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Wuthering Heights


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This story is narrated by Lockwood, a gentleman visiting the Yorkshire moors where the novel is set, and of Mrs Dean, housekeeper to the Earnshaw family, who had been witness of the interlocked destinies of the original owners of the Heights. In a series of flashbacks and time shifts, Brontë draws a powerful picture of the enigmatic Heathcliff, who is brought to Heights from the streets of Liverpool by Mr Earnshaw. Heathcliff is treated as Earnshaw's own children, Catherine and Hindley. After his death Heathcliff is bullied by Hindley, who loves Catherine, but she marries Edgar Linton. Heathcliff 's destructive force is unleashed, and his first victim is Catherine, who dies giving birth to a girl, another Catherine. Isabella Linton, Edgar's sister, whom he had married, flees to the south. Their son Linton and Catherine are married, but always sickly Linton dies. Hareton, Hindley's son, and the young widow became close. Increasingly isolated and alienated from daily life, Heathcliff experiences visions, and he longs for the death that will reunite him with Catherine.

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Unlike most novels, Wuthering Heights' protagonists are anti-heroes; the very antithesis of what a hero is supposed to be. Instead of compassionate and heroic, Heathcliff and Catherine are selfish and petty. Instead of being blissfully in love, Catherine marries someone else and breaks Heathcliff's heart. Too proud to tell each other their true feelings, they fight, storm and rage against each other, destroying themselves in the process. Most people dislike this novel, for its gloomy perspective, tragic outcome and psychological drama. However, Catherine and Heathcliff are perhaps more realistic than most other novel characters claim to be. They not only make mistakes, they cause debacles, completely devastate both people and places and ruin it all by blaming solely themselves. The novel begins when all four, including the narrator and housekeeper, are children. Catherine and Hindley are true blooded siblings, and Heathcliff is sort of "adopted" into their family. The plot unravels, and with it, the characters, blooming into bitterness and pride simply by being dishonest with each other. The entire drama is a destruction of a human soul; how love can save and damn one man. Brontë brings in a whole new perspective on love. It isn't the epic ballad in tales, or the beautiful quiet bloom between spouses; this is rampant, tragic and interbred with other less desirable qualities until it is no longer recognizable until the very end. --Submitted by Leyla Shakew

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Recent Forum Posts on Wuthering Heights

"I love my murderer-but yours? How can I?"

I am confused with the statement that Heathcliff makes to Cathy when he says "I love my murderer-but yours? How can I?" Does he mean that her murderer is Cathy and he loves her though he hates her or that he is her murderer and loves her and hates himself? I've been stuck on this for awhile now. Please help!!

Posted By ELarimore at Mon 15 Jun 2009, 11:23 AM in Wuthering Heights || 1 Reply

Can I just say one thing?

So I just got done re-reading this book, and I have to admit I was little pissed off at Nellie for a bit because Cathy wants to go see Linton and she keeps trying to keep her from it, and then, sure enough: HEATHCLIFF PULLS HIS BULL CRAP OF KIDNAPPING THEM. So then I didn't hate Nellie anymore :D I didn't remember a lot of it since I haven't read it since high school, and that was like 5 or 6 years ago. And then Linton died and I was happy. (Does that make me a bad person?) But as far as Catherine and Heathcliff, I know everyone thinks its romantic how passionate they are in their love for one another, but I don't know if it were to happen to me, how I would handle it. Because passionate love is good, but if it makes you selfish like her, or a jerk like him, I don't know that I could handle that. I mean, I would hope that I could have the sarcasm of Miss Bennett and Mr. Darcy's relationship AND the passion of Catherine and Heathcliff, but I have yet to find that myself.

Posted By totoro at Thu 7 May 2009, 9:45 PM in Wuthering Heights || 1 Reply

Is "Wuthering' "sexless"?

Ever heard the theory that the main characters in "Wuthering Heights" while some of the most passionate in English literature are devoid of sexual passion for each other? (I'm talking Catherine and Heathcliff) What do you think? I've heard their love described as the ultimate of self-love (ie, "I am Heathcliff!" and "I cannot live without my soul!"). Therefore, their love is considered rather unsexual. Then too, one reviewer after Emily's death spoke of not doubting Catherine's purity in the arm's of her lover. But you know how strange some reviews were... I've also read that their may be something sexual deeply hidden, because after Heathcliff returns the babies start coming. (And something to do with architecture... Rather wierd.) Thoughts? I'm happy to see this forum is quite active!!!

Posted By L.M. The Third at Mon 20 Apr 2009, 10:05 PM in Wuthering Heights || 0 Replies

Heathcliff

I completed the Wuthering Heights almost a year ago. The First thing that struck me towards the end of this novel is the change that occurs in Heathcliff’s character. Why suddenly he loses his appetite for revenge and why it seems as if he is foreseeing his death? He appears to be very remote from the rest of the characters.

Posted By Snowqueen at Fri 19 Dec 2008, 12:56 PM in Wuthering Heights || 4 Replies

Mr. Lockwood

So, Wuthering Heights was the first classic I ever read, and I know I missed a lot the first time I read it, so I just started it over again. I also restarted it because its amazing. But there's something that's going to annoy me if I don't know the answer. Is there really any meaning to Mr. Lockwood or is he just there to set up the story and make it possible?

Posted By AshleyMare at Tue 16 Dec 2008, 8:18 PM in Wuthering Heights || 2 Replies

the window on wuthering heights

hey!!!!! i am writing a paper on the window and how it appears in wuthering heights and to the lighthouse, by virginia woolf any thoughts on the matter??? XOXO iou

Posted By iou at Sun 14 Dec 2008, 7:58 AM in Wuthering Heights || 0 Replies

How is Wuthering Heights?

Great, awful, so-so? I've been wanting to read it forever, for some reason. I have these oddly high expectations for it, so if it happens to suck, I'll be disappointed. How is it?

Posted By SirJazzHands at Fri 19 Sep 2008, 1:28 PM in Wuthering Heights || 18 Replies

We know why Heathcliff was bad but what are some good traits?

Okay so there is a thread on here about wether or not Heathcliff was evil. Well lets get the other side.....What are some of his good qualities or why was he a good person that would excuse his "bad behavior" I guess you could say? I know its true he was wronged by circumstance and was most likely born out of wedlock and who knows how long he spent on the streets of london, but we know he loves Catherine and when he runs away it is when he hears how if she marries him it will be degrading. When Heathcliff comes back he is changed, he has come into money, no one knows how, has lost some of his ignorance, and grown athletic as Nelly Dean says. Heathcliff left to become better for Catherine. What are some other arguments you guys have?

Posted By xXKitoriXx at Thu 22 May 2008, 9:26 PM in Wuthering Heights || 8 Replies

Poetics of architectural space of Wuthering Heights

Has anyone looked at the architectural space that Wuthering Heights represents? I want to do a comparative literture review of two books I plan to use Gaston Bachalard. Poetics of Space - this describes the intimate, imaginative and poetic approach towards the expererience of architectural space. Compare it to Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights - which describes a backdrop for a passionate drama set within an architectural space.

Posted By sheila whittam at Wed 14 May 2008, 11:05 PM in Wuthering Heights || 1 Reply

Heathcliff breaking down class boundaries

A main theme in the novel is revenge, as Heathcliff wants revenge on Hindley and Catherine and Edgar, all in different ways. My question is how does Heathcliff break down class boundaries in his revenge, and based on this, why is his revenge just?

Posted By Krams706 at Tue 13 May 2008, 5:06 PM in Wuthering Heights || 0 Replies

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