We're experiencing a bit of wuther-y weather here as a nor'easter blows through town. But, rain and wind will not put a damper on our Thanksgiving tomorrow since what's going on outside will not stop turkey dinner and the inevitable food coma. My contribution to the family meal will be pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies. Yum!
Let's get into character...
Who's Telling This Story, Anyway?
Wuthering Heights
I vociferated curses enough to annihilate any fiend in Christendom (p. 61).I shall be dirty as I please: and I like to be dirty, and I will be dirty (p. 67).
The first line happens to be my favorite quote from the entire book. But, seriously, what kid talks like that? Nelly is clearly inserting her adult vocabulary into Heathcliff's mouth. The second line is more what I'd expect from a cranky pre-teen, even one from the 18th Century.
What do you think about our narrators? Do you find them believable or unreliable? How can we, as readers, separate "fact" from "fiction" in this novel?
Catherine and Heathcliff
It cannot be argued that Catherine is a strong woman. She marries Edgar for status, money, and comfort but refuses to give up her lover. She tells Nelly, "Who is to separate us, pray? They'll meet the fate of Milo!...Every Linton on the face of the earth might melt into nothing, before I could consent to forsake Heathcliff" (p. 101). However, it is the conflict between husband and lover that drives her into madness and eventually the grave.
Throughout the novel, Heathcliff is described as being fiend, devil, and ghoul. Despite this, I find it unable to think of him badly. In my mind, he is the quintessential romantic figure. Ana mentions below that her feelings changed toward him as she read the book: going from disliking him to rooting for him and back again. In a way, Catherine does the same thing. She loves him yet calls him her murderer. Heathcliff, similarly, is both her master and her servant.
What's up with these two? How do you feel toward them? Is Heathcliff really a fiend?
Edgar and Isabella
Besides a fit of rage at finding Heathcliff in Catherine's sick room, Edgar never exhibits much above a whimper. He shows no passion toward Catherine, and likely marries her because of her aristocratic family. Whenever he shows up in the book, I find it difficult not to compare him to an undercooked and unbuttered slice of toast. Isabella, on the other hand, shows more emotion even if it is misplaced. In describing their elopement, Heathcliff says she pictures "in me a hero of romance, and expecting unlimited indulgences from my chivalrous devotion" (p. 186). She's correct, in a way, but only Catherine is the recipient his devotion. Edgar and Isabella are polar opposites of Heathcliff and Catherine, yet the four of them manage to entangle themselves in a love quadrangle.
What's up with these two? And with the four of them? What draws the opposites together while pushing the likes apart? Is there really a love quadrangle or is Isabella incidental to the love story?
Everyone Else
For me, the rest of the characters mean little except for how their stories relate to Catherine and Heathcliff. Hindley separates them when he returns to the Heights after the death of Earnshaw. Hareton is devoted to Heathcliff. The second Catherine and Linton are pawns in Heathcliff's plot for revenge. And, Joseph, well, I can't understand anything he says.
What are your impressions of the other characters? Are they important in their own right? Or are they tools used to advance the story?
