Table of ContentsIntroductionMarxist ideas in Wuthering HeightsConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionEmily Bronte's classic novel Wuthering Heights is not simply a tragic love story which it may appear to be on the surface, but is an example of class differences and the role of capital in 18th century Victorian England. Using Karl Marx's essay, Wage and Capital, we can see how Wuthering Heights uses the rise and fall of Heathcliff to remind us that one cannot change one's socio-economic status in this society, and that no matter how hard you try to climb the ladder. socio-economic, all that will remain is misery in modern capitalist society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get an original essayMarxist ideas in Wuthering HeightsIn Wage Labor and Capital, Marx writes about the processes by which wealth accumulates. He argues that in a capitalist economy, the wage worker is trapped in a system that does not reward him for his work. Marx argues that the class structure of society is based on the capitalist system and that no one can change their position in society. In discussing the relationship between the capitalist and the wage earner, Marx writes: “It seems, therefore, that the capitalist buys his labor with money. They sell their work to him for money. However, this is only an appearance, because in reality they are selling their labor power to the capitalist. Labor power is therefore “a commodity, neither more nor less than [any other product]. Marx points out that there is a difference between being paid for work and collecting capital. The worker exchanges his commodity, his labor power, for the capitalist's commodity, money. The capitalist does not pay the worker's wages with the money he earns from the product, but with the capital he already owns. The money accumulated in the materials and tools used to make the product as well as the labor all come from “money already in reserve”. This means that even though the capitalist makes money from the product that the worker produces, by selling it. the wage worker earns less than the value of his product and often just enough money to survive. The workers spend their wages on food and shelter, while the capitalist has money set aside for this and does not use the money he earns from the product for labor. cost of living. In this system, the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Marxism is based on the idea that the world we live in is divided into a base and a superstructure. The base consists of the material conditions of society and the superstructure consists of the social world dominated by our culture and ideology. Marxism maintains that we must study the base and its impact on our lives. Our ability to survive in society depends on our material conditions. With an understanding of the ideas presented by Marxist criticism, one can turn to Wuthering Heights and see the way in which Marxism is represented through Heathcliff's misery. At the beginning of Nelly Dean's story of the Lintons and the Earnshaws, the reader is introduced to Wuthering Heights, where the Earnshaws have adopted the miserable orphan Heathcliff. There are several significant differences between Heathcliff and the rest of the family. Heathcliff was found wandering the streets of Liverpool by Mr. Earnshaw who took Heathcliff home. His origins are unknown to the family and his skin is a darker color than theirs, leading the family to believe that he is not nativefrom England. This lack of background, along with the fact that he was adopted, means that he is different from every other character in the novel. He remains of a lower class than the Earnshaws, but a higher class than the servants, which puts him in a delicate position. When Heathcliff is first introduced to the family, Nelly Dean says, "I was afraid, and Mrs. Earnshaw was ready to throw him out: she flew away - asking him how he could bring that gypsy brat into the house, when they had their own young to feed and manage? What did he intend to do with it and was he crazy? The master tried to explain the matter...seeing him hungry, homeless and almost stupid in the streets of Liverpool where he picked him up and asked if he was. owner - No one knew who it belonged to, he said, and his money and time, both being limited, he thought it best to take it home. It is clear that Heathcliff is not considered by the family as a human being, more therefore as a possession that can be abandoned if it is not wanted. Not knowing where to put him for his first night at the Heights, Nelly Dean puts him "on the landing of the stairs, hoping that he will be gone the next day." Not only is Heathcliff treated by the family (excluding Mr. Earnshaw) as a stray dog ​​that they hope might escape, but he is also seen as a thing rather than a human. Mrs. Earnshaw sees Heathcliff as a burden to their own economic status, and perhaps also a threat to their social status. After several years, Heathcliff and Catherine become friends and the two begin to wander the moors together. One day they reach Thrushcross Grange, where they are caught by the Lintons who release their dogs on Heathcliff and Cathy. Catherine is taken in by the family after their dogs hurt her, but they throw Heathcliff out of their house, because he is rude to them and his lower class background is evident in his filthiness. Catherine remains at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks while she recovers from her injury. Upon her return, it is evident that she has raised her social status by acting as the Lintons' do. Cathy stayed at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks, until Christmas. By then his ankle had completely healed and his manners had improved greatly. The mistress often visited him in the meantime and began her project of reform by trying to raise his self-esteem with beautiful clothes and flattery, which she willingly accepted: so that instead of a little savage wild and hatless leaping into the house, and rushing to squeeze us all out of breath, there appeared from a beautiful black pony a very dignified person... Hindley lifted her from her horse, exclaiming with delight: "Hey Well, Cathy, you are a real beauty! I should hardly have known you - you look like a lady now... By staying with the Lintons and eventually marrying Edgar Linton, Cathy is able to raise her socio-economic status. She is able to "classify" and move from Wuthering Heights, a farm, to Thrushcross Grange, an estate. In doing so, Catherine became “more valued” in the eyes of the men of this society. Women, like Heathcliff at the beginning of the novel, are considered property. Women themselves do not constitute capital, but if a man marries a woman, all her property becomes his, and the woman becomes a means of accumulating more capital for the man. At the time of the story, women were not allowed to own anything, meaning that if a man married a woman who put him in line for property, then he would increase his capital. When Catherine married Edgar Linton,..