Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Wuthering Heights

So I've finally come around to reading a highly anticipated classic on my list by the name of Wuthering Heights. It's not like any book I've ever read before. There is so much heart break and turmoil and lost love. My favorite passage so far in the book is when Catherine is trying to decide if she should marry Edgar Linton or follow her true love Heathcliff.
I cannot express it; but surely you and everybody have a notion that there is or should be an existence of yours beyond you. What were the use of my creation, if I were entirely contained here? My great miseries in the world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained and he were annihilated, the universe would turn a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it. I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible daylight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! pg. 80
I had to go back and read this a second time the first time i saw this passage. Her unbreakable bond with Heathcliff can be seen when she refers to their relationship as the rocks beneath. It's like their love is dark and mysterious yet undeniably true. Heathcliff expresses the same feelings for Catherine on page 164 saying, "I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" as Catherine lays on her death bed. I've never heard of a couple needing each other so much, except maybe Edward and Bella from Twilight.. I can't comprehend why Catherine ends up with Linton instead of Heathcliff. If she's so obsessed with Heathcliff, why does she seek comfort and security with Edgar? Catherine manages to be the only person in the world that sees right through Heathcliff's flaws and yet she chooses to not be with him. This passage also foreshadows Catherine's death when she states that she would still continue to exist even if she was to die and Heathcliff remain. Maybe the point of this story is to see how Heathcliff will cope with the loss of Catherine and continue his love for her after she's gone.

4 comments:

  1. How come you always read the books that we are going to read later? At least, I'm pretty sure the seniors are reading this. Anyway, I agree with you, it does not make much sense how she says she is in love with this guy and is with another. Well I guess that happens a lot in our world, but that's not the point. And it's kinda weird how she is talking about her love for two different guys in such close proximity, and even more so how she is with the one she likes less and she knows it.

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  2. Haha this definitely reminds me of Twilight...i agree. Why is she with this guy when she is saying she is in love with another guy? weird...

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  3. I realize that I have already commented on this but I decided to re-comment. This book seems very dramatic and it might just be this one part but I feel like this book might be better if there were more people in it, but not too many to completely distract.

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  4. ok if you flip back a few pages, nelly is questioning catherine on if she were to marry linton and cathring says if i were to mrry linton then may be i can help heathercliff for if i marry heathercliff i wed into poverty (paraphrasing) anyhoo clearly catherine is complicated for she een admits a few lines before the whole " iam heathercliff" that she knows that her love for linton will change but she brings back to my llov efor heathercliff will not. what she does not know is that heathercliff is listenign to everyword and the more she speaks the more he hurts. the best way i can explpain this, catherine is like a spoiled brat that cant make up her mind between to spoiled toys, ones gold and ones silver, she goes for the gold even though she loves the silver more but feels that the silver and her can benefit more by choosing the gold and where in general she knows that the gold is mor valuable and goes with greedy mind and hands. she also has some bi-polarness.

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