Similarities Between Wuthering Heights And As I Lay Dying

Both Wuthering Heights and As I Lay Dying feature dynamic father figures. Bronte introduces us to Hindley in Wuthering Heights, and Faulkner introduces us to Anse in As I Lay Dying. Though the two stories have different settings and genres, as well as being written in different places and literary movements, comparisons can be drawn between these main father figures easily. Both are portrayed in the beginning of the novels as unsavory antagonistic characters, despite being the head of their families. These are not two-dimensional transgressors though, as both characters go through one or two forms of trauma, whether it was directly in the timeline of the story as an action or implied to have taken place in the past, which have had a negative …show more content…
Anse does many things in the novel to manipulate and spite his family for personal gain. For example, after the Bundrens lose their mules to the river, Anse is given the opportunity to take the neighbors mules and return them on his way back home. Anse declines this offer and chooses to sell Jewel’s horse without his permission. This a direct example of Anse’s pride and egocentrism because his main reason for not accepting Tull’s offer is so he would not be indebted in any way to anyone, despite obviously needing assistance due to his poverty, showing that Anse sees himself as socially superior to everyone else enough to not want assistance, which itself is one of the most blatant indicators of a prideful character. Another indicator would be knowing that by the end of the novel Anse goes to Jefferson to do more than bury his wife Addie. He also goes to marry a more economically stable woman, so Anse could have taken the mule offer and then buy his own team with his wife’s money, but he does not do this. It is obvious that by not asking Jewel for his horse, Anse does not care about the loss of trust and emotional damage this causes. By taking what he wanted with no regard for others, Anse revealed how egocentric he really …show more content…
After Heathcliff returns, Hindley spends much of his time gambling with him to win his fortune. Hindley does this mostly to attempt to take it away, despite running the risk of losing more than he gains. Such disregard for his money and power results in his downfall when Hindley loses the estate and his position as head of the household. When this happens, Hindley no longer has any inheritance to give to Hareton, which drastically lowers Hareton’s social standing and opportunity to live freely. This is made worse by Hareton’s lack of education, which Hindley never took any interest in to begin with and is exacerbated by Heathcliff treating him as a servant. Hindley’s selfish act of gambling, without thinking of the effects this would have on his son, and his apathy towards his son’s education, shows his egocentricity through his utter lack of concern towards his closest family