McNiel1
Lee McNiel
Professor Elizabeth Stansell
English 2130
10-16-14
Men’s Power in Literature over Women
Until recently, men and women have not been treated as equals in society. The disproportionate positions of genders is a common theme in the mid 19th century British literature and is illustrated in the poem, “Goblin Market”, by Christina Rossetti and the novel, Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë. These works both directly and indirectly address the role of genders, primarily the controlling aspect of men over women, in the culture at that time. “Goblin Market”, tells the story of two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, who hear the calls of the goblins at the market near their home. Throughout the story, the pair attempts to avoid the “demon’s” …show more content…
She never caught again the goblin cry: “Come buy, come buy”’ (“Goblin Market”).
Heathcliff, the main character in, Wuthering Heights, in a slightly different manner than the goblins, imposes his will on the female personalities in the story. Rather than using fruit or sex, Heathcliff dominates women by abusing them both physically and mentally through being unpredictable and using complex schemes of revenge. Heathcliff begins his tirade after his soul mate, Catherine, choses another man, Edgar Linton, their neighbor and a man of higher social status. Because of his broken heart, Heathcliff runs away from home for three years in order to plot his revenge.
The Goblins, like Heathcliff are persistent and patient in their attempts to manipulate Laura and Lizzie. After succeeding in coercing Laura to try some fruit, the cackling goblins vanish and she is left only hankering for more. Her appetite for more goblin fruit causes her despair and she becomes feeble. In Wuthering Heights, after Catherine is finally wed to Edgar Linton, Heathcliff returns from his three-year hiatus to home. During his time away, he has grown into a handsome, stocky, educated, and wealthy man. He begins to make constant trips to Catherine’s home, several miles from their childhood home, to tantalize her, all the while showing how he has “matured” and what she is missing by not being with him. After Heathcliff visits numerous times, it can be easily deduced that Catherine still has feelings for him. Catherine falls ill after a heated encounter between her, Edgar, and Heathcliff, where she tries to spurn a fight between the two men over her. Catherine’s
Lee McNiel
Professor Elizabeth Stansell
English 2130
10-16-14
Men’s Power in Literature over Women
Until recently, men and women have not been treated as equals in society. The disproportionate positions of genders is a common theme in the mid 19th century British literature and is illustrated in the poem, “Goblin Market”, by Christina Rossetti and the novel, Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë. These works both directly and indirectly address the role of genders, primarily the controlling aspect of men over women, in the culture at that time. “Goblin Market”, tells the story of two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, who hear the calls of the goblins at the market near their home. Throughout the story, the pair attempts to avoid the “demon’s” …show more content…
She never caught again the goblin cry: “Come buy, come buy”’ (“Goblin Market”).
Heathcliff, the main character in, Wuthering Heights, in a slightly different manner than the goblins, imposes his will on the female personalities in the story. Rather than using fruit or sex, Heathcliff dominates women by abusing them both physically and mentally through being unpredictable and using complex schemes of revenge. Heathcliff begins his tirade after his soul mate, Catherine, choses another man, Edgar Linton, their neighbor and a man of higher social status. Because of his broken heart, Heathcliff runs away from home for three years in order to plot his revenge.
The Goblins, like Heathcliff are persistent and patient in their attempts to manipulate Laura and Lizzie. After succeeding in coercing Laura to try some fruit, the cackling goblins vanish and she is left only hankering for more. Her appetite for more goblin fruit causes her despair and she becomes feeble. In Wuthering Heights, after Catherine is finally wed to Edgar Linton, Heathcliff returns from his three-year hiatus to home. During his time away, he has grown into a handsome, stocky, educated, and wealthy man. He begins to make constant trips to Catherine’s home, several miles from their childhood home, to tantalize her, all the while showing how he has “matured” and what she is missing by not being with him. After Heathcliff visits numerous times, it can be easily deduced that Catherine still has feelings for him. Catherine falls ill after a heated encounter between her, Edgar, and Heathcliff, where she tries to spurn a fight between the two men over her. Catherine’s