Comparison of the novel Wuthering Heights with one of its Film Adaptations - Essay Example

Comparison of Wuthering Heights, the novel with one of its Film Adaptations Emily Bronte, though renowned for only one novel, has acquired the status of one of the most-read and praised female authors of the Victorian Era. Her only claim to fame, the novel Wuthering Heights itself received a mixed reaction from the critics initially. However, the novel has found its way into English Literature’s Classics. This novel deals with the theme of unresolved and unsettled love between the two main characters: Heathcliff and Catherine. This passion destroys both of the characters and ends up in a soul numbing tragedy. The role of the patriarchal family, intense pain, difference between childhood and adult love, self-imposed punishments and revenge are the main themes of the novel. Judging from the popularity, the novel has been transformed into a movie numerous times. The story is narrated by two characters: Nelly Dean and Lockwood. But each movie has some differences especially when it comes to the narration or the perspective shown in each movie. For instance, in some of the movies Catherine’s ghost does not appear, which is a rather drastic change. The 2009 movie version has many changes and most of these deviations have changed the basic theme of the novel. In the novel, Wuthering Heights is a mansion which is representative of the pride and arrogance of Hareton Earnshaw, the heir of the family. It is because of his egotism that Heathcliff turns bitter and passive. In the movie (2009), Wuthering Heights is just a farmhouse. This not only changes the backdrop which plays an integral part in the depiction of the story but also overshadows the egotism and removes a major symbol that represents Earnshaw. Another major difference is in the appearance of Wuthering Heights, the mansion and in the Linton’s mansion. The Linton’s mansion, as mentioned in the book is of supreme quality with chandeliers and exquisite furniture, whereas in the movie there is not much difference between the two mansions. Both are very simply furnished. Other than the settings, the nature of characters has also been changed. Catherine is not that selfish and spiteful in the movie as she is in the novel. In the movie, it seems as if she is a pitiful and passive character. However, it is actually because of her nasty and selfish nature that she takes such a drastic decision of marrying Edgar Linton. In the movie it seems that she is a vulnerable victim of nature and the society. In the book Heathcliff listens to Catherine saying that marrying him would degrade her and her family. Heathcliff is wounded by this admission and so he goes away. In the movie Heathcliff just goes away without even hearing anything. So instead of recklessness, which is significant in both the characters in the book, it seems more of a childish attitude in the movie. Childish, they never are. They are arrogant, passionate and reckless. Hence, the very depiction of characters has been deviated from, thus, sucking the life out of them. Furthermore in Wuthering Heights, the book, the characters are very young when they fall in love and they do silly things like deliberately angering Hareton, whereas in the movie the characters that play the role of Catherine and Heathcliff are not young. So when they try to act silly, they look awkward and this extinguishes the flame of passion and desire. Considering the age of the characters in the movie it creates more of a funny situation in the viewer’s eyes. However after reading the novel one feels angry and livid at the turn of events and the tragic incidents. Another major difference in the novel and the movie is the death scene. In the novel Heathcliff never gets to see Catherine’s body. But in the movie, Heathcliff digs up the grave and hugs the body. This gives a totally unreal quality to the storyline. Moreover, in the novel when Heathcliff is not able to see Catherine’s body, it adds to the tragic element and the readers also feel bad about it. But the turn of incidents in the movie makes it impossible for the readers to believe in it. It also nullifies the pride and strong emotions of Heathcliff’s character. Keeping this in mind, Heathcliff cannot be pictured doing as he does in the movie. When the novel begins, Lockwood is the one who narrates the story but in the movie he does not narrates the story. Instead he is like a viewer who needs to know the story. Then, again in the novel Lockwood sees the ghost of Catherine but in the movies this scene has not been included. This is a major part of the novel which also presents a significant theme. Catherine’s ghost is symbolic of the fact that her spirit is not at rest. Moreover, the elimination of this scene from the movie means an elimination of a theme from the story line. And the fact that Heathcliff sees the ghost again and again means that he is also not at peace. This is also a sign of their intense suffering. Catherine is not able to live in peace even after her death. The ghost is also added in the novel to inject a supernatural aura and a gothic setting. But the scene has been deleted from the movie, which has also erased that particular sensation and atmosphere. The appearance of ghost in the novel also adds a mysterious element to Heathcliff’s character and is there to add fuel to the readers’ questions. All of these aspects have been overlooked which undermine the characters and the plot. Hence, the 2009 movie version of Wuthering Heights overlooks a lot of aspects that are crucial to the plot and characterization in the novel. The setting or the backdrop is essential in transfusing a certain aura into the audience. It is through the backdrop that the audience translates the kind of characters that live there. Furthermore, the significance of the narrator can never be ignored because it through his eyes that a novel is depicted. If the narrator is changed, so is the perspective which subsequently changes the meaning of the story. Similarly, certain personality features of a character make who he/she is and affect his/her decisions. A change in the personality must bring about a change in the decisions taken as well. However, all of this is ignored in the movie version. This has resulted in an adverse effect on the impact created in the movie with respect to the happenings. Not only do the characters in the movie seem confused and clueless, they also exhibit a hint of childish behavior. Considering Wuthering Heights is a tragedy, the movie version defies this and recreates the world of Catherine and Heathcliff with lesser impact and little tragedy. Therefore, many parts of the movie are completely different than the novel. Making a movie out of a novel is a very difficult task and a few, if any have been successful in doing so. Unfortunately, the 2009 version of Wuthering Heights is unable to do justice to the real essence of the novel and the tragedy Emily Bronte actually wrote. There are discrepancies with respect to the setting, characters as well as the plot which make the novel a much better read than the movie is to watch. Works Cited Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Random House, 1943. Print. Wuthering Heights.Dir. Coky Giedroyc.Perf. Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley. BBC: 2009 Read More