Spacing in the Setting

I am still a bit unsure of how far things are around the Wuthering Heights Estates. Towards the beginning of the book, I was under the impression that Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange were on the same estate and that Thrushcross was like a guest home. However, it is later made clear that a different family (the Lintons) actually lived there earlier. Also, since it seems it is possible to get lost in the moors between the two manors, I would think the two homes are separated by at least some distance. But then I get confused again when Catherine (the older one) says she sees Wuthering Heights from her window in Thrushcross Grange. I don't know what to make of this all...

Too Many Family Links

As you read the book, you begin to see how many of the main characters actually fall and in love (and some actually marry) their own relatives. I think this is scary and disgusting but apparently, the characters aren't relaly bothered. Young Catherine marries both her cousin Linton and her cousin Hareton (at different times of course). Also, Heatcliff marries Isabella who, to him, is the sister-in-law of the woman he loved. Ew!

Catherine and Linton's relationship

I'm very unsure of what to make of Catherine and Linton's union. They obviously aren't madly in love with each other. Catherine had cultivated an interest in him and used to secretly correspond with him but does she really love him? She reasons with Heathcliff that there's nothing he can do to make Catherine and Linton unhappy. She insists that she has something he no longer has: love. However, I think she really married Linton because she felt bad for him and because he was being forced to court her by his cruel father, Heathcliff. She knew that if she rejected him, Linton would face severe punishment from Heathcliff. Perhaps they grew to love each other. Here is an image of Linton.

Yes, it May Sound Bad ...

Heathcliff sort of brought about his own death because of his sadness for Catherine. However, what confuses me is: why didn't he do this before? Why did he continue to live all those years after Catherine's death? All he did after she died was cause pain to others and spread his anger to those whom he should have loved. I just am surprised that he didn't die of grief earlier becuase ultimately, I think that's what caused him to be killed anyway. Perhaps it took him a long time to figure things out and come to terms with her death. Also, why did he casually stay away while Catherine was dying? He should have come to her (even though that would have angered Edgar). It was surprising to know that when Nelly told him the grave news of Catherine's death, he seemed to expect as much.

Young Catherine's Black Magic

If I'm not mistaken, Catherine threatened Joseph that she would exercise her black magic on him. Was she being serious about it and what does it say about her religious beliefs? She mentioned something about wax figures of the people and other such things. Also, she was called a "witch" by Lockwood in the book as he narrated the small incident. It seemed like Lockwood thought that Catherine was only saying that jokingly but then I was surprised to see that he called her a witch. I was very confused by all this.

Why Two Catherines?

I think there were a few reasons Bronte decided to have both women named Catherine. First of all, I think it was to add irony because the first Catherine went from being an Earnshaw to being a Linton and the second was a Linton and later becomes an Earnshaw. Secondly, they both were strong and independent women. Lastly, they both were associated with Edgar Linton, who was hated by Heathcliff. Here is a picture of Edgar Linton:

Bad Fathers

Why are there so many bad fathers in this book who can't take good care of their children but want to keep them nevertheless? I think an ideal caretaker for Linton and Hareton would have been Nelly. She's capable, amiable and obviously a good housekeeper (since it seems like she's been working at the two manors for ages). But NO! Hindley and Heathcliff must INSIST upon taking care of their own sons and then succeed wonderfully in paying no attention to them. I have a theory that they make sure the children are under their custody and then they can make sure the boys will have a terrible life of neglect and sadness. We know from the book that both Hareton and Linton were not really wanted by their fathers but they still had to live with them and endure their hatred and cruelty. Hareton, who was a direct descendent of the man who built Wuthering Heights should have been a gentleman of sophisticated dispositon and high cultivation in academics and social aspects of life but instead, he was uneducated and unruly because of the way he was raised.

Impulses

I'm not sure if people are always like this in the real world but in the book, it seems like all the love-sick characters are intensely impulsive and almost never think about what they're going to say or do before hand. They are constantly hurting and misunderstanding each other, only to beg forgiveness later (and if they aren't forgiven, they wreak havoc with their plans of revenge). An example of such a case is when Heathcliff visits Catherine one time when Edgar is at church and she begs him for forgiveness. He says he can forgive her for causing him pain but he can't forgive her for causing herself pain. Another similar case that takes place between siblings is when Isabella marries Heathcliff without Edgar's approval and she later continually begs him to forgive her even though he seems resolute against doing so.

Locks of Hair

When Catherine died, I really liked the gesture of puting locks of hair in her locket. I thought it was interesting that Heathcliff replaced Edgar's lock with his own because it shows how deeply in love with Catherine he was. It didn't matter to him that she would never see the lock of her in her locket but he wanted to connect with her at a level beyond the mortal world because he cared so much for her. I liked when Nelly combined the locks of both mens' hair and placed it in the locket.

Why the Waif?

Why was the specter or ghost Lockwood saw outside the window a child? When I was the reading the beginning of the book, I thought that malybe Catherine was only a childhood friend of Heathcliff's and so, he remembers her as only a child. However, we find out that much more than that happens (since they both grow into adults before Catherine dies). So why is the ghost a child instead of a woman? Also, I don't understand why Heathcliff was so desperate to make the specter return because towards the end of the book, some time before Heathcliff dies, he mentions that he has been haunted by Catherine's ghost for years and years. So why was he so moved by the specter in the window if he sees them everyday?

Yay Catherine!

I was feeling very displeased with Heathcliff for the way he handled his relationship with young Catherine, Linton, and Hareton so I was extremely happy to see the following in the book:

“I know he has a bad nature,” said Catherine: “he’s your son. But I’m glad I’ve a better, to forgive it; and I know he loves me, and for that reason I love him. Mr. Heathcliff, you have nobody to love you; and, however miserable you make us, we shall still have the revenge of thinking that your cruelty arises from your greater misery! You are miserable are you not? Lonely, like the devil, and envious like him? Nobody loves you – nobody will cry for you when you die! I wouldn’t be you!"

I'm so glad she stands up for herself and shows him that she is the bigger person in forgiving him for the many times he was out of line in his actions and words. She also makes sure that he is reminded that he is going through his frustration and anger because he knows he is alone and that he is not going to be with Catherine (at least not during his lifetime). She also disses him by saying that Linton's "bad nature" is natural since he's Heathcliff's son. Boom roasted!

               

Crazy Heathcliff

I think Heathcliff took his love of Catherine WAY too far. I understand his anger with Edgar because he essentially "stole" Catherine from her. But he doesn't have to let out his frustration and anger on others who are perfectly innocent and have nothing to do with Edgar and Catherine being together. For example, he was abusive to Isabella, his wife (and it turns out he married her mostly for revenge), he wanted to make sure (young) Catherine and Linton were both unhappy and later, also ensure (young) Catherine and Hareton weren't happy. Heathcliff seems like a seriously twisted guy who takes great pleasure in seeing others suffer the way he suffered.

Hindley and Hareton

I was deeply disappointed with Hindley for his fatherly instincts, or lack thereof. When Nelly traveled to Wuthering Heights (during the time when she was at the Grange) when Hareton was a youngster, she found him acting wild and out of control - throwing stones and swearing. Apparently Heathcliff had taught Hareton these things but Hindley should have been more aware of what was going on with Hareton and what kind of an ubringing he was receiving. I don't understand why Hindley wished to take care of Hareton so badly (instead of allowing him to reveive care by someone else) because he was very clearly neglecting Hareton and didn't even provide him with a proper eduction (yes, I know he had a tutor but the tutor couldn't come teach Hareton because he kept the tutor from coming to the Heights but Hindley should have made sure that wouldn't continue to happen). Also, Hindley once dropped the baby Hareton from the stairs and Heathcliff caught him WHICH IS SO COOL because it symbolizes how Heathcliff took over Hareton's care (even though he cared for him very poorly) after Hindley died. Here is a fun little picture of a baby caught in someone's hands!

A Family Tree of Sorts

So I'm not sure about the others but I was quite confused at the beginning with the mention of the Catherines and all the people at Wuthering Heights who are related in many, confusing ways. When Nelly Dean, the housekeeper at Thrushcross Grange - Lockwoods's current home, spells out the family history and all the relationships between the characters, I decided I would take this chance to make a sort of family tree (the information is gathered from both from what Nelly tells Lockwood throughout the book and the diary entry that Lockwood read earlier).

Haunted Room?

The whole incident with Catherine in the window of the guest room where Lockwood passes the night is very unexpected and somewhat scary. The first couple chapters seem very realistic and normal when all of a sudden, there is an appearance of a specter. It happens like this: Lockwood is awoken by the noise a tree is making, scratching against the window of his room and so he decides to fix the problem and reaches out of the window. When he does this, a cold hand grasps his and there is a waif called Catherine who is sobbing for him to let her in. This occurrence is rather unnerving and I would have passed it for one of the nightmares Lockwood had that night had it not been for the fact that Heathcliff continued to ask the specter to return, as if she has made appearances before.  SPOOKY! 

Interesting Accent...

Joseph, who seems to be the housekeeper of Wuthering Heights, apparently speaks in a "north of England dialect" according to the footnotes. I'm sure you can understand how hopelessly confused I was at seeing "Whet are ye for?" and "T' maister's dan i' t' fowld. Goa rahnd by th' end ut' laith, if yah went tuh spake tull him," after all the eloquent prose written by Bronte. However, I decided that Bronte did a great job giving an accurate characterization for Joseph. Interestingly, the aformentioned dialogue translates (in regular English!) to "What are you for?" (meaning something along the lines of "What do you want?") and "The master's down in the [sheep] fold. Go round the end of the barn ["laith"] if you want to speak to him."

What Wuthering Heights Looks Like

I think it’s interesting to see the great lengths to which Emily Bronte goes to describe Wuthering Heights, the manor where Heathcliff lives. It is already evident from the first three pages of the book that Bronte is obsessed with providing minute details of everything and anything. If there is a movie made about this book (it seems there is at least one) then I’m sure the set designers had no problem deciding what to put on the set and what props to have because of the precise descriptions Bronte gives us. For example, she describes the kitchen at Wuthering Heights so thoroughly that we even learn that the chairs are green and high-backed with a handful of black chairs “lurking in the shade.” The background on my laptop switches every 30 seconds and the castle below is one of the images and I think it kind of captures my first impression of what Wuthering Heights looked like (based on the description and the term “wuthering” which referred to the weather apparently) as well as the skies surrounding the home. It also reflects the attitude of Heathcliff - dark and surly.



To Reflect

The ending of the story was satisfying for it shed a little light on the characters for once, without all the gloom and doom. Characters got married and peace was restored to Wuthering Heights. I enjoyed the story for it was a change in my usual reading repertoire. However, even though it was not what I had expected it still met my expectations of a great book. I may have enjoyed more happy endings rather than making them so scarce but I guess I can't have everything. In all, I would recommend Wuthering Heights to a passionate reader.

Fight For This Love

Okay so I just posted a song, so I'm sorry but I really have to do this one. I just stumbled upon it and I thought the title defined many of the points in the book. The characters are constantly feuding, scheming, and fighting all for the sake of  misunderstood love. 

Happy Ending

So basically throughout the story everybody is miserable, vengeful, and feuding. However, at last the ending has some happiness. 

The Lure of Social Standing and Success

Another theme of Wuthering Heights is the lure of social standing and success. Cathy marries Edgar after becoming infatuated with his image as a cultured gentleman with wealth enough to meet her every need. Isabella marries Heathcliff after becoming infatuated with an idealized, romantic image of him. I feel as if many of the characters are very vain and unwise.

Would I Reccomend This Book?

I rate this book a 4/5 overall. I thought it had an interesting storyline and i enjoyed reading about the complications in love and also about revenge. I would definitely recommend this book to ages above 14 just because this book belongs to a higher reading level.

Overall Reaction

Overall, I thought that the book was very good. I really liked the themes it preached having to do with love and revenge. I Enjoyed reading the book and my favorite character is Heathcliff. He is the most dynamic and the most interesting. He is truly and deeply in love with Catharine even though he made the decision to marry Isabella. I like how he cannot let go of her even though she is dead and i am absolutely in love with how the power of love still persists in the novel although it is surrounded by hatred and vengeance.

Catherine (older)

She is the heroine one would say even though I feel as if everybody in this book is rather malevolent. A list of her characteristics:

• Heathcliff's love and heroine of the story
• she dies part of the way through the book
• Her character, both alive and dead, haunts Heathcliff.
• She is free-spirited and beautiful, but can also be spiteful and arrogant.
• Growing up alongside Heathcliff, their love is more like that of twins than lovers, and she marrieds Edgar because of his position and breeding. 
• Known as Catherine Linton after marriage.

Is this book to be considered a Classic?

Wuthering Heights is most defiantly a classic due to its timelessness and its appeal to all generations. The book has survived the test of time, it deals with universal human emotions such as love, vengeance, hatred and more, it influenced the romantic fiction genre and led to many other complicated love stories, and it received many many awards and the book has been translated and adapted into many films and series.

Classic

I feel strongly that Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a classic novel. First of all, a classic is defined as being judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind.

Reasons its a classic:

• It has survived the test of time
• It deals with universal human emotions
• It has influenced the romantic fiction genre.

Who is Hindley?

Hindley Earnshaw, can be attributed as the antagonist of the plot line. Hindley's father adopts Heathcliff as a young boy and Hindley resents Heathcliff when he is brought to Wuthering Heights. After his mother dies he Inherits the Estate and marries a beautiful women named Frances. Later on in the story Frances dies after giving birth to her child causing Hindley to become a severe alcoholic. Hindley's excessive drinking habits eventually leads to his downfall not to mention his death. Hindley is not a dynamic character in the story because throughout the plot line, he persists as a cruel and evil man.

Emily Bronte

The women behind it all, Emily Bronte is an English novelist who wrote Wuthering Heights. She was born on July 30, 1818 in Thornton Bradford, Yorkshire and died December 19, 1848 in Haworth. Her parents were Patrick Bronte and Maria Branwell and she was the fifth of six children. She had published her solitary book under the pen name of Ellis Bell. Right before Bronte passed away, she published Wuthering Heights in 1847, and was said to have been writing a second novel but the manuscript was never found.

Love Gone Wrong

     One of the recurring themes of Wuthering Heights is love gone wrong. Cathy loves Heathcliff but marries Edgar Linton. Heathcliff loves Cathy but marries Isabella Linton. Mr. Earnshaw loves his adopted son, Heathcliff, better than his biological son, Hindley, causing Hindley to despise Heathcliff. Linton and young Cathy are forced to marry. The same mistakes are made repeatedly in the story.

Wuthering Heights Movies

So far, there have been two movies made about Wuthering Heights. The first movie was made in 1992 and the second was made in 2011. After previewing the trailers of the two movies, I think that the first movie made looks better than the second. I would really like to watch both of the movies. Take a look at the two trailer and tell me which one looks better to you. The one on the top is the trailer for the movie made in 1992 while the one on the bottom is the trailer of the movie made in 2011.

A Little Bit About Nelly the Narrator

Nelly Dean is the chief narrator of Wuthering Heights. She grows up alongside Hindley and Catharine Earnshaw and is deeply involved in the story she tells. Above is a picture of Nelly from the Wuthering Heights movie made in 1992. Does she fit your imagination of Nelly?

My Love

This song, My Love by Sia, reminds me of Catherine and Heathcliff's romance. Although the words may not be an accurate summation, just the tone and mood of the melodic songs inspires similar feelings as their love story does for me.

Love, Love, Love and More Love

This is just another wonderful song about the feelings associated with being Truly, Madly and Deeply in love.

Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, or Wuthering Heights??

Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering Heights are all wonderful classics about the wonderful feelings of love. All three of them are written by marvelous writers and all three of them use good diction are are very witty. My favorite love story would defiantly be Wuthering Heights because not only is there love present in the book, but the novel also portrays the ever presence of vengeance and revenge.

Im Yours--Catharine and Heathcliff

I would stop posting about love, however this book centers itself entirely around love, love and more love. This song explains explains Heathcliff's situation in the book and how his heart will always belong to Catharine.

Accidentally In Love

The following song from Shrek explains Catharines love story in the novel, and how she "accidentally" fell deeply in love during her stay at Thrushcross Grange to cure her wounded leg (leg was bitten by a dog).

Truly, Madly, Deeply in Love

"I cannot look down to this floor, but her features are shaped on the flags! In every cloud, in every tree—filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in every object by day, I am surrounded with her image! The most ordinary faces of men and women—my own features—mock me with a resemblance. The entire world is a dreadful collection of memoranda that she did exist, and that I have lost her!"

The following quote spoken by Heathcliff reminded me of this song. This song is related to Heathcliff's situation because although Catherine is no longer with him, he is still hopelessly in love with her. Similarly, in this song Taylor Swift is crazily in love with her special person and is looking forward to his return.

Love, Drama, Relationships.

This song by Taylor Swift relates to a main message found in the book regarding the various complications and misunderstandings in love. This can also relate to Catharine and Lintons relationship in the novel. Enjoy!:)

Heathcliff

Heathcliff is defiantly the most interesting character that i have read about in this book. He is a very "round" character and is very dynamic as well. I find his story very ironic. At first when Mr. Earnshaw brought him home was a sweet innocent and kind little boy with no malicious thoughts in mind. However, after Catharine left him and married Edgar all he sought in was revenge. Heathcliff's hardships he faced in love caused him to be reluctant towards the true love between his son Linton and Catharines daughter.

My Fav Quote

"so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and [Edgar’s] is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire."

The quote above was spoken by Catharine and it is my favorite quote in the entire book. I love how she sees more of herself in the man she loves and I just think thats so cute and heartwarming. I want to know what you guys think of this quote?

My imagination of Heathcliff

The picture on top is a photo of Heathcliff from the movie made in 1992 and the picture down below is a picture of Heathcliffe from the "Wuthering Heights" movie made in 2011. I think that the Heathcliff down below better fits my imagination of him. Which one is the perfect match for the character of Heathcliff?

My Initial Thoughts

When I first started reading the book It took me quite some time to get used to the style of writing which Bronte uses. She writes in what I call "old English". At first I was very reluctant to read the book because im not too interested in love stories and problems that persist in in love. However, I am liking what I have read so far. Some of the main chareters such as Nelly, Lockwood, Heathcliff, and Catharine are introduced and I can't wait to read on!

Catherine and Linton

I found the perfect song to describe Catherine's love story with Linton. Throughout the story, they were technically forbidden to see each other because of what their parents do/did; the song "Only Exception" by Paramore perfectly depicts Catherine's struggles. I also think that the band Paramore is a perfect representaion of the book's genre. Wuthering Heights, I feel is all about love's struggles and so is Paramore and their songs.

The Story of Catherine

Catherine's (Earnshaw/Linton) love story reminds me of the song by The Band Perry, "If I Die Young." It's about how if she dies, she talks explains why, and how...which slightly relates to her story.

A Weird Association

I know this may be very random and tangent to this blog but every time I picture Hareton Earnshaw, all I can see is this: 

 I know its very weird and scary, but honestly I pictured Gollum/Smeagul from Lord of the Rings every time I read about Hareton. Comments? Am I weird for thinking this? (probably)