthering Heights signals the reader and prepares them for the turbulent lifestyle they'll find there. Juxtaposed with the name and nature of Thrushcross Grange, which sounds open and welcoming, the names of the two structures central to the plot of this book help Bronte create a fully-formed world. 

Bronte loves wordplay. A lot of it can just be admired for the beauty of the language, but in other cases (as with the names she chooses for her characters), she’s trying to communicate a different meaning through nuances of language. There's a lot to be learned from Wuthering Heights, particularly in the way Bronte executes her craft.