Archetypal Analysis focuses on the literary norms that define character type, situation type, and sometimes even plot and theme.
The Sins of the Parents
Catherine as a Temptress
A woman who uses the desires of a man against him (either intentionally or unintentionally)
Certainly in the beginning chapters of Wuthering Heights, Catherine, being a self-centric young woman, uses the affection of Heathcliff and Linton to their disadvantage and mental torture, and to her own gain, earning social status and prestige through her marriage. In line with the archetypal temptress, Catherine’s actions lead to the downfall of her victims; in the case of Heathcliff, to his abusive and tortured lifestyle.
Heaven and Hell
A comparison of the archetypal nature of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange and their masters.
A direct and archetypal comparison exists between the two households of the novel, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, and the men who run them. Wuthering Heights, run by the devilish character Heathcliff, is a personal hell for the characters who reside there. Characterized by dark, dreary spaces, and an explosive atmosphere Wuthering Heights becomes a symbol for the darker undercurrents in the novel.
Thrushcross Grange, however, is characterized by lighter elements. It is at Thrushcross Grange where Catherine escaped to the pure love of Edgar, and where that love re-manifested itself in the care of young Cathy. Dissimilar to Wuthering Heights, the Grange is characteristic of love, warmth, and hospitality.
The abject torture and sins of Catherine, Edgar, and Heathcliff lead to the continued suffering and abuse of their children.
Catherine can be regarded as the root of this archetypal situation. Her temptress torture and lack of closure convinces Heathcliff of the need achieve personal justice and seek revenge. His resulting tyrannical abusive and tyrannical nature place Cathy and Hareton onto the same torturous path that plagued the first generation in Wuthering Heights. It is only at the end of this novel that Hareton and Cathy are able to overcome the sins of their parents and the oppression it throws upon them.
The main Character Heathcliff in Bronte's Wuthering Heights can be regarded as an archetypal contradiction.
Heathcliff has been examined as both a villainous archetype and a romantic hero, though he fits and defies certain aspects of each. As a romantic hero he believes in transcendental love, and holds firm onto the torturous hope that he will earn Catherine's affections. He believes that after death his soul will return to him, and he believes that he will, literally and metaphorically, lie next to her in death. He diverges from this archetype however, in its concentration. He exhibits the archytpal nature of a romantic hero with regards only to Catherine Earnshaw-Linton, and treats the rest of the characters with a villainous, tyrannical nature. This is where he falls under two archetypes, and his obseesion for revenge pushes him away from being the romantic hero and towards identifying as the villain of Bronte's work.
Heathcliff
ARCHETYPAL ANALYSIS
Additional Sources:
https://prezi.com/hxkub7wmi0xa/archetypes-in-wuthering-heights/
Presentation on Archetypes and symbolic meaning in Wuthering Heights. Explores the Heaven vs. Hell comparison of setting.
Paper describing and exploring the contradictory nature of Heathcliff's archetypal identity.