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  • Essay / Unreliable narration from Wuthering Heights

    Emily Bronte's literary dexterity reinforces both the inhumanity and passion of her grim story, to the extent that she does not tell it herself. Rather, it is the act of telling a story from the words of Lockwood and Nelly that serves as the basis for the complex discourse of Wuthering Heights. The fact that every sentence in the novel is in the words of one character ensures that Bronte places readers in a state of prolepsy, but readers are constantly kept in suspense due to the unreliability of the narrators. Nevertheless, alongside the numerous points of view of other characters, in the form of diaries or letters, Bronte uses this narrative structure as a vehicle through which she creates a demand for her characters' pasts. The plot, divided into two parts – the second superimposed on the first – creates a feeling of claustrophobia within the novel; thus, like Lockwood himself, the reader finds himself in a mass of confusion, shock and mystery, but above all he continues reading with an eagerness for the story to unfold. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The reader does not initially feel drawn to the seductive and dangerous world of the novel, as it is presented through Lockwood's idiotic eyes. . There is an explicit critique of the class system that permeates 18th-century England, to the extent that, despite being the most educated character in the novel, Lockwood proves himself the poorest judge of character. The reader is called into question his reliability from the first page, as he paradoxically regards Heathcliff as a "capital man", although he writes that he speaks "with closed teeth" – an obvious allusion by Bronte to the violence that simmers beneath Heathcliff’s gentlemanly “dress and manners.” . His inability to distinguish cats from dead rabbits, to demonstrate an understanding of the weather, or even to decipher the relationships between those of Wuthering Heights, reinforces his misguided nature - all of which fail to arouse any eagerness in the reader. Yet Lockwood's encounter with the supernatural is key to changing this impression. As the ghost of young Cathy pleads for entry into the sanctuary of her childhood, she recalls from him - perhaps one of the most harmless characters in the entire novel - acts of the most merciless brutality , as he "rubbed" his hand against broken glass "until the blood flowed and soaked the sheets." The fact that he never writes about waking from his "sleep" calls into question the claim that he is simply dreaming; rather, it reinforces the realism of the paranormal in the novel. This episode creates a feeling of excitement in the reader. Nelly, on the other hand, is the postmodern storyteller that Bronte uses not only to make moral judgments about her characters, but also to move the narrative forward. She prefaces her story to Lockwood and the reader by calling it a “story,” a story she could tell in “half a dozen words.” Through such phrases, Brontë reminds readers that the story within her “story” is also a construction; based on Nelly's personal prejudices and prejudices, through which the reader is invited to form unique perceptions of the story. Perhaps this is because, despite being the storyteller, Nelly is as present in the tale as any other character and, contrary to her own beliefs, is responsible for much of the tragedy that occurs in the novel. She does not inform Edgar of his wife's deteriorating health or starvation, and,.