Class and Power Dynamics in Wuthering Heights and Recitatif - Essay Sample

Introduction

In both Wuthering Height and Recitatif, the issue of social class is dominant. In both books, the social class seemed to determine the amount of power one had. The poor working class had to serve the aristocrats who dominated the upper classes. In a society composed of have the populations occupying the upper class and half the lower class, aspects of power struggle from those perceived as poor were bound to arise (Bronte, 74). This article seeks to explore aspects of class and differences of social convections in the family of Linton and Earnshaw.

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People from the low social class were mistreated and were powerless as the rich did not want to associate with them. Heathcliff is a representation of those raised from the orphanage. From the onset, the society did not like him because of her social status. Heathcliff was able to endure all the mistreatment he was getting until he becomes successful. The abuses created power in him to upgrade his social status. After gaining social standing, Heathcliff continued to yearn for power and Catherine so that he could gain full recognition in the capitalist society. The theme of delicate and mistreatment of people from the lower class was also prevalent in Recitatif. Morrison features three characters who were "dumped" by their caregivers. The three girls, Twyla, Roberta, and Maggy, are raised from St. Bonaventure's orphanage. The girls were outcasts because of their questionable orphan status. The other children did not like them as they were considered unknown, a fact that made other girls ignore them.

Low-class citizens faced rejection from upper-class people. Catherine rejects Headcliff because she wants someone who is well off. She does not want to look for her social status, but she wants to maintain hers. Catherine was among the lucky girls born from wealthy families of high social status. Catherine portrayed narcissistic characters because she then seemed to be concerned about herself and did everything to better her condition regardless of other people's feelings. Catherine exhibited her true nature about whom she would marry when she was debating with Nelly, and she said that Edgar was her favorite because "she will be rich and shall like to be the greatest women of the neighborhood" (Bronte, 76). Catherine was more interested in the fact that if she had to marry Edgar, she would be the only lady in the neighborhood with high social status. In this regard, therefore, people would reject others for the mere fact of losing their social status. In the same way, Morrison explains that the big girls rejected Twyla and Roberta because they were from low class "The big girls on the second floor pushed us around now and then" (Morrison, 2). The issues to do with social status were fundamental to the fact that made people like Maggy suffer from humiliation and neglect from her fellow girls while in the orphanage.

In both books, social class not only depended upon the amount of money someone had, instead, birth but family connection, as well as the source of income, also played a significant role in determining one's position in society. In Wuthering Heights, the Lonton family is the most elite and Thrushcross Grange was among the superior property but remained profession middle class. Heathcliff was an orphan, meaning that his position was to remain below everyone else in Wuthering Heights. Therefore, when the society realized that Heathcliff had been raised from the low class to the upper class, they were not happy. In Wuthering Heights, it was unheard of to elevate someone from the working class to as a member of the upper class and middle class. In this regard, therefore, the society was not happy when the Heathcliff was elevated. It went against the societal expectation when Mr. Earnshaw raised the status of Heathcliff and began favoring him as if he was his son.

In Recitatif, Morrison explored how issues on social class affected the three girls in the orphanage (Morrison, 6). In the orphanage, all the girls who were living there had the problems that made them found themselves there. However, issues of social classes were pounding to arise that led to rejection and molestation of some girls. Throughout the story, vulnerable people, such as, Maggy, Twyla and Roberta suffers a lot because their social status cannot allow them to complain. In this regard, the issue of social class shaped every aspect of people's life. For instance, affluent families were not willing to associate with people from a poor background. Also, they wanted to perpetuate issues of aristocrats from generation to generation (Miller, 10). Catherine was not ready to marry a poor man because she was afraid of losing her social status. She decided to pick on Edgar because they were from the same social class. Likewise, Heathcliff, after being elevated by a good wisher, he wants to control everybody without realizing that true happiness does not lie in power and social class. Heathcliff treats Catherine as his personal property when she died, he decides to focus on power and affluence alone.

Works Cited

Morrison, Toni. Recitatif. Difusion, Centro de Investigacion y Publicaciones de Idiomas, 2010.

Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. 1847.New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2004.

Miller, J. Hillis. "Wuthering Heights: Repetition and the Uncanny." Fiction and Repetition: Seven English Novels (1982): 42-72.