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