Language and Imagery in Wuthering Heights Essay

In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte uses Language and imagery to create a very(prenominal) stark line of merchandise between Heathcliff, and Edgar Linton. This rail line is not only illustrated in how these characters act, alone also in their appearance, usual setting and the language that is apply to describe them. Emily Bronte first uses the raw basics of the characters Heathcliff and Edgar Linton to right away allow us know that these characters ar polar opposites. She does this with the imagery of both characters. In chapter 7, Heathcliff describes Edgar as having light skin and fair hair, whereas in the same chapter it is menti stard that Heathcliff has tenebrific hair and spicy skin. This use of binary opposites suggests to the reader already, that Heathcliff and Edgar be murder opposites, right down to their core.This use of Binary opposites and imagery is also use to where Heathcliff and Edgar live, Edgar spirit in Thrushcross Grange, the light, large house, and He athcliff living in the sour, gloomy and black house of Wuthering Heights. This imagery of the two houses reflects the characters of the two men. Language is also employ effectively and in abundance by Bronte to illustrate the two characters differences. Bronte uses severalize Lexical fields pertaining to heaven and hell to not only fork up the contrast in character between Heathcliff and Edgar, but to suggest that one is good and one is evil.For instance Heathcliff is constantly being describe as or being referred to with the use of linguistic communication which relate to hell. His eyeball are described as devils spies and dark fiends by Nelly, and coupled with his appearance of being dark skinned and haired, he is closely mated with the devil, who represents evil. Edgar on the other hand, is described with a lexical field of a more heavenly nature. His eyes are referred to as being little Angels and his features are continuously called gratifying and soft, which suggest s he is similar to an angel, which is of course good. By using contrasting lexical fields for each character, Bronte uses selective language to suggest that these two are not only opposites, but they are Good and Evil.Heathcliff is, when being talked of, encircled by sinister sounding words which arent necessarily public lecture about his character explicitly, but they help to create a dark and sinister atmosphere around his character. An example of this is in chapter seven where Nelly is talking about Heathcliff she uses words such as lurk and vicious and this is what creates this dark atmosphere. Bronte does the same with Edgar, as when he is talking or being talked about, words such as gently and beautiful are used and this helps to forecast a calm and soft atmosphere around Edgar, which is completely opposite to the atmosphere Heathcliff carries with him, and thus increases the contrast that the reader sees between Heathcliff and Edgar.Catherine brings our attention to the co ntrast between the two in chapter 9 where she says (Heathcliffs disposition) and Lintons is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from set up This use of binary opposites again suggests with the use of the words fire and lightning that Heathcliff is baseless and harmful and burns, which again associates him with hell, and the use of Frost and moonbeam to describe Edgars soul to suggest he is soft, light, cool and calm reinforces the already stark contrast between the two and again suggests them not only to be different, but to be complete opposites.The fact that to most readers it would be obvious as to which out of either Heathcliff and Edgar is the fire and lightning shows how Bronte has been slotting words into the text as healthy as the individual characters, to make the reader associate Heathcliff with hell, and Edgar with Heaven. In conclusion, Bronte uses grouchy lexical fields which are binary opposites to each other and applies them to Heathcliff and Lint on to worsen the contrast seen between the two. Bronte also uses imagery of their physical appearance and living place, paired with continuous subtle language choices to make the reader associate Heathcliff with Hell, and Edgar with Heaven, and this makes us not only see the two as contrasting characters, but bad and good, and at the completely different ends of the spectrum.