Emily Bronte & Wuthering Heights: The Most Defining Book of My Life!

“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: I should not seem a part of it. Without him, my connection to the world would be severed, rendering my surroundings incomprehensible and foreign. His presence is so integral to my existence that without it, I would feel utterly disconnected from reality, as though I no longer belonged to the world around me.”

Today is the birthday of one of the most renowned literary figures I have ever read. Emily Bronte was born July 30th, 1817 in Thornton England. She is best remembered for her singular novel Wuthering Heights. A timeless masterpiece that has captivated readers for generations. The wild, passionate, and very toxic love story between the main characters set against the haunting backdrop of the Yorkshire moors continues to be a compelling read for a magnitude of reasons.

I feel excited to be writing a review of her novel today in honor of Bronte’s memory because Wuthering Heights absolutely changed my life for the better. This particular book taught me how to believe in myself and my own accomplishments when I was at a very low point in my life. The thing about me is that I have never been a very confident person. My self-esteem was trashed. To simply state the matter. I did not believe myself to be smart enough to read classical literature.

Before I get into my review on how Bronte’s novel became the most defining book I’ve ever read, I would like to discuss her history. Emily was part of the famously talented Bronte family. She contributed significantly to English literature alongside Charlotte and Anne Bronte. All three sisters are equally well-known for their contributions in the literary world.

Emily’s voice was anything but subdued despite living her life in quiet seclusion. Her writing exudes a fierce intensity and a profound connection to nature. The themes in her work are vividly illustrated in both her poetry and prose. Wuthering Heights initially received mixed reviews. Critics of the time were unprepared for the novel’s raw emotional power and dark themes. However, over the years, Wuthering Heights has been re-evaluated as a cornerstone of English literature.

The complex characters and narrative structure in her novel have secured Emily Bronte’s place among the literary greats. In addition to her novel, Emily’s poetry also reveals her deep introspection and affinity with the natural world. Her poems often explore themes of solitude, longing, and the sublime beauty of the moors. A testament to her unique perspective and literary prowess. Despite her untimely death at the age of thirty in 1848, Emily’s work continues to be celebrated.

“I have not broken your heart – you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.”

---

---

In order to understand why this was such a defining read, I should really give a bit of background on where I was at in life, starting with one very embarrassing fact. When I was seventeen years old I didn’t finish my senior year of high school and chose to drop out instead. A very regretful mistake. My intention was to go to an adult school, but I didn’t stick to that.

Fast forward a few years; I was at this point a high school dropout living hours away from home. After some time working as a cashier on a military base in the hot California desert near the Nevada border, I decided to make the hours-long drive back to San Diego after a rough breakup. Change was never needed more than in these moments. I didn’t want to just wallow in my own sad failures, knowing full well I wasn’t happy. The power to do something more was within my grasp.

The time to get it together and finish school was way past due. So I took those first steps with the determination to get a diploma. The entire experience was very intimidating because school was never easy for me; however, I was taking an English class, which naturally involved a lot of reading. This was more than okay with me. I have always been a reader and have been very passionate about it from the first moment a book was placed in my hands as a child.

The joy a person can find from reading is beyond what words can describe. It was with this mindset that I looked forward to reading whatever was assigned. This, no doubt, would be the easiest part of it all. Unfortunately, that was a short-lived moment of confidence. This was going to be harder than I realized. My teacher handed me a long list of books to choose for the course. They were going to be a hurdle. Two selections were mandatory to be picked and read for the class. The list was frightening, and suddenly all the good feelings I had about going back for my education evaporated from my brain.

This was going to be one of the most daunting things I had ever done. As I looked through the list of books available for the class, I felt nothing but sheer terror. How was I going to manage to get through two of them? These books were boring, old, and had language not easily comprehended. There was no way I was smart enough to read any of these novels.

My horrible past struggles with the writings of Jane Austen ran through my mind. I didn’t want to relive my involvement with those books. To this day, I’m not fond of the overhyped Austen. I despise her illegible and complicated writing style. I will go as far as to say Jane Austen put me off classical literature for years. It stunted the broadening of my horizons.

Now there was definitely no way I was about to give up because I was being forced to read classical literature. My hatred for Jane Austen’s writing and the trauma I suffered from her books in my earlier days was not going to stop me. She was not going to win this one. I did make a choice and stuck with it. I tried to cheer myself up by thinking that a challenge was a good thing. The book I chose was Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. An excellent choice, if I do say so myself.

The reason I went with this one is rather simple. It was actually a book I had always fancied reading but had been too scared to approach on my own free will. We can thank Jane Austen for that! Now jokes aside, I don’t deny Austen’s talents and will be the first to say how much I love her as a human. I am obsessed with her life story and the heart of gold she had. Austen was an amazing woman who struggled in life and persevered to accomplish great things. I admire her so much!

Luckily, because of this class, something changed. The world reopened and had given me a second chance. I discovered that classics are loved for a very good reason. I had a great time being immersed in the world painted by Emily Bronte and this led me to other authors such as Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and Elizabeth Gaskell.

My first reaction to the book was relief. I could actually understand the writing and language being used. There were no phrases, words, or long elaborate sentences to confuse me. It was fairly simple reading. I was happy that the sentences were not overly long winded. The second I realized this, all bets were off. I knew the task was manageable. I had this very defining moment where I understood that I had judged all classics based on one author I personally couldn’t stomach. All classical literature had been deemed guilty by association. This had been unfair, and it was me who had suffered for it.

---

---

My love for Wuthering Heights didn’t develop straight away. I was mildly put off by the story itself because the narration is told secondhand. The main character is told about the lives of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw through a housekeeper. This instantly put a bad taste in my mouth. I’m not highly fond of books told through this form and style of narration.

It is hard to develop love for the characters when their story is being told in the middle of what seems like a different story. It can be confusing when you’re jumping through time. An example of this would be that sometimes in Wuthering Heights you are with the main character and the housekeeper, whereas other times you are in the past with Heathcliff and Catherine. Usually this drives me crazy. That has always been my feeling on such narration until this book entered my life.

Emily Bronte smoothly transitions between the housekeepers tale and present time. There was not a moment where I did not know where I was or what was going on. I adored the style of this story and how it was being told. I have never seen it so beautifully done; however, it is so much more than that. Bronte makes you love every single thing about everything. I walked away truly believing in my core that there was no other way this book could have been told except in this style.

The book would not be the same without the housekeeper Nelly Dean and the main character Mr. Lockwood. These two people are narrating the book throughout. As a reader, I felt every emotion they were experiencing as the story unfolded; furthermore, I was just as captivated as they both were by Heathcliff and Catherine with the need to know what was next.

I will openly say that this book needed secondhand narration. The only reason you have any devotion to Heathcliff and Catherine is because of Nelly Dean. Readers only love Catherine and Heathcliff because Nelly truly does. At least, that is how I felt personally. I loved Nelly Dean quite a lot and became deeply engrossed in how she felt about these two very messed-up individuals. Mr. Lockwood is equally vital to the story, and I really cannot express why. It’s simply a feeling.

He is just an onlooker who is late to the game. Lockwood isn’t around until everything has already been said and done; however, there is just something about him that completes this book. As a reader, I think his dying curiosity gave way to mine. Mr. Lockwood and I are one in the same. That’s the only way to describe it. He is the reader, and I love him for it.

We are simply two people eager to know about the dysfunctional yet irrevocable love between Heathcliff and Catherine. Mr. Lockwood is everything that we readers are. There is a camaraderie with him that just completes Bronte’s tale. He feels like a long-time friend that you trust to just be there. He is the steadfast rock, keeping the book forever balanced.

Wuthering Heights is centered around the love and friendship of two very different children put together in a cruelly unfair world. Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw are the meat of the book while the narrators are the bone. They both are equally valued. Emily Bronte pierced and shredded every emotion I have in my being when it comes to this couple.

At times while reading, I wanted to scream with anger and slap Heathcliff for his cruel actions and terrible behavior, all while wanting to give him a hug for all he endures in this very haunting book. Catherine, on the other hand, probably frustrated me the most. She is so privileged. You really want to like her because of her fondness for Heathcliff. Everyone around the boy treats him like he is absolutely nothing, especially after Mr. Earnshaw dies and can no longer protect him.

Catherine and Nelly Dean are the only two to ever show him a single ounce of kindness once his benefactor perishes. This is probably the only thing I truly liked about Catherine at the beginning of the story. It was something pure. Catherine’s selfishness definitely gets to me, though, because she destroys lives out of pride. How could she love someone so much and yet turn on them the way she does? Playing with the emotions of both Heathcliff and Edgar Linton is beyond the pale.

She twists everything to make it work for her without regard to the feelings of the people who supposedly matter to her. It was difficult not to hate such a character, although I have to admit Heathcliff really never helps the situation or does anything to improve his own happiness. He eventually becomes a person who is dark, cruel, and evil. I don’t say this lightly, either. Heathcliff was never given a chance, which turns him into a monster, but as the reader, I understood why.

That is probably what hurts the most when it comes to this novel. Heathcliff should have been beloved, but instead of walking away to go live a happy life, he returns to get revenge on everyone who wronged him, even on the person he loved the most, but it goes further. He is evil to the innocent, and for no reason. Instead of letting the past go, Heathcliff allowed it to change his core center. I am reminded of a discussion that takes place in one of the books in the Twilight series. The conversation between Edward and Bella about Wuthering Heights really sums it all up for me.

Edward says “The characters are ghastly people who ruin each others lives… It isn’t a love story, it’s a hate story.” Bella, however, feels attracted to the inevitability of it all and believes the whole point is that their love is their only redeeming characteristic. “How nothing can keep them apart – not her selfishness, or his evil, or even death, in the end…” 

I shall leave it at this. Catherine and Heathcliff’s only redeeming quality is the devotion and love they have for each other. It is the only turning point and difference between the tale being a love story versus a hate story. I really did fall for the fact that no matter how selfish Catherine was or how evil Heathcliff acted, they never let each other go. Not ever!

In the long run this book taught me that I am capable of reading material I deem as hard and that I can achieve anything. Going back to school, starting this blog, and getting my life back to moving forward was exactly what I needed. This book gave me confidence and reassurance that I am smarter than I give myself credit for. The power is always ours to wield.

Fast forward to today and here I sit, a high school graduate who has finished community college and will be doing a master’s program at San Diego State University in History. Each and every one of us can achieve our goals with hard work and determination. For me, reading Wuthering Heights was just the confidence boost I needed to begin my goals.

Does anyone have any books that changed their perspective and taught them something about life? I would love to hear all about them! Please leave a comment below to share your experiences. Thank you for reading!

---

© Samantha Sebesta, Samantha James, and The Chronicles of History: Reading Into Our Past, 2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Samantha Sebesta with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

---