I am happy to say I understand what's going on now. The combination of reading the Sparknotes guide and continuing to turn pages regardless of comprehension seems to have worked. More of less, anyway. I did find the following tidbit in Sparknotes which made me feel slightly better about being so confused.
The strange, deliberately confusing opening chapters of Wuthering Heightsserve as Brontë’s introduction to the world of the novel and to the complex relationships among the characters, as well as to the peculiar style of narration through which the story will be told.
For me to explain why I feel the way I do about these characters, I think I'll have to do something of a summary of events up into my current chapter. Wuthering Heights actually reminds me of a lot of different books only it doesn't have quite as many redeeming characters as any of the novels like it. So here is my take on the first one hundred pages.
The main story is that of Catherine Earnshaw and the orphan that her father took in when they were children, whose name is simply Heathcliff. The story is being told to some guy named Lockwood by Nelly Dean, Lockwood's housekeeper who grew up as a servant of Catherine's family. Heathcliff is loved by Catherine and Mr. Earnshaw (Catherine's father) but despised by Catherine's mother and brother, Hindley. In this way, Heathcliff reminds me of a mixture of Mr. Wickham from Pride & Prejudice, Fanny Price from Mansfield Park and Jane Eyre from, well, Jane Eyre. Catherine and him get up to all kinds of mischief, as children. They're very strange children and sort of mean, even then. When Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw die Hindley takes over the estate and reduces Heathcliff to a field worker because of his hatred of him. Because of this, I have a bit of sympathy for Heathcliff. However, Jane Eyre doesn't swear to get revenge on her aunt, does she?
All the characters grow up and Heathcliff is a bit rough around the edges due to his Jane Eyre-esque lot in life. Catherine is a young lady and entertaining the affections of Edgar Linton, a well off, kind and gentlemanly neighbour. Although Catherine has quite a temper, Edgar proposes to her and she accepts, even though she knows how strong her love for Heathcliff is. Here, she reminds me of Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility, choosing money and circumstance over what is supposedly true love. She sees herself and Heathcliff as one person and yet in telling Nelly about the engagement in secret with Heathcliff listening, unknown, in the back of the room, she drives him away.
That part was sad because she says something like she could never marry Heathcliff because it would degrade her to do it and, hearing this, Heathcliff departs before having a chance to hear Catherine go on next about her love for him. She says their souls of made of the same thing and they are one person but he doesn't hear it and he leaves that night, not to be seen for three years.
Catherine is heartbroken, of course, but she marries Edgar anyway and doesn't seen Heathcliff until he shows up at her door three years later aparrently wealthy and staying with Hindley at Wuthering Heights. Cue weird love square between Heathcliff, Cathy, Edgar and Edgar's sister (Isabelle) and you've got where I'm at right now.
Have I mentioned that I really don't like these characters or their shallow motives? Basically everything that's done in this book is based on jealousy, hatred and revenge. And the moral of the story is...?
No comments:
Post a Comment