Emily Brontes only novel Wuthering Heights was created in the Victorian age. It was rejected at first, but later was considered as a great masterpiece. In the opinion of many critics, Emily was the most gifted of the three Bronte sisters. Ralph Fox, the revolutionary critic of England, writes, eWuthering Heights is certainly the novel of poetry. It is beyond all doubt one of the most extraordinary books which human genius has ever produced.(Liu, 378). William Somer Eset Maugham once recommended it as one of the ten greatest novels in the world.
What makes the novel so fascinating? It is about love, yet not only love, love mixes with hatred and both go to extreme extent. Emily animates Heathcliff more effectively than other character by stretching two powerful and contradicting emotions "love and hate, and giving them to Heathcliff(Knoepflmacher, 67). It is Brontes remarkable imagination, emotional power, figures of speech, handling of dialect that make the characteristics of the heroes and heroines so distinctive and their love and hatred so profound and striking. It is one of the most famous examples in literature of pure enmeshment, a total loss of boundaries that seems to triumph over death, sustaining the myth that romantic love is a viable form of spirituality(Bump, 347). In the end, love conquers all and love is beyond humans life.
The story began with humans good nature. Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of Wuthering Heights, showed pity and love to a waif and took him home, named him Heathcliff. Earnshaw took a liking to this hard and silent boy. Earnshaws daughter Catherine soon became very fond of him, while her brother Hindley regarded Heathcliff as a usurper of his parents affections and his privileges and he grew bitter with brooding over these injuries(Bronte, 36).
Soon after Earnshaws death, Hindley drove Heathcliff from their company to the servants, compelling him to do so as hard as other lad on the farm(Bronte, 44).