Wuthering Heights is not just a love tale but much more an exploration of the dark and buried aspects of human nature. If you come to it with a certain, misguided expectations, it will be that much harder to accept it for what it is.
It seems that people are divided into three camps when it comes to their stance on this book:
- Those who hate it passionately from the depths of their soul.
- Those who adore it.
- Those in a love-hate relationship with it.
I find myself mostly in the latter. This is a story of obsession that becomes so strong it grips the characters and clouds their minds, imprisoning them in a state of everlasting despair. If love turns into all-consuming obsession, was it love in the first place? Or an unhealthy attachment that stems from childhood traumas, a desire to defy families, vanity...
Cathy is a spoiled lady who is used to always having her way and she stops at nothing to reach her goal and Heathcliff is someone who was abused and ridiculed throughout his childhood - he accepted it stoically, but built in his mind the overwhelming need for utter revenge. They were the product of their environment, both diabolical in nature and so they connect on a soul level, but there was not enough sanity between them to fight through the challenges that followed - instead they evoke the worst in them.
“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
I must give credit to Emily for creating such a demonic character that was hard to sympathize with even though it was tragic. It's incredible, the powerful aura emanating from him could be felt outside of the papers of the book. My blood was boiling, and in moments of fury, I found myself daydreaming about tearing and throwing the book. It stirred emotions akin to hatred that I thought were long gone.
It kept me reading long at night, in the hopes of some positive character development, someone gathering the courage to resist, and others facing conscience and justice. Alas, no personal growth; everyone remains steadfast in their foolish stubbornness.
Since I expected a love story, I was unsure what would unfold in the second half of the book, but it turned out to be more interesting.
No character was entirely positive, and no matter how hard I tried to root for some of them, they continually irked me with their foolishness, arrogance, naivety, chasing after bad-boy types, and timidity... The only glimmer of hope is the young couple at the end who somewhat rose above the madness of the place and started turning things in a positive direction. This completely changed my overall impression of the book because I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Cathy 2 and Hareton had enough positive qualities to soften me at least a bit.
The housemaid narrating the story, while seemingly a kind woman, too often allowed situations to spiral out of control, putting the lives of those she cared for in jeopardy. She is not as innocent as she presents herself in the story.
I like having at least one character who is noble and for whom I can cheer, so I often found myself in agony here. If her intention was to portray what happens when we succumb to blinding, toxic obsession and a desire for revenge—that leads to complete moral degradation and a living hell, like Dorian Gray—then Emily certainly succeeded. Characters, under the guise of love, commit terrible deeds. Their actions speak louder than words.
"He began to pace the room, muttering terrible things to himself, till I was inclined to believe, as he said Joseph did, that conscience had turned his heart to an earthly hell."
More than anything, I appreciate the setting—the descriptions of the houses and landscapes,, moors, winds and darkness—the gothic nature of the place. Although more time could have been spent on it, Emily likely wanted the focus to be on the two accursed houses where the characters were imprisoned. It's a grey, dystopian place where depression is an everyday occurrence, isolated, governed by different laws, and two families tragically entwined.
Emily Brontë's writing stands out for its ability to evoke powerful emotions, create a haunting atmosphere, and explore complex characters and relationships. The use of multiple narrators and an unpredictable narrative structure adds depth to the storytelling. The novel's enduring appeal is, in no small part, due to the masterful way with which Brontë crafted her story.
The young author boldly delved into creating morally ambiguous characters and antiheroes that still stand out in the literary world, writing such a novel that was unthinkable at the time. It's so depressing that I'm not surprised she didn't live long after. A book so unique in its horror and awfulness."
4.25/5 stars
It's interesting to see how the book divides readers into different camps of opinion. I understand why you are in a group that maintains a love-hate relationship with him.
Your point about obsession and how it dominates and clouds the characters' minds is spot on. "Wuthering Heights" is not a conventional love story; it explores obsession, the desire for revenge, and the consequences of unbridled passions.
Brontë does not skimp on showing how trauma and environmental influences can warp love into something destructive.
As for the characters, it is characteristic of the writer to break traditional molds by presenting morally ambiguous characters and anti-heroes, which was quite radical for her time.
In my opinion, what makes this novel a timeless masterpiece is its ability to evoke intense emotions in readers and explore the depths of the human psyche.
Human mind is a fascinating thing and is a never ending source of exploration. Obsessions are the worst, how they gradually build up, and from something that was innocent to begin with, it morphs into a state where it's ludicrous and out of control. Love is a powerful trigger for it. While I hated seeing the characters being naive, defenseless and tormented, I love that the young Brontë woman had courage to write such a striking novel.
Part of what makes her transcend in literature is her courage, especially being a woman and in her time.
On the other hand, good literature consists of digging into the wound and treading on the delicate terrain of the human mind. To go beyond society's limits and beyond where it hurts and provokes.
😂I can relate with how you felt here. I felt like that too when I first read the book in 2002
and I didn't daydreaming of throwing the book away, I actually did, but my bed gave the book a soft landing.
Emily is an amazing writer, she did a fantastic job with how she built all the characters in this book. Each character gave off strong and problematic personality that couldn't be overlooked by the reader. The book was an amazing experience for me not only because it is dramatic and has haunting themes, but because each character in the book are flawed, which portrays reality. Also, I love that the book was set in old way of England. Makes it gothic.
Thank you for sharing your review with us. It was a refreshing read!
!discovery 45
Yes, from my research Emili modeled the characters based on some important people in her life. Her father was very authoritative and her brother was sensitive and poetic - the two main male characters (Heathcliff and Edgar Linton) reflect this.
Given how young Emili was at this point, it's amazing how she developed such powerful characters, and how bravely she told the story. Many people hate it, and even I did at certain moments, as I am sensitive with people being tormented. But it made the impression of the book that much stronger. Glad you had similar feelings towards it as myself. :)
Wuthering Heights sounds like a book that can really stir up some emotions. I'm glad to hear you found some positives in the end with Cathy 2 and Hareton. As for the other characters, they were quite frustrating, right? But I am sure that is what makes the book so interesting. It's like a love-hate relationship, just like the one you have with the book itself.
And let's not forget about Heathcliff, the demonic character that you could not help but be drawn to. Emily Brontë really did a great job with him. I mean, who wouldn't want to tear the book apart in moments of fury?
But in the end, we can appreciate the masterful storytelling and the haunting atmosphere she created. Thank you for sharing
Believe me, it's hard to sympathize with some characters, their sanity becomes so toxic that they destroy everything around them including themselves. All for the sake of love, but more like obsession. Experiences shape us, especially those from childhood. And those who have no mental strength to absorb and transform it end up morphing into vicious entities. But it's still a great book if you don't mind the tragic aspects of it. :)
I read withering heights about four years ago and I read it two years ago too. It never ceased to spike up the same emotions I felt when reading it the first time. Heathcliff was really demonic as you described him up there.
I read this book when I was in junior secondary school. When I got to senior secondary school, the art students were given this as one of their literature texts. I was a science student. They all found it very hard to read. Only a few read it and they all didn't really understand the plot so well. I honestly don't know why people find it hard to understand books like wuthering heights. Thanks for this review as it has brought back memories of when I read it for the first time 💕
The book explores motives and characters that are much too cruel, so the sensitive people have trouble bearing it. It is a very brutal story, hard to believe something like that is even possible in real world, but unfortunately people like this exist. The book is a great portrayal of it, the obsession that blinds the mind, the conflict between families that lasts for generations etc.
Thank you for sharing your experience with it! :)
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