Who do you know here?

After reading Wuthering Heights, I noticed a theme of social class. The Earnshaws and the Lindons were apart of the gentry, or the upper middle class. Because people in this group have no titles, their status is subject to change. We see this when Catherine talks about marrying Edgar so she will be “the greatest woman in the neighborhood”. Another example of this theme is how Heathcliff goes from being homeless to getting adopted and becoming a gentleman in “dress and manners”. This idea of status in the working world reminded me of the short poem we read earlier for class “The Chimney Sweeper”. In this poem, it discussed children becoming chimney sweepers to help support their families. Although they had to work hard for every penny they made, they were expected to put a smile on their faces and make the best of their situation. This can be compared to Catherine trying to make a better world for herself by marrying and moving up in status or Heathcliff moving up a social class by getting adopted. I’m interested to read further and uncover more details to support this theme of social class.

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