Mental Illnesses in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Essay Example

One in eight children in the United States are emotionally abused before turning 18 and one in five adults has a mental illness. Wuthering Heights is a classic that explores the sinister lifestyle and the endeavors of life with mental illness. The lack of love and admiration in the children’s youth is the reason that mental illnesses developed.

In the novel Wuthering Heights the love the characters know is confusing and twisted when it is “supposed to be the things that make us feel warm and good inside, but, deep love for anybody may push people to some irrational actions that can be destructive for the close ones” (Haque,3). The reader is introduced to “the house plagued by dysfunction, abuse, and solitude and to physical and emotional abuse when Heathcliff is brought into the Earnshaw home (Benjaminbarber, 3). It was clear that Mr. Earnshaw liked Heathcliff more than Hindley and “he aggravates the pain of his son by neglecting him for the stranger”, which understandably made Hindley upset (Haque,2). Hindley grew up consistently abusing Heathcliff and with hatred in his heart which set him up for failure as a father to his own child, for when Frances dies during childbirth he blames the newborn for taking away the only thing that made him happy. Hindley attempts to kill his son by throwing the baby down the stairs which led to Hareton being raised by Heathcliff. Heathcliff wanting revenge on Hindley for how he was treated raised Hareton with neglect and as an uneducated field worker with poor behavior and manners, essentially turning him into another version of him. Heathcliff distances himself from his son Linton because he is the child of Isabella, whom he married for revenge on her brother Edgar. Heathcliff had no part of Linton’s childhood before Isabella’s death and suddenly with her passing, he had total control over his life. Linton was going to stay at Thrushcross Grange for Edgar had “arrange a room, and other accommodations, for his youthful nephew” but Heathcliff insisted upon Linton staying with him at Wuthering Heights (Bronte, 234). Linton reminds Heathcliff of Edgar, thus creating problems because he dislikes Edgar and wishes revenge upon him. Heathcliff uses his son to get revenge upon Edgar by taking him from Edgar and then having Linton marry Edgar’s daughter Cathy. Linton was also subject to the consistent outburst of emotion and sudden abuse. Another example of emotional abuse is Cathy Linton. She was expected to never leave and because of the way she was raised nobody thought she would be “breaking bounds, because the gates were generally locked” (Bronte, 227). Cathy was shut up in the house and she was manipulated and expected to follow orders and to never leave. A final example of emotional abuse is Catherine Earnshaw, she was forced to make decisions under the pressure of her peers and social class. She married Edgar to please the two families, it was what was expected of her because of her social class and wealth. In an attempt for much-needed attention, she starves herself from “the trauma is once again located in youth, so her death-wish, is synonymous with a return to childhood” (Redmayne). A majority if not all the characters have experienced some kind of physical or emotional trauma within their lifetime, most within their youth. 

Many of the characters show signs or symptoms of various mental illnesses throughout the book. Heathcliff demonstrated symptoms of Adjustment Disorder such as “notable impairment in social functioning, depression, feelings of loneliness or hopelessness, apprehensiveness, and restless behavior. In some cases it also causes erratic behavior, which means that the individual ignores the rights of others, and is combative with others as well” (Benjaminbarber, 6). Heathcliff also demonstrates symptoms of PTSD, BPD, and a narcissistic personality disorder, depression, and anorexia. Similar to Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw shows symptoms of PTSD, BPD, anorexia, along with psychological insanity, depression, and Bipolar. After Heathcliff returns Catherine begins her starvation when her “cup was never filled, she could neither eat nor drink” (Bronte, 136). Starvation for both characters is a major contributor to their deaths and physical illnesses. Hindley portrayed signs of PTSD, depression after his wife passed and led a life of anti-social ness along with addiction. Catherine Linton has depression and HPD, histrionic personality disorder, which cause her to have rapidly changing emotions which are demonstrated when she is arguing with Linton about hatred within the family and then not five minutes later  “she half knelt by the settle, and converted her shoulder into a support” (Bronte, 274). This is just one example of how quickly her attitude can change. Many of the characters share similar illnesses and similar symptoms, which allows the reader to question how the families and mental disorders are correlated.  

While your past may not define you it certainly has an impact on the future. Many of the characters in Wuthering Heights have mental disorders that are triggered by a traumatic event from the past, such examples of this are PTSD, BPD, depression, and bipolar. Growing up in “Wuthering Heights is a nightmare world, which changes the lives of the people in it forever” (Redmayne, 4). Living in a world such as that one forced the characters to toughen up, learn how to maneuver around the rules and boundaries, change themselves to meet the expectations of the families, and trap them in a dysfunctional family. The PTSD from their childhood caused them to develop other illnesses, poor social skills and manners, and addiction. One of the major takeaways from the children's childhood is that both Heathcliff and Hindley “evolves from a fun-loving, good-natured boy into an angry, revengeful, jealous and self-destructive” (Haque,3). The characters' past set them up for failure and instead of choosing to better themselves, they chose to become the people they had feared in their youth. 

Mental disorders are genetic. Often families will have the same mental disorders because “family history does serve as an indicator of possible risk for certain mental health issues” (Phillips, 14). Mental disorders are from your genetics, just as your eye or hair color would come from, it runs in your blood. While this is a valid point to take into consideration “having a family history does increase one’s risk for a particular health issue, but it is not destiny” (Phillips 18). The odds of most, if not all, of the characters developing the so-called genetic disorder, would be unlikely, thus suggesting a different cause to their disorders. Many mental disorders are caused by “Stressful experiences, including the amount and severity of trauma you've gone through in your life” (Mayo Clinic). One thing that every character with a disorder has been exposed to is a toxic, abusive, and manipulative environment. Such an environment would be more than enough to cause varying mental disorders. 

Nearly 175 years after Wuthering Heights was published, it has become clear that mental disorders are not going anywhere. There are over 200 types of mental disorders and an increase of people affected by them. Today’s society must work together to understand and help our beloved family, friends, and other peers across the world who are affected by these disorders.  It is our responsibility to help recognize and prevent all forms of abuse.