IndexIntroductionMarxist ideas in Wuthering HeightsConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionEmily Bronte's classic novel, Wuthering Heights, is not simply the tragic love story it might seem on the surface, but is an example of differences in class and the role of the capital in 18th century Victorian England. Using Karl Marx's essay Wage Labor and Capital, you can see the ways in which Wuthering Heights uses Heathcliff's rise and fall to remind you that you cannot change your socioeconomic status in this society, and that no matter how much you tries to climb the top socioeconomic ladder, he will only be left with poverty in modern capitalist society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Marxist Ideas in Wuthering Heights In Wage Labor and Capital, Marx writes about the processes by which wealth is accumulated. 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 it is not possible to change one's position in society. When discussing the relationship between the capitalist and the wage worker, Marx writes: “The capitalist, it seems, therefore, buys his own labor with money. They sell them their labor for money. But this is only appearance, because in reality they sell their labor power to the capitalist. Labor power, therefore, is "a commodity, no more and no less [than any other product." Marx points out that there is a difference between getting paid for work and raising capital. The worker exchanges his commodity, his labor power, for the capitalist's commodity, money. The capitalist pays the worker's wages not with the money he gets from the product, but with the capital he already owns. The money invested 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 while the capitalist earns from the product the worker produces by selling it, the wage worker earns less than the value of his product and often earns only enough money to survive. Workers spend their wages on food and housing, while the capitalist has money reserved for this and does not use the money he earns from the cost of living product. Within this system, the rich remain rich and the poor remain poor. Marxism is based on the idea that the world we live in is divided into a base and a superstructure. The basis is the material conditions of society, and the superstructure is the social world dominated by our culture and ideology. Marxism holds that we must study the base and its impact on our lives. Our ability to survive in society depends on our material conditions. Understanding the ideas presented by Marxist criticism, one can turn to Wuthering Heights and see the way 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 many significant differences between Heathcliff and the rest of the family. Heathcliff was found wandering the streets of Liverpool by Mr. Earnshaw who took him home with him. His background is unknown to the family and his skin is a darker color than theirs, leading the family to believe that he is not originally from England. This lack of background, as well as the fact that he was adopted, means that he is different from everyone else in the novel. Remains lower class thanto the Earnshaws, but of a higher class than the servants, which puts him in an awkward position. When Heathcliff was first introduced to the family, says Nelly Dean, I was frightened, and Mrs. Earnshaw was ready to throw him out of the house: she flew up, asking how she could bring that gipsy brat into the house, when they had their children to feed and to take care of? What did he intend to do with it, and what if he was crazy? The master tried to explain it... seeing him starving, homeless, and practically mute on the streets of Liverpool where he picked him up and asked him if he owned it - No one knew who it belonged to, he said, and his time and his money, both being limited, he thought it best to take him home with him. It is clear that Heathcliff is not seen by the family as a human being, more so as a piece of property that can be discarded if unwanted. Not knowing where to put it for her first night at the Heights, Nelly Dean places it "on the landing of the stairs, hoping it might disappear the next day." Not only is Heathcliff treated by the family (excluding Mr. Earnshaw) like a stray dog ​​who they hope will escape, but he is regarded as a thing rather than a human being. Mrs. Earnshaw sees Heathcliff as a burden to their economic situation and perhaps even as 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 captured 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 the house, because he is rude to them, and his lower-class origin is evident in his dirtiness. Catherine remains at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks while she recovers from her injury. When he returns, it is evident that he has improved his social status by acting as the Lintons do. Cathy stayed at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks, until Christmas. By then his ankle was completely healed and his manners were much improved. Her mistress often visited her, in the interval, and began her plan of reform by trying to increase her self-respect by fine clothes and flattery, which she readily accepted: so that, instead of a wild, hatless little savage leaping in the house, and running to squeeze us all out of breath, there appeared from a beautiful black pony a very dignified person... Hindley lifted her from his horse, exclaiming with joy: “Why, Cathy, you are quite a beauty! I should have just met you: you look like a lady now... By staying with the Lintons and eventually marrying Edgar Linton, Cathy is able to improve her socioeconomic status. He is able to "up class" and move from Wuthering Heights, a farm, to Thrushcross Grange, an estate. In this way, Catherine was “worth more” in the eyes of the men of this society. Women, similar to Heathcliff at the beginning of the novel, are considered property. Women themselves are not capital, but if a man marries a woman, all of her assets become his, and the woman becomes a means for the man to accumulate more capital. Women at the time of history were not allowed to own anything, meaning that if a man married a woman who lined him up for property, then he would increase his capital. When Catherine marries Edgar Linton, Heathcliff mourns the loss of his one true love and flees the Heights, only to return three years later a much richer and more dignified man. Heathcliff plans to take revenge on the Earnshaws for treating him badly and on the Lintons for taking Catherine away from him. According to Marxist theory, within a capitalist economic system, someone must lose for someone else to win. A man can increase.