Theme Of Loss And Suffering In Wuthering Heights

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Consider how the theme of loss and/or suffering is presented in texts you have studied.

‘Wuthering Heights’ presents the theme of loss and suffering as a blend of psychological, spiritual, and physical experiences, with a similar range of causes. The presentation of loss and suffering in various texts is symptomatic of the societies reflected within texts.
‘Wuthering Heights’ largely presents loss and suffering through the loss of innocence and childhood suffering faced by Cathy and Heathcliff. The loss of innocence symbolised by the total shift in Cathy’s appearance from Chapter 6 to 7 through the the adjective “barefoot” creating antithesis with the concrete noun “burnished shoes” to foreground how she has been introduced to the expectations and requirements of society so can no longer be free and connected to nature, reflecting the shift away from the natural world due to the Industrial Revolution. The loss of childhood freedom is further emphasised through the dynamic verb in “she dare hardly touch them lest they should fawn upon her splendid garments” to foreground the separation and loss Cathy faces due to society’s restraints and restrictions, as she is unable to have fun or show affection due to Victorian society and the way this limits
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Much like in ‘Wuthering Heights’ with Heathcliff and Isabella, Stella is also trapped within her marriage, the negated modal in “I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley” foregrounding how she realises her loss of freedom and choice so has no option but to lose her family in order to avoid her own suffering, presenting suffering as inevitable within marriage in the

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