Wuthering Heights
Tags: Wuthering Heights, Writing, Summer, Emily Bronte, Heathcliff

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering heights is a heart wrenching volume. It was my first ever gothic novel and I am still waiting to read something equally horrifying. There is so much hate and torture in this book that I was filled with rage while reading it. The book even tries to take a round to the horror lane but ends with just a mystical note.

Also, after reading about Emily Bronte, I came to understand that she was not a normal child, her sister Charlotte Bronte, who is also a famed writer, has told instances of her insanely brave character. Emily’s Wuthering Heights is said to be a reflection of her diabolical thoughts. She displays a cycle of brutality thrpughout the story and was known to have been herself the same.

The ways to which one can go to seek revenge was an essential part of this story. I hope that it wasn’t a reflection of any reality because of the degree of cruelty. How far hatred can drive you is one of the significant essence of this book.

Heathcliff, the villain, is a devil in human form and it is also somewhat hinted in the story by the fact that no-one knew of his origins. I sympathised a lot with Catherine Linton, for she was one of his victims.

Catherine Earnshaw, the mother of Catherine Linton was a woman who had a mystical magnetic effect on all her suitors. She was a moody, selfish and crazy person whose madness let to her own demise. I’d rather state that she must have some mental illness which was evident from her crazy nuances. She was highly self-centered with a tint of stuborness.

Catherine Earnshaw’s daughter was tortured to such an extent by Heathcliff that her joyful nature turns sour. Forced to leave his father, kidnapped by Heathcliff, Catherin Linton is forcefully married to his dying son and is left at his mercy. Heathcliff didnt even care about his own blood and let his only son, die. Additionaly, even his son wasn’t a result of a healthy relationship. Heathcliff tricked his wife into marrying him and tortured her as well.

Catherine Linton, at times, purposefully provokes to get beaten. Her tongue becomes sharp as a sword and her smile is lost. Gladly though, she gets a happy ending.

The only sane character in this volume was that of Nelly, the caretaker. She continuously tries to give valuable knowledge to every character with whom she interacts. She’s like the only sensible lady who with her selflessness and love, cared for both the houses and Catherine. Emily Bronte tries in the beginning to give this volume a male narrator but continuously gives Nelly the Mic and as Nelly ends up narrating the whole book as a form of story to our male narrator.

Catherine and Heathcliff considered themselves one soul. Their diabolical self catered to each other. Emily made every character hateful, you can’t empathise with one for more than 3 pages. Everyone turned out to do something diabolical and violent to the other.

In the end I myself wanted to kill Heathcliff for the cruelty with which he made everyone suffer. Though you cant help but feel pity for him during the end. He suffers for his sins in a very mystical way. He loses his appetite and seems possessed. His focused sight and blabbering mouth makes it look like he's talking to an invisible person or an apparition. He loses interest in his torturous methods and retires to starve himself to death.

One might lose their mind going through this book. There are epic jaw-droping moments which are ruthless. The moor is very sad even in the joyful summer sunshine. The whole valley is like a grave with rotting thoughts and cheerful moths.

On the whole, we are deprived of more from Emily Bronte as died young but imagine what else could have been in her mind to produce something similar to Wuthering Heights or worse.