親子関係からみた『嵐が丘』の一考察

Abstract

Emily Brontë の『嵐が丘』は、とりわけ翻案作品において、Catherine と Heathcliff の悲恋物語であるとされることが多い。しかし、Catherine と Heathcliff の成長過程（とりわけ親子関係）を考察すると、二人の成長のプロセスの相違ゆえに、お互いへの思いの質が異なっていることに気づく。つまりふつうの悲恋関係とよべるものではないのだ。しかも、Catherine と Heathcliff がその相違をお互いに理解できないからこそ、ますます激しくぶつかりあい、苦悩することになるのではないだろうか。本論では、Catherine と Heathcliff の関係とともに、Hindley の成長も考察することにより、第一世代の物語から第二世代への時の連なりが意味することも考えて見たい。

It is often said that Wuthering Heights is a passionate love story about Catherine and Heathcliff, which could be universally agreed upon. But when this novel is read focusing on how they grew up and the relationship they had with their parents or guardians, one can see how different their feelings are toward each other, and how difficult it is to call their relationship a romantic love. In other words, Catherine's anguish is caused by a lack of understanding by her father, therefore she is anxious to find someone else who understands and really trusts her so that she can establish her identity. This is why Heathcliff came to be the most precious person for her. As for Heathcliff, when he was very young he was able to build a relationship of mutual trust with Mr. Earnshaw, and also with Catherine until he knew her engagement to Edgar. Since he was able to do this, he could establish his identity. For Heathcliff, Catherine is a romantic lover. They loved each other with an extreme passion, but the way they loved each other was so different it caused huge misunderstandings which led to the destruction of the two households. On the other hand, the second generation, Cathy and Hareton, was able to rebuild the household through a calmer love built on understanding. Through this sequence of events within these two generations, the overall theme of the story can be revealed.