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KarinaBrisack
GreatBooksIII
DavidGilbert
March29,2014

WhateverSoulsAreMadeOf:DefendingNurtureOverNatureinWutheringHeights
EmilyBrontsfamousnovel,WutheringHeights,hasearnedareputationasanepicperiod
romancechroniclingthepathoftwostarcrossedsoulmatesdraggedapartbythecruelwindsoffate.
However,whenthisinterpretationishelduptothetextitself,itsimplycannotholdwater.Thetheory
findsitselfquitedisconnectedfromtheactualcharactersandthemesdiscussedinthetext.Infact,to
readtherelationshipbetweenCatherineandHeathcliffastheresultofaninnateconnectionandlikeness
betweensoulsistobedismissiveoftheworldviewthatBrontspentthemajorityofWutheringHeights
establishing,thatis,thatoneslifeisnamelytheproductofonesexperience.
AccordingtoHeathcliffandCatherine,thereissomethingintrinsicabouttheirnaturesthatbinds
themtogetherinseparably.Inwhatislikelythenovelsmostfamousquotation,Catherinedeclaresthat
Whateveroursoulsaremadeof,[Heathcliffs]andminearethesame.(Bront81).Thislikenessof
nature,shebelieves,isresponsiblefortheirresistiblemagnetismbetweenherselfandHeathcliff.Their
loveisanecessaryelementoftheirsharedbeing,asimportanttothefoundationoftheselfaseternal
rocks(Bront82)aretothefoundationoftheworld.
Heathcliffsharesthissentiment,feelingitperhapsevenmorestronglythanCatherine.Uponher
death,Heathcliffisthrownintowilddespair,cryingout,Icannotlivewithoutmylife!Icannotlive
withoutmysoul!(Bront169).HeathcliffsanguishoverthedeathofCatherinegoesbeyondthe

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heartbreakofagrievinglover.HeisdependentuponCatherineforhissenseofself.Withouther,
Heathclifffeelsthathecanneverbewholesheisessentialtotheconstitutionofhisperson.
However,whiletheopinionsofthecharactersthemselvesarequiteunambiguousonwhythey
aredrawntogether,therealreasonmightverywellcontradicttheirtheories.Toanswerthequestionof
whethertheirbondistheresultofnatureornurtureasharedsoulorasharedexperiencereaders
musttaketheentiretyofthetextintoaccount,notjusttheopinionsofloversinloveasexpressedduring
themostdramaticmomentsoftheirlives.Suchsituationsarebreedinggroundsforirresponsible
hyperbole.Uponexaminationofthetext,itbecomesclearthattheestimationthatHeathcliffand
Catherinehaveoftheirownrelationship(namely,thattheirloveistheinevitableresultofthefactthat
theyaresoulmates)comesintoconflictwiththeemphasisthatBrontputsontheimportanceof
childhoodexperience.
ThereadersveryfirstinteractionwithHeathcliffsetsthetonefortherestofthenovelin
establishingtheimportanceofexperience.WhenHeathcliffisfirstintroduced,heisdescribedbythe
narrator,Ellen,asasullen,patientchildhardened,perhaps,toilltreatment.(Bront38).Itisworth
notingherethatEllendoesnotclaimthatHeathcliffsattitudewassimplytheresultofhisnature.She
ratherattributesHeathcliffsendurancetoharshliving.Fromthebeginning,then,thenarratorof
WutheringHeights(whoseresponsibilityitistocontextualizeand,inpart,interpretthestoryforthe
reader)indicatesthatreadersoughttoviewthestorythroughanexperientiallens.Thisfocuson
experienceisconsistentthroughoutEllensaccountofHeathcliffandCatherineschildhood.
WhenCatherineandHeathcliffarefirstintroduced,Catherinedoesnottakeverykindlytoher
newpseudosibling.Sheevengoessofarastospitonhim.(Bront37).Itishardlythekindof
immediatebondingthatwouldsuggestthekindofmagnetismofthesouldescribedbyCatherineand

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Heathclifflateroninthenarrative.Whentheydobond,itisnotduetothediscoveryofsomeshared
quality(amutualinterestorworldview,perhaps).Rather,CatherineandHeathcliffbecomefriendsonly
whenEllen(whoappearstobetheonlyothercharacterthatcouldbeconsideredCatherinesfriend)is
temporarilyforcedoutofthehouse.
Thereaderseesherethebeginningsofapattern:Catherinefeelsneglected,slighted,orbored,
soshefindssomeonetobefriendherandmakeherfeelimportant.However,whileshewantstobe
dominant,shedespisesweakness.Heathcliff,then,istheperfecttargetforheraffections.His
disadvantagedposition(namelycausedbyHindleyscrueltyaswellasHeathcliffsethnicityandlackof
pedigree)insuresherdominanceintherelationship,whileHeathcliffsfieryyetstalwartcharacterinsures
thatsheisabletorespecthim.Heissubmissivetoher(thatistosay,hisprimarygoalistolivein
Catherinesservice),butheisneverweak.NoneoftheothercharactersthatCatherineinteractswithin
WutheringHeightsfitsherneedsasperfectlyasHeathcliffEdgarissubmissive,butbecauseofhis
milddisposition,shecannotrespecthim.EllenisawomanworthyofCatherinesrespectbutEllendoes
notadmireCatherine(Bront71),norisshesubmissivedespiteherlowerclassbirth.
Infact,asEllenbecomesmoreandmoredisapprovingofCatherinesbehavior(behaviorthatis
altogetherinappropriateforawomanoftheperiod),CatherineandHeathcliffbecomecloserandcloser.
AtthesametimeasCatherineisbeginningtofaceseriousrebukefromEllenaboutherunladylike
behavior,HindleybecomesevenmorecrueltoHeathcliff,forcinghimtoworkinthefieldslikeaslave.
(Bront46).Thissharedstrugglestrengthensthebondbetweenthetwoofthemtothepointthatthey
aredependentoneachotherfortheirsenseofselfworth.Heathcliff,wholivesundertheshadowof
socialrejection,reliesonCatherinetomakehimfeeladequateandsafe.(Bront6970).Catherine,
whosebehaviorislookeddownonbyeveryoneelseinherlife,reliesonHeathclifftovalidateher

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actions.
Thisbondincreasesinintensitytothepointthatsocialconventionshavelittleeffectonthemany
more,asEllenpointsout:Butitwasoneoftheirchiefamusementstorunawaytothemoorsinthe
morningandremainthereallday,andtheafterpunishmentgrewamerethingtolaughatmanyatime
I'vecriedtomyselftowatchthemgrowingmorerecklessdaily.(Bront4647).Ellen,onceagain
cuingreadersonhowtorespondtothenovelsdevelopment,drawsattentiontothefactthatthese
childrenarefosteringaworldviewthatexcludeseverythingbuteachother.
Ellenalsocallsthechildrenunfriendedcreatures(Bront47)atthispoint,suggestingthatthey
havebeencutofffromorhavenotsoughtcontactwithotherpeople.CatherineisHeathcliffsentire
world,andheishers.Theyconstituteahugepartofeachothersexperience.Likehorseswearing
blinders,CatherineandHeathcliffhaveredactedpartsoftheirworldinordertobetterfocusoneach
other,andeverythingthatliesintheperipheryoftheirlives(likeresponsibilities,consequences,and
otherpeople)isobscured.
However,whileBrontdevotesasignificantportionofthenoveltodiscussingtheshared
experiencesofHeathcliffandCatherineintheirchildhood,shespendsnotimeestablishinganysortof
samenessofnaturebetweenthetwo.Infact,thefirsttimewehearanythingaboutsharedbeingor
likenessofsoulsiswhenCatherineandHeathcliffarewellintoadulthood,andeventhenthereisvery
little(ifany)discussionofanysuchthingsoutsideofCatherineandHeathcliffsromanticmonologues
andfeveredramblings.ItseemsstrangethatBrontwouldnothavetouchedonthesubjectalittlemore
heavilyifsheintendedtopresentitasthedrivingforcebehindthecentralplotlineofWuthering
Heights.Whatshedidtouchheavilyon,however,issharedchildhoodexperienceandthewaysin
whichpeoplemanagewhenpresentedwithdifficultcircumstances.

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Brontestablishesapatternofspotlightingtheeffectsofexperience.Thecharacterarcsof
almosteverymajorplayerisaportrayaloftheresponsesthatdifferentpeoplehaveinlightofdifferent
kindsofsuffering.Heathcliffbecomescruelandhardenedasaresultofyearsofharshtreatment.
Catherinebecomesmanipulativeandfragileoutofadesiretobeloved.Hindley,initiallyathreatening
forcetobereckonedwith,isreducedtohelpless,patheticdrunkennessbyhiswifesdeath.Linton,
Heathcliffsson,entersthestoryasasweet,ifsickly,youngman,butbecomesspinelessandcowardly
inthefaceofHeathcliffsbrutishwayofliving.Alloftheseexamplesshowhowcentralexperience
(specificallyadversity)isasathemeinWutheringHeights,butnoneofthemarequitesotellingin
determiningBrontsperspectiveonthehumanconditionasHaretonsstoryarcis.
WhenHeathcliffisfirstgivenguardianshipofHindleysson,Hareton,hewonders(perhapson
behalfofthereaders)whatwillmostinfluenceHaretonscharacter,saying,Now,mybonnylad,you
aremine!Andwellseeifonetreewontgrowascrookedasanother,withthesamewindtotwistit!
(Bront187).Ineffect,HeathcliffisusingHaretonasancasestudyinordertodeterminewhetherthe
inbornnatureofapersoncanovercometheeffectsofexperience.
HereBronthasmadeaveryintriguingmove.Shehassetherselfuptomakeajudgementon
thenatureversusnurtureargument.HowshedevelopsthecharacterofHaretonisaveryimportantclue
toreadersastoheropinionsonthematter.IfBrontwishedtomakethepointthatwhoapersonisat
hiscoreismoreimportanttohischaracterthanhisexperiences,shehasgivenherselftheopportunityto
writethestoryofaboywhorisesaboveadversityandtheinfluenceofhiseviluncle.However,Bront
didnotmakethatchoice.InmakingHaretonturnoutbrutishandunpleasant,muchlikehisuncle,Bront
hasmadeastrongstatementinfavoroftheideathatexperiencetrumpsanysocalledessential
characteristicsofthesoul.TheonlytimeHaretonbeginstodisplayanyredeemablequalitiesiswhenhe

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isexposedtoafresh,newkindofexperiencethecompanionshipofapersonwhoisnotaltogether
despicable,Catherinesdaughterandnamesake.
Takingtherepeatedexamplesofpeopletransformedbyhardshipandtheworldviewimpliedby
Haretonsstoryarcintoaccount,interpretingtherelationshipbetweenCatherineandHeathcliffasthe
resultofalikenessintheirsoulsseemsveryinconsistentwiththerecurringthemesofthetext.Thetext
simplydoesnotdemonstratethatBronthasanyrealfaithinthepredominanceofinnatequalities
(nature,soul,being,etcetera)anddoesdemonstrate,rather,apredilectiontoemphasizenurtureover
nature.Therefore,itisonlyreasonablethatitscentralrelationshipbeunderstoodfromthatperspective.
WutheringHeightsprovidesmorethanenoughevidencethatCatherineandHeathcliffsdestructively
ferventrelationshipcameoutoftheirsharedexperiencesratherthanasharedsoul.
WorksCited
Bront,Emily.WutheringHeights.Ed.PaulineNestor.London:PenguinClassics,2008.Print.