Withering Heights Complete Analysis

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is primarily told through journal entries and letters, making this book not only interesting to read, but also creating a puzzle for the reader to sort through the clues given on what time each event took place; as the events were not all told in chronological order. I believe I solved the author’s puzzle. While reading this novel I struggled with the vocabulary, though a lot of it was manageable through context clues, I did find myself reverting to a dictionary at a few points. All in all I genuinely enjoyed the journey Emily Bronte took me through, and I would suggest this book to a friend. The story begins in 1801 when a man from London, Lockwood, begins renting a manor house, Thrushcross Grange, from the wealthy cruel man Heathcliff. Heathcliff precedes in an antiquated nearby manor house called Wuthering Heights. Once Lockwood’s curiosity peeks he asks his housemaid, Nelly Dean, to him the story of the large manor four miles away, and the miserly mid-aged man living there; while she told him of the love affairs, treachery, and deaths he recorded the story in his journal. She brings him back the early 1760’s when she was a young girl working as a servant for the owner at the time, Mr. Earnshaw, and his family. His family consisted of himself, his wife, and their two children, their son Hindley, and his younger sister Catherine. Until one day Mr. Earnshaw decided to adopt a dark-skinned boy names Heathcliff. Catherine and Heathcliff grew very close as Hindley stays distant, this distance grows to hatred and jealousy after Mrs. Earnshaw passes away and Mr. Earnshaw grows favoritism for Heathcliff over Hindley; in result of Hindley’s cruelty to Heathcliff Mr. Earnshaw send Hindley off to college. Unfortunately in 1777 Mr. Earnshaw passes and Wuthering Heights is left to the oldest son. Hindley returns with his new wife, Frances, to maintain the property and mistreat Heathcliff. That December Catherine gets injured on the Linton’s property by a dog; she’s forced to stay there for five weeks recovering with their two children Isabella and Edgar Linton, by the time she returns home she and Edgar have developed feelings for one another. A long year later Frances passes away but not before giving birth to a baby boy, Hareton. Hindley grows pathetic confiding in alcohol to console his heart break with Catherine and Edgar’s engagement; this only worsens how he treats Heathcliff. Heathcliff knowing Catherine still loves him, infuriated by her engagement and his mistreatment flea’s England for three years.
When he returns Catherine and Edgar are in fact married, and he promises himself he will claim revenge then. Heathcliff blinded by anger and greed to take everything away from anyone who wronged him. Hindley passed about the same time Heathcliff married Isabella Linton so he’d be in line for Thrushcross Grange, leaving Wuthering Heights in his name. Catherine grew very ill and passed soon after giving birth to a beautiful daughter, also named Catherine. Heathcliff was awful to Isabella so she fled to London and gave birth to their son whom she named Linton; they stay in London to live peacefully.
In 1797 young Catherine having grown up in Thrushcross Grange with Nelly Dean as her housemaid, grew beautiful and strong-headed, kept away from the dramatic life that comes with knowledge of Wuthering Heights. That all changed one day when she stumbled upon the massive manor house, she ran into Hareton and they became friends. Back in London Isabella grew sick and like many others to this point passed, leaving Linton to return to England and live with Heathcliff; he treated his innocent peevish son even worse than his mother. Heathcliff sees an opportunity to gain ownership of Thrushcross Grange by wedding young Catherine to Linton; he introduces the two who grow a relationship only consisting of letters. Nelly knowing what can come from that family does her best to end what she sees blooming by burning the letters. Catherine decides to sneak to Wuthering Heights to try and bring her newly found love back to health. It becomes apparent Linton’s feelings aren’t sincere only forced by Heathcliff; their “relationship “ends.
Heathcliff manipulates Nelly and Catherine to Wuthering Heights, once they are there He forces Catherine to marry Linton. Soon after the domino affect occurs, Edgar passes, and then so does Linton. Leaving both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange to Heathcliff, he forces Young Catherine to be a servant at Wuthering heights so he can rent Thrushcross Grave to Lockwood. Lockwood filled with guilt and anger he left England and returned to London. Six months later his curiosity one again peeks and he comes back to visit nelly and hear how the story has progressed. He learns that Heathcliff has grown truly insane, having young Catherine around the house has brought back memories of his Catherine, he speaks to air and statues as though they were her, caught in his insanity Heathcliff dies. Young Catherine grows a love for Hareton; the two inherit both Manor houses and engage to be wed.

Selfish- to put one’s self over everything and everyone around them. Catherine is indeed selfish, whether or not she intends to be is personally unclear to me. Before she was exposed to the lifestyle of the Linton’s Catherine was full heartedly willing to run away with Heathcliff, she was willing to drop her fairly pampered lifestyle and run away going wherever he may have taken her, but that dog bite was like a bite of reality and self-position. She saw a whole new lifestyle; one filled with riches, class, and respect. Through her five week healing period she changed her identity on both the outside and the inside. No longer would she think about how to make the people in her life happy, but how to make them view her as flawless; coincidentally she made both of the men in her life anguish her. She gave up the free spirited fun-loving lifestyle with Heathcliff for the social position and dignity that came with Edgar, however Catherine was never a very good liar and Edgar could easily see the lost lust found in her gaze to him, lost until he witnessed her look at Heathcliff. Heathcliff knew she still loved him how could she not? Though he saw her seemingly happy and assumed she had made a decision she was proud of. Once she realized she had made a mistake, once she promised herself that she should be with Heathcliff he was gone.
There was no rewind button in her life from that point on every decision she made she had to stick with; just as a lady should. Her life with Edgar was content she was the richest woman around had an excellent social view. Once Heathcliff came back into town I believe Catherine had developed a love for Edgar he had impregnated her, they were to have a family together and Heathcliff someone how seemed angry at the world much different from the kind-hearted man she once thought she knew. Then he became engaged to Isabella, this was certainly a bullet; to see Heathcliff without being able to see him was one thing; but to see him with someone else was an entirely different situation. Though she had to maintain her composure do to the fact that a lady isn’t affected by her past relationships. Catherine became very ill during her pregnancy and didn’t make it through the birth of her first and only child, young Catherine.

Vocab
Soliloquist - To talk to oneself. Pg. 1
Impertinence - unmannerly intrusion or presumption; insolence. Pg. 3
Encroached - To trespass upon the property, domain, or rights of another, especially stealthily or by gradual advances. Pg. 7
Asseverated - to declare earnestly or solemnly; affirm positively; aver. Pg. 14
Lamentable - that is to be lamented; regrettable; unfortunate. Pg. 17
Impalpable - Unable to be touched; intangible. Pg. 21
Indigence - Cannot be confused. Pg. 23
Flighted - swift movement, transition, or progression. Pg. 25
Beclouded - To make confused. Pg. 37
Amiable - having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner. Pg. 40
Purgatory - Mental anguish or suffering. Pg. 41
Thwart - To prevent from accomplishing something. Pg. 53 (80)
Fastidiousness - Very attentive and concerned about accuracy and detail. Pg. 68
Degradation - The condition or process of degrading or being degraded.Pg. 69
Emphatically - In a forceful way. Pg. 74
Infernally - of, relating to, or characteristic of hell or the under world. Pg. 81
Peremptorily - Insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way. Pg. 86
Wayward – Difficult to control or predict because of unusual or perverse behavior. Pg. 93
Ruffian – A violent person especially when involved in a crime. Pg. 97
Moroseness – sullen and ill-tempered Pg. 102
Covetousness - having or showing a great desire to possess something. Pg. 102
Slattern - A dirty or untidy women. Pg. 107
Prudence – The quality of being cautious. Pg. 110
Tumblerfuls - A drinking glass with straight sides and no handle or stem. Pg. 126
Stanchions – An upright bar, post, or frame forming a support or barrier. Pg. 128
Pertinacious – Holding firmly to one’s opinion or course of action. Pg. 135
Lamentations – The passionate expression of grief or sorrow. Pg. 142
Malevolence – A state or condition of being evil. Pg. 155
Excursion – A short journey or trip. Pg. 161
Pertness – The quality of being attractively neat and jaunty. Pg. 169
Usurped – take the place of someone in a position of power illegally. Pg. 177
Shuttlecock – A cork to which feathers are attached to form a cone shape, or similar object of plastic, struck with rackets in the games of badminton and battledore. Pg. 184
Avaricious – having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain. Pg. 188
Eft’s – Lizard. Pg. 200
Protestation – An objection or protest. Pg. 206
Indignant – feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment. Pg. 218
Antipathy – A deep-seated feeling of dislike. Pg. 233
Countenance – A person face or facial expression. Pg. 237
Expostulations – Express strong disapproval or disappointment. Pg. 245