Psychoanalytical Reading 1 - Freudian Interpretation
A common Freudian interpretation of Wuthering Heights is to do with a balance and imbalance of the id, ego and superego in characters. One of the most obvious examples of this is Heathcliff.. Heathcliff is a character entirely ruled by his Id- a creature of violent impulse. We see numerous examples of this throughout the novel, from his ceaseless quest for vengeance, to when he "seized a tureent of applesauce and dashed it full against Edgar's face". The most shocking and salient example of Heathcliff being dominated by his id is when he unearths Catherine's grave. He casually informs Nelly Dean of his actions, saying "I'll tell you what I did yesterday! I got the sexton, who was digging Linton’s grave, to remove the earth from her coffin lid, and I opened it." The utter disregard for morality and social conventions, coupled with the sheer impulsiveness of this action suggests a man ruled by his id, and possessing a critically weak super-ego.
Often, also, when a dream is recounted in a novel it provides rich grounds for Freudian psychoanalysis, as Freud considered dreams to be an expression of our innermost desires. The dream which Lockwood has at the beginning of the novel provides excellent material to perform a psychoanalysis of Lockwood.
A common Freudian interpretation of Wuthering Heights is to do with a balance and imbalance of the id, ego and superego in characters. One of the most obvious examples of this is Heathcliff.. Heathcliff is a character entirely ruled by his Id- a creature of violent impulse. We see numerous examples of this throughout the novel, from his ceaseless quest for vengeance, to when he "seized a tureent of applesauce and dashed it full against Edgar's face". The most shocking and salient example of Heathcliff being dominated by his id is when he unearths Catherine's grave. He casually informs Nelly Dean of his actions, saying "I'll tell you what I did yesterday! I got the sexton, who was digging Linton’s grave, to remove the earth from her coffin lid, and I opened it." The utter disregard for morality and social conventions, coupled with the sheer impulsiveness of this action suggests a man ruled by his id, and possessing a critically weak super-ego.
Often, also, when a dream is recounted in a novel it provides rich grounds for Freudian psychoanalysis, as Freud considered dreams to be an expression of our innermost desires. The dream which Lockwood has at the beginning of the novel provides excellent material to perform a psychoanalysis of Lockwood.