Many San Luis Obispo High School juniors read the timeless novel by Emily Brontё, Wuthering Heights. However, many like many other classic works, some question whether the book is still relevant enough to read in school.

  “I taught the book seven years in a row before I needed a break. The Victorian era English is difficult to get used to, but the themes of the book resonated with the seniors in my classes,” said English teacher Scott Nairne.

  Wuthering Heights is a compelling and tragic tale of two very good childhood friends, Catherine and Heathcliff. Catherine Earnshaw was the daughter of a wealthy family that took in Heathcliff, a gypsy orphan, as a young child. Heathcliff, having never truly been accepted into the society of his dear friend, fled as a boy and returned a wealthy man to Wuthering Heights, only to find his love married off to one of the people who was especially cruel to him as a boy, Edgar Linton. Heathcliff is so distraught that he vows to ruin the lives of the Lintons and the Earnshaws until he is the master of the Moorlands.

  There are those who believe that the novel is irrelevant to the workings of our modern society, setting social and moral standards that are outdated. Contrary to this, it is my belief that the messages hold true today.

  It is a very interesting novel about the human condition and our incessant longing for justice, which can quickly turn to revenge. This work outlines the primitive psyche of the people in a very civilized society and succeeds in reminding all humans that the temperament of emotion is often beyond our grasp.

  Wuthering Heights is a novel that teaches students not only about human nature but a little more about themselves and should continue to be studied in schools.