Wuthering Heights in Light of Feminism and Jungian Archetypes: A Comprehensive Overview

Pages: 260-263
Khewa Malhotra1 and Nayanika Singh2 (School Carmel Convent, Chandigarh1 and Psychology MGSIPA, Sector-26, Chandigarh2)

This paper is an exploration of the three major archetypes as given by Carl Jung, i.e., the hero, the anima/animus and the shadow archetype (Jung, 1919). According to Jung, in order to attain individuation archetypes such as Persona, Anima, Animus, and Shadow play a pivotal role (Jung, 1969). The collective unconscious of a person consists of all the archetypes, while some are significant, others like the shadow, which represent the darkness in a person are usually concealed, yet never disposed, often being visible at times when a person’s emotions are heightened (Jung, 1959). Against this backdrop the aim of this paper is to highlight and discuss the presence of the hero, anima/animus and shadow archetype in Heathcliff and Catherine, the protagonists of Emily Brontë’s wuthering heights, while simultaneously noting the idea of feminism that was put forward in the gothic romance novel.