Assignment on Patriarchal Opression on Feminine Nature

Running head: PATRIARCHAL OPRESSION ON FEMININE NATURE
PATRIARCHAL OPRESSION ON FEMININE NATURE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note
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PATRIARCHAL OPRESSION ON FEMININE NATURE
The story of the Wuthering Heights is one of the greatest love stories of all the time by
Emily Bronte. The context of the story is based on the 18th century and the theme of the same is
more than one. The popularity and the greatness of the story lie in the depiction of its storyline
along with the unfolding of the plot. The basic theme of the story is the love and revenge which
is prevalent in all the stories from the same century. The underlying themes of the story similarly
attract the attention of the readers. From the secondary themes, the most predominant themes are
the gothic and patriarchal nature of the story. A deep and thorough reading of the story will
enable the reader to understand the theme and the tone of the same. However, the following
essay discusses the patriarchal oppression on the female sexuality as exposed in the story.
The Wuthering Heights is basically a portrayal of the romantic values, but the reflection
of the patriarchal values are predominant in the story and goes on oppressing the feminine
expression in the story. The male protagonist of the story is the Heathcliff, who is the major
projector of the masculine oppression and on the other hand another important male character,
Edgar Linton is another portrayer of the patriarchal thought. The portrayal of the patriarchal
nature of the male characters is majorly prevalent in Heathcliff who is seen taking revenge on his
lost love Catherine. The action and the motive of Heathcliff reflect the violence and revenge in
his nature (Tufan 2016). On the other hand, Linton depicts the patriarchal though his idealization
of the social class and status. The action of the male protagonist of the story can be mentioned as
the tyrannical dictatorship of the character (Petković 2012). However, it must be noted that the
violent and revengeful nature of Heathcliff is not seen at the beginning of the story and it is the
consequences of the unfair behavior towards him that made him a character with patriarchal
oppression. On the other hand, Edgar is different from Heathcliff in his projection of patriarchy.
The upbringing of Edgar is the reason the behind the characterization of him. The stereotypical

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PATRIARCHAL OPRESSION ON FEMININE NATURE
and patriarchal social condition of the contemporary society is the driving cause that has made
the second male protagonist after Heathcliff, the dominator of the female urge and desire.
There are several female characters in the story including Catherine. The oppression of
the patriarchal nature of the females is evident from the depiction of the character of Catherine
with the progress of the story. Catherine is the female protagonist of the story who is the love
interest of Heathcliff. But stereotypical nature and the predominance of the masculinity in the
contemporary society have forced Catherine to marry Edgar who is another fine example of
patriarchy (Petković 2012). From the narration of the author of the Wuthering Heights, it is
evident that the status and the standards of the women in the society were determined by the
authority of the males.
Akcesme (2017) stated that “Catherine was forced to choose domesticity with an organic
connection with a civilized society, limiting herself to the male-defined female roles as the
follower and the carrier of the patriarchal culture.” The entire of the male in the society was wild
and violent and definitely oppressive on the females. In fact, the female wilderness was
dominated by the patriarchal reflective nature and Catherine is the appropriate and fine example
of the same. Catherine was forcefully transformed by the patriarchal dominance of Edgar. In this
regard, Nelly describes the transformation of the female protagonist of the novel as “from a wild,
hatless little savage” to “quite a beauty... a lady now”, which is not only the demonstration of
the physical appearance of Catherine, but also an important indication of her arrival into the adult
world (Tufan 2016). The dominant and patriarchal nature of Edgar and the prevalence of the
same on Catherine mark the cause for the transformation of her in terms o the socially correct
behavior and appearance. On the return of Heathcliff, he finds Catherine as a completely
changed woman. In this regard, the author says: