View Full Version : Character Discussion!
Pensive
02-22-2006, 08:40 AM
Which character from "Wuthering Heights" do you think suffered the most and how/why? :brow:
Pensive
02-22-2006, 08:45 AM
I would personally say that Edgar Linton suffered the most as his own wife was not faithful to him. Even he was betrayed by his sister Isabella, who ran away with Heathcliff. His daughter, little Cathy, acted like a puppet in the hands of Heathcliff.
He had done nothing but still, he was destined to suffer. Poor Edgar, I felt so sorry for him.
sdr4jc
02-23-2006, 10:28 AM
I believe Heathcliff suffered the most. His suffering began before he was introduced into the book with abandonment. And I don't recall one single passage in the entire book where Heathcliff was truly content. Perhaps in the company of Catherine, but in this situation that's a double edged sword. He suffered the entire novel, and even his ending was in complete isolation. He even inflicted his constant agony on everyone around him, including innocent figures like Nelly Dean and young Cathy. Edgar certainly suffered, no question. But he at least found some solice in his daughter and he did truly love his wife. But it's Heathcliff who stood unredeemed at his ending, which by the way is the only character in the book who was like that. Even Catherine, at her death, was described as looking very peaceful and almost angelic. And you know, young Linton was definately no stranger to suffering. Have you drawn the same parallel between Heathcliff and then Linton's fate? He had no hope! But physical suffering, like Linton's, is nothing compared to Heathcliff's. Great question, Pensive! What do you think?
Pensive
02-23-2006, 10:52 AM
The whole "suffering" situation is quite complicated. Probably, what you think suffering is, I might not have the same definition of suffering/pain. Sometimes, a "hurt" for just five minutes is great too. It is terrible than the suffering of years and decades. I agree that Heathcliff suffered his whole life and Edgar's period of suffering was not as long but probably in my opinion Edgar's time of suffering was more powerful or probably it is my pity for Edgar that is not letting me say that any character other than Edgar suffered the most. *confused*
imaditzyreader
02-23-2006, 11:11 AM
I agree about Heathcliff suffering the most, but I think that a close after is Hareton. He suffered for his father's wrongs and didn't really do anything at all. If we are looking at simply suffering for a short period, I think that either young Cathy or Isabella.
sdr4jc
02-23-2006, 11:57 AM
Yes, Hareton is also a great candidate for suffering. His situation is particularly bad because he doesn't quite realize how he has been wronged, and that adds a whole new dimension. Hareton seems to suffer for the sins of his father, who, as a child, tormented Heathcliff. That, too, is quite sad. But the term "suffering" is a very broad term, and no matter which direction you take it, physically or mentally, there's no question that every character in the book, even Lockwood, experiences his share. And some characters, like the first Catherine, seem to have self-inflicted misery. Still, it's misery! It's one of the strongest overtones of the book. Even the setting seems to reflect suffering and harshness. The description of the Heights is that it is cold, windy, bleak, dark--I'd say this book is VERY well written!
Pensive
02-23-2006, 12:02 PM
Yes, Hareton is also a great candidate for suffering. His situation is particularly bad because he doesn't quite realize how he has been wronged, and that adds a whole new dimension. Hareton seems to suffer for the sins of his father, who, as a child, tormented Heathcliff. That, too, is quite sad. But the term "suffering" is a very broad term, and no matter which direction you take it, physically or mentally, there's no question that every character in the book, even Lockwood, experiences his share. And some characters, like the first Catherine, seem to have self-inflicted misery. Still, it's misery! It's one of the strongest overtones of the book. Even the setting seems to reflect suffering and harshness. The description of the Heights is that it is cold, windy, bleak, dark--I'd say this book is VERY well written!
I agree with you that Hareton is also a good candidate for "suffering"
Indeed, the book was extraordinary. It was brilliant.
sdr4jc
02-23-2006, 12:03 PM
And Isabella was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. For sure.
sdr4jc
02-23-2006, 12:06 PM
Tell me what you think about Joseph.
Pensive
02-23-2006, 12:12 PM
I think that Isabella was a fool. (if not, then she acted like one) She made me really very angry.
Joseph was an interesting character but a very bitter one. He was always telling tales. I know a very little about him. I have not read about the childhood of Joseph. Maybe I have missed it??
I think that every character was unique and beautifully portrayed. Emily was a genious.
sdr4jc
02-23-2006, 12:23 PM
I think that Joseph was included to add a little sarcasm. He can't hardly talk and he is so self-righteous that he does come across foolish. Isabella irritated me, too. She reminds me of a teeny-bopper girl who has a crush on the devil or something. And she is childish and pitches fits to Catherine over getting Heathcliff's attention and stuff like that...in fact, I don't really even pity her. Yeah, Heathcliff treated her horribly, no doubt, but I am almost inclined to say that she should have seen it coming. H was so bad to Edgar that Isabella was foolish not to see it coming.
ess89
03-05-2006, 04:43 PM
It's pretty obvious that the character to sympathize with most is Heathcliff. At least it's fairly obvious that this is the authors's view. She looks up to him. He is one of the only character's with real or natural passions. This is the reason why he is the character who suffers the most throughout the novel. All that his being is is suffering. The worst thing is t hat Heathcliff did not bring it upon himself. He is blamed for Catherine's death throughout the book, yet it is really Catherine who kills herself. Catherine tries to live two lives. She loves Edgar and Heathcliff. They are the antipodes of her personality. And because she strives for these polar opposites, she rips herself up. One can only strech so far. Heathcliff's personality is one of sadness, hatred, and love. He loves Catherine, yet hates her for her death. He knows that Catherine should have been with him, not Edgar. He suffers from Catherine's choices and conflicting personality throughout the entire book.
hrvatica21
05-25-2006, 08:43 PM
i think heathcliff because he loved catherine and then she died and everyone blamed him. they didn't know catherine like he did. and they did not love catherine like he did. catherine and heathcliff had a true love and when she died she took half of his being. that's why heathcliff suffered the most. all the other characters just didn't understand heathcliff, so they banished him one way or another. And that made heathcliff even more alone in the world. to be all alone is to truly suffer.
rachel
05-25-2006, 09:19 PM
Oh Heathcliffe suffered the most of all. I dearly love him, and like many of us, he couldn't help falling deeply in love with whom his heart chose and that was Cathy.
She, in my opinion, though she loved him, was obsessed, was still a far more self centred selfish person in a certain way than was Heath. He worked so hard to be what she wanted, I felt like I was dying in my heart as he suffered pang after pang of hurt and sunk lower and lower into that dark despairing night. To be loved by someone of that intensity and faithfulness must be an awesome experience.
I always find myself oddly enough thinking of Tess when I think of Heathcliff. Both hearbroken,loving the wrong person, both so fragile and utterly achingly beautiful in spirit and love , at least in my eyes.
13blackroses
06-02-2006, 06:48 AM
I agree that Heathcliff suffered the most. I agree that edgar suffered a lot but I think second would have to be Cathy (senior). She truly did love both Edgar and Heathcliff and the decision she had to make tore her apart. She spent the rest of her life loving Heathcliff but knowing she could never be with him.
kathycf
06-07-2006, 09:33 PM
I think Heathcliff suffered a great deal, but like Cathy, a lot of his suffering was through his own actions. Not as a child, he was treated badly then, but as a grown man. Cathy was somewhat of a spoiled self centered person, but Heathcliff is quite self centered in his own way. At least that is the way it seemed to me.
Virgil
06-07-2006, 09:39 PM
Well, Heathcliff did suffer as a child, but he didn't turn that suffering into compassion as an adult. When he got the upper hand, he makes others suffer even more than he did as a child. He turned into a satanist, and for that I cannot have any empathy for him. Heathcliff the child, I feel bad for; Heathcliff the adult is cruel.
downing
09-04-2006, 03:31 PM
I agree with virgil! Heathcliff was evil when he was adult!
Pensive
10-18-2006, 08:07 AM
I agree with virgil! Heathcliff was evil when he was adult!
I think that nearly everyone would agree with this. :)
Sudolee
10-18-2006, 11:41 PM
Maybe Heathcliff suffered the most, at least we see more of his suffering intimately. Although the first time i read the book i sympathized with him, the second time around I didnt anymore. I think the level of intimacy with which we are shown his suffering leads to think he is worthy of our sympathy, but he really is not. He's a terrible person, and brings most of his suffering upon himself. Unlike Edgar, and Isabella, and Hareton, and everyone else whose suffering is caused by Heathcliff's grudges and hatred against them.
13blackroses
10-21-2006, 07:13 AM
I can't agree that Heathcliff doesn't deserve sympathy - look at his life! i know he does some horrible things but everything he does is because of his love for Catherine. He loves her completely, so I can forgive him for anything.
Shakti V.
10-23-2006, 04:14 AM
Wuthering Heights, to me, is overrated. How come this piece of work is termed a classic and has stood through times? Is it simply because there were not much writers in the world before? Or that literature is predominantly western, especially in the academe?
I think that there were a lot of times when the reason is weak for certain characters to act as they have. For example, that Catherine would love such a cousin, against all odds, who's demanding and sickly and uninteresting. Emily Bronte wasn't able to convince me of Catherine's reason behind loving Linton Heathcliff; more so, to marry him under pressure, and even to say she would willingly marry Linton. As a reader, I didn't feel the love; only that the writer wants a tragic story. Even Catherine Linton's decision to accompany Linton Heathcliff to the house, resulting in their detainment in Wuthering Heights, was so plainly stupid. I didn't even feel bad for them that they were detained, coz it was just all stupid. And Heathcliff was so triumphant in all the evil that he has planned, it's actually like a telenovela.
The whole novel was atmospheric. Bronte was good in describing landscapes and making the reader feel how time crept ever so leisurely and slowly in those days. However, the tragedy of the story was not convincing. It didn't make me feel for the characters. I am from theatre and hence I can easily place myself in the characters, but in this book, I just felt so distant from them, even looked down on them. The pathos was so stupid. It's not intelligent tragedy. It is helpless, unthinking tragedy. The characters were tragic because they were so dumb to act as they had.
Heathcliff's wrath was so external. It was so vengeful that it's like food that's overly flavored you can't taste it anymore. The focus was so much on Heathcliff's anger and regrets that his character even became predictable- -even without depth. He seemed like a villain with no other preoccupation but to hurt others coz he was hurt too- -exactly like a telenovela. What went wrong is not much in the profile of the character, but of how the story was written. In fact, I could say the plot and the characters were predictable as I was reading it.
Under another pen, the plot and the characters would have been given justice. It could have been a good book. But, to my judgement, it fell short.
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