Essay/Term paper: The raising of children

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Position Papers

The raising of the children in Wuthering Heights seemed to be mostly done by the

nannies. In fact, the story is mainly told from the perspective of Nelly Dean, the

housekeeper of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Upper-class parents

delegated the entire care of their children to a nurse or a "nanny".

The nanny and the children occupied a separate wing or floor of the house. Ideally, the

wing or floor had a day nursery, one or more night nurseries for children of different ages,

bedrooms for older children and their governess, and a schoolroom or older children's

sitting room. The fully staffed nursery had additional nurserymaids, a schoolroom maid, a

laundress, and sometimes a cook. The reason children were separated from adults was

that they were to be sheltered from adult life and given a structured routine and also to

hvae their characters trained. The adults were freed for their own pleasures and

responsibilities, and for the London season and foreign travel which were expected parts

of aristocratic life.

The full-fledged nanny was a professional and she had full charge of the children and

their upbringing. Mothers recognized their own deficiencies and deferred to the nanny's

training and experience. Children spent mostly all of their time with the nanny. Her bed

was in the night nursery where they slept. The parents paid little attention to the everyday

happenings as in seen in Wuthering Heights. Catherine and Francis depended on Nelly's

care of the children all throughout Wuthering Heights. When the kids were about eight,

their lessons began to occupy most of their time. Boys went to boarding school and girls

became primarily responsible to the governess.

Despite a nanny's absolute authority, children were still called "miss" or "master" when

they were spoken to or spoken of. The life of nursery children was intended to teach them

self-control, obedience, and discipline. Nannies made sure the children treated their

parents with respect. Even with this, the children knew they were socially superior to the

people who took care of them. In Wuthering Heights, this is clearly seen, as Isabella

regularly taunts Nelly Dean in just this manner.