An Analysis of the Causes and Effects of Sickness and Death inWuthering Heights

A major part of the literary criticism of Wuthering Heights has dealt with sickness and death but the focus has almost exclusively been directed to the psychological, emotional and socio-economic implications of the diseases. Descriptions of the characters' diseases are examined and diagnosed in the light of present medical knowledge. This paper shows how Emily Brontë has used illness, injury and death exclusively to direct and advance the plot. Building on the early Victorian view of illness as a societal value system, Emily Brontë used it as a metaphor to direct the reader's interpretation of the personality of the characters and their importance in the story.