A Banned Passion

The censorship of books in America is followed by a series of steps. The process of banning a book includes a parent or teacher complaining that a certain book is labeled unnecessary or inappropriate for students to be reading in a classroom, in which a school decides to take these books off of their library shelves and stop buying the books (Kelly). Also if a parent or school, usually challenged by a larger group, press any further to censor a book, the case is brought to the American Library Association to try to ban the book in other schools and libraries throughout the country. Though many states and schools forbid students to read Wuthering Heights in class because school legislatures deemed it inappropriate for students to read about the passionate love, the book can actually benefit readers, who can relate to the feelings of jealousy, cruelty, and forbidden love. The main characters of Wuthering Heights are Heathcliff, a gypsy-like man brought to Wuthering Heights as a child and eventually ends up owning it; Catherine Earnshaw, a woman Heathcliff falls in love with but eventually dies in childbirth; Edgar Linton, Heathcliff’s archenemy who marries Catherine; and Ellen Dean, a.k.a. Nelly, who is the narrator of the story. The overall conflict of the story is that Heathcliff has always loved Catherine, who also loves him, but never end up together because Catherine marries Edgar Linton instead to raise her status and wealth, and then dies soon after she confesses her love for Heathcliff. The conflict is resolved when Heathcliff dies and is buried next to Catherine, and each other’s spirits are together for all of eternity (Wuthering Heights). One theme in Wuthering Heights are the clash of elemental forces because the universe is made up of two opposite forces, storm and calm. Wuthering Heights and the Earnshaws express the storm and Thrushcross Grange and the Lintons represent the calm. Catherine and Heathcliff are elemental creatures of the storm. Another theme is the effects of intense suffering because in the passion-driven characters–Catherine, Heathcliff, and Hindley–pain leads them to turn on and to torment others. Inflicting pain provides them some relief and this behavior questions whether or not they are cruel by nature or are formed by childhood abuses (Emily Bronte: Themes in Wuthering Heights). Some symbols of the book are the moors and the ghosts. The moors are continuously repeated throughout the novel and represent the constant barrier between the Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, Catherine and Heathcliff, and Cathy and Linton. The ghosts are repeatedly mentioned throughout the novel, such as where Mr. Lockwood sees the ghost of Catherine while staying at Wuthering Heights, symbolizing that Catherine never really left the Heights and watches over Heathcliff. Also, villagers state that they saw the ghost of Heathcliff shortly after he dies walking with another spirit, assumedly Catherine, telling the readers that Heathcliff and Catherine finally end up together. The book was challenged and banned by Moseley High School in Florida in 1987 for its offensive language, mature content, and intense suffering, along with 64 other classic books that were banned. As a result, hundreds of students wore black armbands and packed the boardroom in protest. A lawsuit was filed against Hall, the man forwarding the challenge, and thousands of students, teachers, and parents protested until all 65 books were reinstated into the school library system (Karolides). The objection to the content of Wuthering Heights was due to its language, themes, and sexual references. The language was not only considered too difficult to understand by young readers, but also contained slander. Its themes consisted of patriarchal abuse and intense suffering, therefore was thought to hold no necessary purpose in a classroom. Also, the book contained numerous sexual references, such as possible incest between Cathy and Linton, who were cousins and were forced to marry by Heathcliff, as quoted, “ Papa wants us to be married, and he knows your papa wouldn’t let us marry now; and he’s afraid of my dying if we wait; so we are to be married in the morning, and you are to stay here all night…” Then Cathy and Hareton get married after Linton’s death, both of whom were also cousins, as quoted, “The crown of all my wishes will be the union of those two. I shall envy no one on their wedding day: there won’t be a happier woman than myself in England!” (Wuthering Heights). Wuthering Heights holds many benefits and it was a mistake to ban this novel. The anger, jealousy, cruelty, and forbidden love are parallel to those in high school and should be given the chance to read and learn from the novel. Students can also learn from Wuthering Height’s morals; revenge doesn’t get you very far and it only brings on more suffering. This novel gives students a chance to see the result of plotting revenge and how all it brought Heathcliff was more pain, including the death of the one he loved most, a son he never really loved, and the hatred from everyone (Wuthering Heights). Every teenager regardless of age, morals, and religion can relate to jealousy and cruelty and this book lets them see the outcome of what those feelings can get you.