...The Childhood of Heathcliff (chapters 4 to 17) The story begins thirty years before when the Earnshaw family lived at Wuthering Heights consisting of, as well as the mother and father, Hindley, a boy of fourteen, and six-year-old Catherine, the same person that he had dreamt about and the mother of the present mistress. In that year, Mr Earnshaw travels to Liverpool where he finds a homeless, gypsy-like boy of about seven whom he decides to adopt as his son. He names him "Heathcliff". Hindley, who finds himself excluded from his father's affections by this newcomer, quickly learns to hate him but Catherine grows very attached to him. Soon Heathcliff and Catherine are like twins, spending hours on the moors together and hating every moment apart. Because of this discord, Hindley is eventually sent to college but he returns, three years later, when Mr Earnshaw dies. With a new wife, Frances, he becomes master of Wuthering Heights and forces Heathcliff to become a servant instead of a member of the family. Heathcliff and Cathy continue to run wild and, in November, a few months after Hindley's return, they make their way to Thrushcross Grange to spy on the inhabitants. As they watch the childish behaviour of Edgar and Isabella Linton, the children of the Grange, they are spotted and try to escape. Catherine, having been caught by a dog, is brought inside and helped while Heathcliff is sent home. Five weeks later, Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights but she has now...
Words: 721 - Pages: 3
...was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him.” How far is Nelly’s comment a fair summary of the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff and the problems it contains? In Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the theme of love is central; particularly the love between both Catherine and Heathcliff. Bronte’s illustration of the love between the two protagonists transgresses beyond the “normal”, romantic love previous authors, such as Jane Austen, would portray. Emily Bronte’s love uniting both Catherine and Heathcliff contains undeniable gothic conventions alongside the idea of idolised romance; she has created a love story which includes aspects of passion, lust and suffering. Nelly, commenting on the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff, states “She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him”, suggesting that the intense love they had for one another will forever be problematic. It is important here to focus on Nelly’s use of the adverb “too”, as it describes that Catherine’s love towards Heathcliff goes beyond average. When having to choose between Heathcliff and Edgar, Catherine concludes “I’ll try to break their hearts by breaking my own”. For Heathcliff, Catherine refuses to eat or sleep and also willingly exposes herself to a chill when she is feverish. Here, Catherine’s love towards Heathcliff has resulted in a form...
Words: 961 - Pages: 4
...In Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Heathcliff has actions that can be viewed as evil and immoral. These actions cause a feeling of sympathy and can be seen through events such as Catherine’s death and even his own. Heathcliff took part in certain actions after Catherine's death that are described as evil and immoral. Catherine’s grave was dug up by Heathcliff because of his attachment to her. The reason from Heathcliff being, “I have a strong faith in ghosts: I have a conviction that they can, and do, exist among us!” (Brontë 29). Heathcliff explained why he dug up the casket, he held out the promise that their love doesn’t die. Digging up another person’s grave is an immoral action and deems Heathcliff evil. These actions cause a feeling...
Words: 440 - Pages: 2
...In Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, cruelty serves as a crucial motivator. When Heathcliff feels hurt because of Hindley Earnshaw's treatment of him, Heathcliff lashes out at Hindley and his child. When Catherine, Heathcliff’s childhood love, marries another man, Heathcliff becomes angry and hateful. He begins to become motivated by his hate and he becomes feared for his cruelness. In Wuthering Heights, jealousy and a need for revenge drives Heathcliff's feelings of love to turn into feelings of cruelty. Although several other characters in Wuthering Heights are described as cruel, Heathcliff's cruelty fiercely contrasts theirs because he willingly acts on it. Hindley's treatment of him and Catherine's decision to choose Edgar over himself directly cause...
Words: 799 - Pages: 4
... sanctimonious, sanguine, trepidation Chapters XXI-XXXIV: parlor, sally, irresolute, mortification, evince, ardor, obstinate, disposition, folly, entreat, compunction, peruse, jubilee, reconcile, buoyant, lamentation, asunder, moors, haggard, pettishness, scruple, wan, reproach, supplicate, trifling, spurn, vexation, grovel, ostensible, perish, injunction, repulse, cunning, feebleness, pacify, acquiesce, farthing, destitute, sulky, soliloquy, vile, preclude, devastate, fortnight, skirmish, ingenuity, morose, obdurate, perversity, reprovingly, paragon, disparagement, antipathy, potent, shun, admonition, contemptuous, hue, incarnate, compliance, sexton, dismal, expostulation Main characrers Heathcliff - An orphan brought to live at Wuthering Heights by Mr. Earnshaw, Heathcliff falls into an intense,...
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...characters within the story. In the novel, Heathcliff tries to get revenge in as many ways as possible. And, unfortunately a lot of the way he is vengeful is through violence. Because Heathcliff is bad at communicating his thoughts and feelings, he tends to be more violent. Another huge reason that Heathcliff is violent is because he is jealous. Most of the characters are spoiled within the novel, and Heathcliff feels left out many different times. The reader is introduced to Heathcliff in the first chapter of the novel. Mr. Lockwood has just moved...
Words: 901 - Pages: 4
...grew homesick. Emily Brontё’s single novel is a unique masterpiece propelled by a vision of elemental passions but controlled by an uncompromising artistic sense. However, despite the relative invisibility of Victorian influence in the plot and content, the attitudes of the Victorian Era make some impact on the story, and the novel is considered not only a form of entertainment but also a means of analyzing and offering solutions to social and political problems. Brontё may not highlight the social aspects in the novel, nevertheless the indications of Victorian society’s problems are significant. By provinding characters such as Heathcliff, Lockwood, and Catherine, she communicates various aspects of homelessness. The life of the Ernshaw family changes for good the night an orphan child arrives at Wuthering Heights. The boy is being named Heathcliff, “the name thus signifies his acceptance but also his difference and implied inferiority; in lacking the family...
Words: 3665 - Pages: 15
...Nelly Dean. Nelly is an orthodox Christian and gives us a biased viewpoint, calling Heathcliff a ‘devil’ and associating him with the demonic. With his black hair and unbridled wrath, violence, greed and lust, Heathcliff is an embodiment of everything Victorians feared. His passion was completely unacceptable. Heathcliff lures Catherine from being an acceptable Victorian girl to being brutally passionate as well. Catherine’s big choice in the novel whether to marry Heathcliff or Edgar reflects society’s pressure. She chooses Edgar despite the fact that her sense of identity is bound up in Heathcliff. That’s why she suffers so much when she marries Edgar. One issue in the novel is discerning the author’s voice. Bronte’s voice is not the voice of Lockwood, who in many ways is a farcical character who doesn’t understand at all the relationships of Wuthering Heights he has stumbled upon. Nelly Dean’s voice doesn’t seem to be one that Bronte wants us to trust; there are several incidents where Nelly lies, or at least conceals the truth of Catherine’s real situation from Edgar. Nelly tells us that Catherine dies and rests in peace, but her words are contradicted by the reports of Catherine and Heathcliff being seen walking upon the moors, and by the appearance of Catherine’s ghost to Lockwood in Chapter 3 in a very Gothic situation. The events of the novel suggest that Catherine waits for Heathcliff to die so that they can walk on the moors together in their version of heaven. Catherine...
Words: 1514 - Pages: 7
...that take place in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë are all explained to Lockwood by singular narrative of Nelly which creates a biased perspective. Growing up with the Earnshaws, Nelly’s understanding of her surroundings are very similar to theirs. Negativity towards Heathcliff and the urge to be like the Lintons is the backbone behind Nelly’s story. Lockwood, who has an outside perspective is forced to believe Nelly and also adopts a similar point of view. Brontë uses Nelly’s embedded narrative to make the story more realistic and to suggest that her version of the story is biased as she has been influenced by the Earnshaws with their values and thoughts; the reader,...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...Monday, February 28, 2011 Wuthering Heights - Feminist Criticism The feminist criticism is perhaps the perspective that best applies to Wuthering Heights. For one, any personal possessions of a woman goes straight to the husband once she marries. It’s like the woman doesn’t even exist because she has to live under the husband’s name, who now owns her belongings. Thrushcross Grange would have been Isabella’s had she not married Heathcliff but, since she did marry him, Heathcliff automatically becomes the owner. In addition, the wives of men in the novel are treated at times like they’re below the “man of the house.” One example of this inferior treatment in Wuthering Heights is, again, with Isabella. When Heathcliff beats Isabella, there isn’t much she can do within the law to stop Heathcliff because, in order to make Heathcliff stop physically abusing her, she would have to prove (in a court probably partial towards men) that her life was in danger as a result of the abuse. The law back in Brontë’s day really favored men over women and put women at a great disadvantage. I think the topic that will garner even more attention from contemporary feminist critics will be “the role of film and other popular media in the construction of the feminine gender” (Brontë 451). I remember the very first article our class blogged on about how people are reading less. With more people now turning to other forms of entertainment like watching movies, the creators of movies add their opinions...
Words: 757 - Pages: 4
...Anna Faulkner Mrs. Tubbs English101: T/Thurs 7: 00 25October2012 Heathcliff And Catherine: A tale of two loves Catharine and Heathcliff’s passion for one another show how a love too great is developed throughout the novel, Wuthering Heights. The bond between Catharine and Heathcliff remain the primary mystery until the very end of the novel. Environment of the Yorkshire moor and both being raised as siblings at the same dwelling place, gives them both a greater chance to develop their romantic love affair. Their love exists on a higher or more spiritual plane in which eventually spirals out of control, leaving both Catharine and Heathcliff devastated. Heathcliff was a wearisome orphan, living in the slums of Liverpool who was brought home by Mr. Earnshaw when they were just mere children. Starting at an early age, they both shared a unique bond between one another that nobody else could explain. It is never entirely clear whether their love for one another is romantic or the love of very close siblings. Their recklessness and destructive passion are unable to penetrate the eternal love they share. Heathcliff repeatedly calls Catherine his soul; and Catherine states: “I am Heathcliff, he’s always in my mind; not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being” (Pg 80), which shows their shared perception that they are identical. After experiencing a luxurious and pleasant stay at Thrushcross Grange, Catherine’s character significantly...
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...from Wuthering Heights and its occupants in these first few chapters? 5. Describe Heathcliff. 6. What glimpses from the past does Lockwood get when he discovers Catherine's books? 7. Whose ghost visits Mr. Lockwood? What is Heathcliff's reaction to the ghost? B) Chapters 4-8 1. Who is Nelly Dean? 2. What do the gifts that Hindley and Catherine ask their father to bring them reveal about their characters? 3. What are Heathcliff's origins? 4. Why does Hindley despise Heathcliff? 5. Characterize Catherine. 6. Compare and contrast Catherine's and Heathcliff's reactions to the Lintons at Thrushcross Grange. 7. Why did Edgar get applesauce dumped on him? 8. Catherine is pained by Hindley's punishment of Heathcliff, yet she continues to entertain her guests. What change does this reveal? 9. What does Heathcliff begin to plan? 10. Who is Hareton Earnshaw? 11. How does Frances' death affect Hindley? 12. Edgar gets a good look at Catherine's "other side." What is his reaction? C) Chapters 9-10 1. Who saves Hareton's life? 2. Why does Catherine accept Edgar's proposal when she knows Heathcliff is a part of her soul? 3. Why does Heathcliff disappear? 4. How has Heathcliff changed during his absence of three years? 5. Who is Isabella, and what does she think of Heathcliff? 6. How does Heathcliff begin his revenge on Hindley (and ultimately gain control of his land)? D) Chapters...
Words: 2830 - Pages: 12
...may not be the usual happy ending love story; however, it is one with a dysfunctional love. The love between Heathcliff and Catherine was intervened by pride and ego. Although the characters expressed their love for each other various times, it is them who deprived themselves from happiness. The novel well interprets the the dysfunctional love of the characters, giving it an ultimate twist to the love story. Towards the beginning of the novel, Lockwood’s unexpected stay at Wuthering Heights triggers an emotional breakdown in Heathcliff. During the night of his stay,...
Words: 871 - Pages: 4
...Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte This eBook is designed and published by Planet PDF. For more free eBooks visit our Web site at http://www.planetpdf.com/. Wuthering Heights Chapter I 1801. - I have just returned from a visit to my landlord - the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful country! In all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society. A perfect misanthropist’s heaven: and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us. A capital fellow! He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat, as I announced my name. ’Mr. Heathcliff?’ I said. A nod was the answer. ’Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in soliciting the occupation of Thrushcross Grange: I heard yesterday you had had some thoughts - ‘ 2 of 540 Wuthering Heights ’Thrushcross Grange is my own, sir,’ he interrupted, wincing. ‘I should not allow any one to inconvenience me, if I could hinder it - walk in!’ The ‘walk in’ was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed the sentiment, ‘Go to the Deuce:’ even the gate over which he...
Words: 119802 - Pages: 480
...Book Club ISU Essay To respect one’s reputation or to be full of pride and ego is what differentiates between a righteous and respectable person and an arrogant one. The books, “Alias Grace”, “Call of the Wild”, “Wuthering Heights” and “Mayor of Casterbridge” all demonstrate that by protecting ones pride only leads to more destruction of it. “Alias Grace” written by Margaret Atwood, shows this with the possession of Grace’s body and with the accusations made towards Grace. “Call of Wild” by Jack Landon also demonstrates this theme with the killing of Curly, and the transformation of Buck. Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” illustrates this with the interference of class difference in love and the pride of two people coming in the way of their union. Finally, in “Mayor of Casterbridge” by Thomas Hardy, the main character’s stubbornness and pride of protecting his name leads to damaging his personal relationships, work and eventually his life. The first book, “Alias Grace” was shared by group member, Angel. She felt this book was “Interesting, with a hidden arrogance and pride laced within the characters." In the book it shows how after the truth of Mary possessing Grace’s body is disclosed, Mary wishes that Grace is kept oblivious to the truth so her image does not get lowered in the eyes of Grace. This shows Mary’s character valuing what her friend thinks of her rather than respecting her enough to tell the truth. This also shows how Mary would not object having her friend...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
