Essay-​ ​Panorama​ ​de​ ​la​ ​Literatura​ ​de​ ​los​ ​pueblos​ ​de​ ​habla​ ​inglesa

Macarena​ ​Mina 16/11/2017

Sadomasochism​ ​and​ ​gender​ ​in​ ​Wuthering​ ​Heights

Wuthering​ ​Heights​ ​is​ ​a​ ​novel​ ​written​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Irish​ ​author​ ​Emily​ ​Brontë​ ​in​ ​1847,​ ​which
belongs​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Romantic​ ​period.​ ​The​ ​plot​ ​revolves​ ​around​ ​the​ ​lives​ ​of​ ​two​ ​houses,
and​ ​their​ ​inhabitants,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​moors​ ​of​ ​Northern​ ​England.​ ​Many​ ​characteristics​ ​of​ ​the
Romantic​ ​are​ ​present​ ​in​ ​the​ ​novel,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​elements​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Gothic.​ ​Romanticism
emerges​ ​as​ ​a​ ​reaction​ ​against​ ​Neoclassicism,​ ​in​ ​which​ ​reason​ ​prevailed​ ​over
emotions.​ ​In​ ​Wuthering​ ​Heights,​ ​on​ ​the​ ​contrary,​ ​Emily​ ​Brontë​ ​created​ ​characters
who​ ​are​ ​ruled​ ​(and​ ​tormented)​ ​by​ ​their​ ​emotions,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​characteristic​ ​of​ ​the
Romantic​ ​period.

One​ ​of​ ​the​ ​most​ ​interesting​ ​features​ ​of​ ​the​ ​novel​ ​is​ ​the​ ​point​ ​of​ ​view​ ​of​ ​the​ ​narration,
or​ ​the​ ​framing​ ​device.​ ​In​ ​a​ ​“chinese​ ​box​ ​narrative​ ​structure”​ ​(Eagleton,​ ​2005:136),
the​ ​story​ ​moves​ ​from​ ​one​ ​first​ ​person​ ​narrator​ ​to​ ​the​ ​other,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​many​ ​other
“voices”​ ​which​ ​are​ ​included.​ ​The​ ​unreliability​ ​of​ ​the​ ​narrators​ ​(first​ ​Lockwood,​ ​and
then​ ​Nelly​ ​Dean)​ ​is​ ​representative​ ​of​ ​the​ ​complexity​ ​of​ ​the​ ​novel.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​not​ ​easy​ ​for​ ​the
characters​ ​to​ ​fall​ ​into​ ​a​ ​clear​ ​cut​ ​categorization​ ​of​ ​hero​ ​and​ ​anti-hero,​ ​which​ ​makes
them​ ​more​ ​round​ ​and​ ​complex.

Wuthering​ ​Heights​ ​possesses​ ​many​ ​Gothic​ ​elements​ ​such​ ​as​ ​violence,​ ​the​ ​presence
of​ ​ghosts,​ ​an​ ​isolated​ ​setting​ ​of​ ​extreme​ ​weather​ ​and​ ​landscapes,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​existence
of​ ​repressed​ ​feelings​ ​or​ ​desires​ ​in​ ​some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​characters.​ ​From​ ​a​ ​queer
perspective,​ ​some​ ​of​ ​these​ ​elements​ ​are​ ​interesting​ ​to​ ​analyse​ ​taking​ ​into​ ​an
account​ ​the​ ​discourse​ ​of​ ​normative​ ​sexuality,​ ​where,​ ​for​ ​example,​ ​violence​ ​in
sexuality​ ​is​ ​considered​ ​a​ ​perversion.​ ​There​ ​are​ ​many​ ​instances​ ​in​ ​the​ ​novel,​ ​such​ ​as
the​ ​relationship​ ​of​ ​Catherine​ ​Earnshaw​ ​and​ ​Heathcliff,​ ​Heathcliff​ ​and​ ​Isabella​ ​Linton
and​ ​Hareton​ ​Earnshaw​ ​and​ ​Catherine​ ​Linton,​ ​where​ ​sadomasochism​ ​is​ ​present.​ ​The
purpose​ ​of​ ​this​ ​essay​ ​is​ ​to​ ​explore​ ​to​ ​what​ ​extent​ ​the​ ​presence​ ​of​ ​sadomasochism​ ​in
Catherine​ ​Earnshaw​ ​and​ ​Heathcliff’s​ ​relationship​ ​in​ ​the​ ​novel​ ​benefits​ ​or​ ​empowers
her.

Masochism​ ​can​ ​be​ ​defined​ ​as​ ​“the​ ​activity​ ​of​ ​getting​ ​sexual​ ​pleasure​ ​from​ ​being​ ​hurt
or​ ​controlled​ ​by​ ​another​ ​person”.1​ ​There​ ​are​ ​some​ ​important​ ​concepts​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​in
mind​ ​when​ ​discussing​​ ​this​ ​practice.​ ​To​ ​begin​ ​with,​ ​the​ ​idea​ ​of​ ​consent​ ​is​ ​of​ ​major
value.​ ​Without​ ​consent​ ​of​ ​the​ ​participants,​ ​the​ ​practice​ ​is​ ​not​ ​masochistic​ ​but​ ​violent.
Masochism​ ​has​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​dominance​ ​and​ ​power,​ ​and​ ​its​ ​counterparts:
subordination​ ​and​ ​powerlessness.​ ​These​ ​dynamics​ ​can​ ​be​ ​seen​ ​as​ ​representative​ ​of
the​ ​social​ ​and​ ​economic​ ​conflicts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​time.​ ​As​ ​Terry​ ​Eagleton​ ​points​ ​it

“There​ ​is​ ​a​ ​delight​ ​in​ ​both​ ​domination​ ​and​ ​subjugation,​ ​one​ ​which​ ​reflects​ ​something
of​ ​the​ ​complex​ ​class​ ​dynamics​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Brontës’​ ​world.​ ​The​ ​lower​ ​middle​ ​class​ ​is
caught​ ​between​ ​deference​ ​and​ ​defiance,​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​as​ ​though​ ​sado​ ​masochism​ ​is​ ​the
‘political​ ​unconscious’​ ​of​ ​this​ ​ambivalence.”​ ​(Eagleton,​ ​2005:132)

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Macarena​ ​Mina 16/11/2017

Sado-masochism​ ​sometimes​ ​involves​ ​an​ ​inversion​ ​or​ ​defiance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​masculine​ ​and
feminine​ ​roles.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​relationship​ ​between​ ​Heathcliff​ ​and​ ​Catherine​ ​Earnshaw,​ ​she
plays​ ​the​ ​role​ ​of​ ​the​ ​dominant,​ ​the​ ​“mistress”,​ ​and​ ​he​ ​plays​ ​the​ ​role​ ​of​ ​the
submissive.​ ​Her​ ​inclination​ ​towards​ ​engaging​ ​in​ ​S/M​ ​(sadism​ ​and​ ​masochism)​ ​can
be​ ​seen​ ​at​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​novel,​ ​when​ ​she​ ​is​ ​still​ ​a​ ​girl.​ ​Nelly​ ​describes​ ​this
behaviour​ ​in​ ​her​ ​account​ ​of​ ​the​ ​events​ ​to​ ​Lockwood:

“In​ ​play,​ ​she​ ​liked,​ ​exceedingly,​ ​to​ ​act​ ​the​ ​little​ ​mistress;​ ​using​ ​her​ ​hands​ ​freely,​ ​and
commanding​ ​her​ ​companions:​ ​she​ ​did​ ​so​ ​to​ ​me,​ ​but​ ​I​ ​would​ ​not​ ​bear​ ​slapping,​ ​and
ordering;​ ​and​ ​so​ ​I​ ​let​ ​her​ ​know.”​ ​ (Brontë, 1847: 29)

When​ ​they​ ​are​ ​children,​ ​Catherine​ ​and​ ​Heathcliff​ ​enjoy​ ​and​ ​take​ ​part​ ​in
sadomasochistic​ ​play​ ​consensually.​ ​Nelly​ ​claims,​ ​“the​ ​boy​ ​would​ ​do​ ​her​ ​[Catherine’s]
bidding​ ​in​ ​anything,”​ ​and​ ​“he​ ​yielded​ ​completely”​ ​to​ ​Catherine’s​ ​dominance​ ​in​ ​play
and​ ​superiority​ ​in​ ​education​ ​(Brontë,​ ​1847:​ ​29,48).

However,​ ​a​ ​disruption​ ​in​ ​their​ ​roles​ ​happens​ ​when​ ​Catherine​ ​marries​ ​Edgar​ ​Linton.
Brontë​ ​portrays​ ​Heathcliff​ ​in​ ​a​ ​state​ ​of​ ​alienation,​ ​and​ ​when​ ​he​ ​comes​ ​back​ ​to
Wuthering​ ​Heights,​ ​he​ ​is​ ​ready​ ​to​ ​play​ ​the​ ​role​ ​of​ ​the​ ​dominant,​ ​by​ ​inflicting​ ​pain​ ​on
others.​ ​Although​ ​he​ ​does​ ​not​ ​speak​ ​about​ ​it​ ​in​ ​terms​ ​of​ ​sadomasochism,​ ​Terry
Eagleton​ ​addresses​ ​this​ ​change​ ​of​ ​roles:

“[Heathcliff’s]​ ​alienation​ ​from​ ​Catherine​ ​estranges​ ​him​ ​from​ ​himself​ ​to​ ​the​ ​point
where​ ​his​ ​brutalities​ ​become​ ​tediously​ ​perfunctory​ ​gestures,​ ​the​ ​mechanical​ ​motions
of​ ​a​ ​man​ ​who​ ​is​ ​already​ ​withdrawing​ ​himself​ ​from​ ​his​ ​own​ ​body.​ ​Heathcliff​ ​moves
from​ ​being​ ​Hindley's​ ​victim​ ​to​ ​becoming,​ ​like​ ​Catherine,​ ​his​ ​own​ ​executioner.”
(Eagleton,​ ​2010:105)

Heathcliff’s​ ​relationship​ ​with​ ​Isabella​ ​Linton​ ​proves​ ​to​ ​be​ ​something​ ​other​ ​that
sadomasochistic.​ ​At​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​relationship​ ​she​ ​is​ ​willing​ ​to​ ​engage​ ​in​ ​the
submissive​ ​role,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​she​ ​had​ ​to​ ​flee​ ​from​ ​her​ ​house​ ​escaping​ ​from​ ​him
shows​ ​the​ ​crossing​ ​of​ ​the​ ​line​ ​between​ ​sadomasochistic​ ​role​ ​play​ ​and​ ​gender
violence.​ ​This​ ​can​ ​clearly​ ​be​ ​seen​ ​in​ ​Isabella’s​ ​account​ ​of​ ​the​ ​events​ ​to​ ​Nelly:

“I​ ​must​ ​get​ ​quite​ ​away.​ ​I’ve​ ​recovered​ ​from​ ​my​ ​first​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​be​ ​killed​ ​by​ ​him:​ ​I’d
rather​ ​he’d​ ​kill​ ​himself!​ ​(...)​ ​I​ ​gave​ ​him​ ​my​ ​heart,​ ​and​ ​he​ ​took​ ​and​ ​pinched​ ​it​ ​to​ ​death,
and​ ​flung​ ​it​ ​back​ ​to​ ​me”​ ​(Brontë​ ​1847:​ ​125)

Although​ ​in​ ​playing​ ​the​ ​dominant​ ​role​ ​Catherine​ ​can​ ​be​ ​seen​ ​as​ ​an​ ​empowered
woman,​ ​breaking​ ​the​ ​patriarchal​ ​discourse​ ​where​ ​men​ ​control​ ​and​ ​decide​ ​over
women;​ ​there​ ​are​ ​some​ ​aspects​ ​which​ ​show​ ​it​ ​is​ ​not​ ​that​ ​so.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​story,​ ​Catherine
and​ ​Heathcliff’s​ ​relationship​ ​is​ ​portrayed​ ​as​ ​something​ ​metaphysical,​ ​where​ ​they​ ​are
both​ ​outsiders,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​only​ ​place​ ​for​ ​their​ ​love​ ​to​ ​actually​ ​flourish​ ​is​ ​after​ ​death.​ ​This
has​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​two​ ​aspects​ ​present​ ​in​ ​the​ ​novel.

The​ ​first​ ​one​ ​is​ ​the​ ​ideology​ ​of​ ​romantic​ ​love,​ ​in​ ​which​ ​their​ ​love​ ​transcends​ ​their​ ​own
reality,​ ​and​ ​it​ ​exists​ ​in​ ​spite​ ​of​ ​the​ ​conditions​ ​which​ ​make​ ​it​ ​impossible​ ​(the​ ​fact​ ​that
she​ ​is​ ​married​ ​and​ ​then​ ​dead,​ ​for​ ​example).​ ​Catherine​ ​sees​ ​Heathcliff​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of

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herself,​ ​which​ ​becomes​ ​clear​ ​when​ ​she​ ​speaks​ ​to​ ​Nelly​ ​about​ ​this​ ​and​ ​says​ ​“I​ ​am
Heathcliff!​ ​He’s​ ​always,​ ​always​ ​in​ ​my​ ​mind,​ ​not​ ​as​ ​pleasure,​ ​any​ ​more​ ​than​ ​I​ ​am
pleasure​ ​to​ ​myself,​ ​but​ ​as​ ​my​ ​own​ ​being”​ ​(Brontë:1847,​ ​59).​ ​As​ ​she​ ​cannot​ ​think​ ​of
herself​ ​outside​ ​him,​ ​is​ ​she​ ​really​ ​taking​ ​the​ ​role​ ​of​ ​the​ ​dominant​ ​or​ ​mistress?​ ​Or​ ​is
she​ ​just​ ​taking​ ​the​ ​masculine​ ​role​ ​borrowed​ ​from​ ​Heathcliff​ ​on​ ​the​ ​account​ ​that​ ​she
feels​ ​they​ ​are​ ​the​ ​same​ ​entity?​ ​If​ ​it​ ​is​ ​the​ ​latter​ ​case,​ ​Catherine’s​ ​character​ ​is​ ​not
actually​ ​breaking​ ​the​ ​patriarchal​ ​discourse​ ​by​ ​inverting​ ​roles​ ​of​ ​dominance​ ​but
actually​ ​reinforcing​ ​it.​ ​The​ ​question​ ​would​ ​be​ ​whether​ ​she​ ​would​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​place
herself​ ​in​ ​the​ ​dominant​ ​role​ ​without​ ​incorporating​ ​the​ ​masculine​ ​identity​ ​of​ ​Heathcliff
in​ ​her​ ​own.

The​ ​other​ ​aspect​ ​which​ ​may​ ​question​ ​Catherine’s​ ​empowerment​ ​as​ ​a​ ​female
character​ ​is​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​there​ ​are​ ​some​ ​other​ ​roles,​ ​outside​ ​the​ ​patriarchal
discourse,​ ​at​ ​stake.​ ​The​ ​existence​ ​of​ ​the​ ​racial​ ​discourse​ ​present​ ​in​ ​the​ ​novel,​ ​where
Heathcliff​ ​is​ ​presented​ ​as​ ​the​ ​“ethnic​ ​other”​ ​from​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​story,​ ​shows
that,​ ​even​ ​though​ ​Catherine​ ​is​ ​a​ ​woman,​ ​Heathcliff​ ​is​ ​considered​ ​“inferior”​ ​because
of​ ​his​ ​ethnicity.​ ​Inside​ ​that​ ​discourse,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​make​ ​up​ ​the​ ​hierarchy​ ​of​ ​the
characters,​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​therefore​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​know​ ​whether​ ​her​ ​dominance​ ​is​ ​not​ ​just
representative​ ​of​ ​the​ ​imperialistic​ ​discourse​ ​where​ ​the​ ​ethnic​ ​other​ ​is​ ​treated​ ​as
inferior,​ ​and​ ​usually​ ​made​ ​to​ ​incorporate​ ​these​ ​ideas,​ ​by​ ​hating​ ​himself.​ ​He​ ​shows
this​ ​feeling​ ​when​ ​saying​ ​to​ ​Nelly​ ​“I​ ​wish​ ​I​ ​had​ ​light​ ​hair​ ​and​ ​a​ ​fair​ ​skin”​ ​(Brontë​ ​1847:
39).​ ​In​ ​some​ ​other​ ​instances,​ ​Catherine​ ​herself​ ​treats​ ​him​ ​as​ ​inferior​ ​when​ ​asking
him​ ​to​ ​get​ ​clean​ ​after​ ​coming​ ​back​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Grange.​ ​This​ ​may​ ​explain​ ​why​ ​Heathcliff
comes​ ​back​ ​to​ ​Wuthering​ ​Heights​ ​as​ ​someone​ ​who​ ​falls​ ​into​ ​the​ ​stereotype​ ​of
“civilized”​ ​and​ ​why​ ​he​ ​is​ ​willing​ ​to​ ​suffer​ ​pain​ ​by​ ​being​ ​dominated​ ​by​ ​Catherine.

In​ ​conclusion,​ ​although​ ​there​ ​is​ ​clearly​ ​a​ ​presence​ ​of​ ​sadomasochism​ ​in​ ​the
relationships​ ​portrayed​ ​in​ ​the​ ​novel​ ​(some​ ​of​ ​which​ ​were​ ​not​ ​analysed​ ​in​ ​this​ ​essay,
such​ ​as​ ​Hareton​ ​and​ ​Catherine,​ ​which​ ​proves​ ​to​ ​be​ ​the​ ​healthiest​ ​example​ ​of
successful,​ ​consensual​ ​sadomasochism​ ​in​ ​the​ ​novel),​ ​it​ ​cannot​ ​be​ ​said​ ​that,​ ​in​ ​the
case​ ​of​ ​Catherine​ ​Earnshaw​ ​and​ ​Heathcliff’s​ ​relationship,​ ​it​ ​proves​ ​to​ ​be
empowering​ ​of​ ​her​ ​character​ ​as​ ​female.​ ​In​ ​fact,​ ​when​ ​seen​ ​from​ ​the​ ​perspective​ ​of
romantic​ ​love​ ​and​ ​the​ ​imperialistic​ ​discourse,​ ​it​ ​becomes​ ​more​ ​clear​ ​that​ ​the
patriarchal​ ​discourse​ ​is​ ​even​ ​reinforced.

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Works​ ​cited

● Brontë, E. (1847). Wuthering​ ​Heights​.​ ​Hertfordshire,​ ​1992:​ ​Wordsworth

Classics.

● Dictionary,​ ​C.​ ​(2017).​ ​Cambridge​ ​Free​ ​English​ ​Dictionary​ ​and​ ​Thesaurus​.

[online]​ ​Dictionary.cambridge.org.​ ​Available​ ​at:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/​ ​[Accessed​ ​12​ ​Nov.​ ​2017].

● ​ ​Eagleton,​ ​T.​ ​(2010).​ ​Myths​ ​of​ ​power:​ ​A​ ​Marxist​ ​Study​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Brontës​.
Basingstoke:​ ​Palgrave​ ​Macmillan,​ ​pp.98-122.

● Eagleton,​ ​T.​ ​(2005).​ ​The​ ​english​ ​novel​.​ ​Malden,​ ​MA:​ ​Blackwell,​ ​p.123-142.