Wuthering Heights by Emile Bronte, Conan Doyle's The sign of Four and The Beach of Falesa of Stevenson depict brutal truths about reality of domestic life and social exclusion

 

Introduction

The nineteenth century literary works presented an image of the Victorian realist tradition as this can be clear in Wuthering Heights by Emile Bronte, Conan Doyle's The sign of Four and The Beach of Falesa of Stevenson. The three works depict brutal truths about reality of domestic life and social exclusion as well as dispossession as realist elements that reflect real issues. This is going to be discussed in the current paper referring to examples from the three texts. 

Discussion

Wuthering Heights can represent the convention of Victorian realism such as brutal truth of social life. Realistic elements were represented in the characters of the middle and lower classes such as the peasants and Earnshows and this can also be clear in the domestic subjects the novel presented as people relationships, conflicts and the socio economic factors that moved events from the childhood of the characters to the end of their lives, Heathcliff and Catherine were faced by these facts which prevented them from their love and from living with each other as social factors surrounded her life as a woman from a high class stopped her from her love and natural life she lived with Heathcliff and this led him to suffer his real nature as a brutal man who came from lower social class and this also turned him to take revenge from those who prevented him from his beloved. Realistic elements in Wuthering Heights were also represented in the family history chronology and the cultural geography that realistically particularized elements as place, time and culture against gothic fiction and fantasy in the novel. (Bronte, 2016)

Realistic elements can also be regarded in the novel's plot as although there is irrational access in forming the characters and the super-natural element role, the plot presents conflicts that are based on the cause and effect in some kind of a chain that form characters' decisions and choice in life as Catherine is seen turning from living as a natural girl who does all she loves with her friend Heathcliff to be a lady who follows rules of the high class society at that time, speaking a s a lady and dressing as a lady in spite of the fact that she loved to live naturally and this results in the realistic consequences that Heathcliff too turned his life from what he really loved to what could bring him in the high class society owning Wuthering heights and taking revenge from all who caused him suffer. (Islam, 2018) This can be seen in Nelly's words about how Catherine turned to be a lady to match realism of her social class:

"Catherine kept up her acquaintance with Lintons . . . she imposed unwittingly on the old lady and gentlemen."  (Ch VIII. Page, 3.)

The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle also represented some realistic ideas that were related to the Victorian age as the author tends to present Sherlock Holmes as a foil for that time shortage of the police forces that was a truth as this can be clear in the words of Mary Mortson when she told Holmes how the police wasn't able to find her father when he disappeared and this is also clear in the note of Thaddeus Sholto when he asked Mary not to bring the police and he states later that:

"There is nothing more unaesthetic than a policeman. I have a natural shrinking from all forms of rough materialism"(52).

This shows how the police is regarded as brutal and not helpful and provincial. Holmes also discerned that killers could escape by ways of the Thames and mistakes of the police as they mistake the culprit of Thaddeus Sholto. (Cooke, 2010)

Imperialism is also represented by Doyle in the Sign of the Four as a symbol for reality at that time. This can be apparent in the plot of the story as the story revolves the treasure of Agra and associates the East with the riches as the treasure in the story relates to Indian rajah and the plot suggests it relates to the British Empire as even Holmes didn't think of returning it to the original owner which reflects brutal truth of imperialism in Britain at that time. The story here represents reality of the British Empire which exploited the treasures and resources of India as its colony with no regard or consideration to the original people. (Oliver, 2016)

Stevenson’s ‘The Beach of Falesá' represents realism through the sea story that presents real South Sea character and real life details through romance and human life. Stevenson in that long story tried to follow realism as he portrayed the manners of people of many different social classes in the island society as it is considered a novel of manners, the author also tended to choose names as those in reality, names for people and names for ships although the island itself is a fictional one. The author tried to use all the real things and real experiences he had in sea in the story and thus he addresses British colonialism through making a confront between miscegenation and the taboos and referring to domestic elements such as gender and race picturing human nature through the natives having gullibility and superstition, presenting the traders with treachery and crudeness and the missionaries who are characterized with misguided zeal. Realism in the story also appears in Wiltshire characterization as he is rough and uneducated but at the same time has rudimentary decency and courage. Realism in the story is also presented in shedding the light of the Europeans' hypocrisy that is opposed by the islanders' honesty and simplicity which can make a conflict. (Buckton, 2007) The story also presents how the island bears many different people without problems as this is common:

"By this time we had come in view of the house of these three white men; for a negro is counted a white man, and so is a Chinese! a strange idea, but common in the islands." Page 4.

Conclusion

In conclusion, realism was used in literary works of the nineteenth century as many authors at that time presented their works based on real facts and truths of life at that age. This is clear in Wthering Heights as Bronte presented her characters and thir attitudes based on facts and brutal nature of human beings, this was also clear in Doyle's The Sign of the Four and Stevenson's The Beach of Falesá as authors referred to colonialism and other issues that were so attached to real life in their nature and experiences.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

1.      Bronte, Emily. (2016). 'Wuthering Heights (Fourth International Student Edition) (Norton Critical Editions).' W.W. Norton and Company.

2.      Buckton, O. (2007). 'Cruising with Robert Louis Stevenson: Travel, Narrative, and the Colonial Body.' Ohio University Press.

3.      Cooke, M. (2010). 'Fear of and Fascination with the Foreign in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Adventures.' https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1705&context=theses

4.      Islam, D. (2018). 'Character Analysis of "Wuthering Heights".' https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324437653_Character_Analysis_of_Wuthering_Heights

5.        Oliver, K. (2016). 'The Sign of the Four, EMC Resource Pack.' https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/assets/uploads/preview_files/EMC_SignFour_SAMPLE.pdf