"Cathy, oh my hearts darling.. Cathy, come back to me!"
I have just completed reading Wuthering Heights and after some frustration, misunderstanding, and some time spent on 'dictionary.com', I am very satisfied with this book. I've never read about love so passionate, delusional, and full of envy and revenge.
Let me just say that the first three chapters are not worth the time. I spent soo much time deciphering them that now I think it would be wise to ommit them altogether and start from the real story, chapter 4.
Chapters 1-3 in a nutshell describe the characters in the book (the names are confusing and the use of the same name for different characters doesn't help). What made these chapters confusing was the use of old english and travelling back and forth through time. In these chapters, a man named Mr. Lockley takes up residence in Thrushgrove Grange, a house owned by Heathcliff, who resides in Wuthering Heights. Lockley visits Heathcliff one night in winter and he discovers that Heathcliff is very nasty, greedy, selfish, and a little delusional. Lockley also meets a boy named Hareton, a girl named Cathy Linton, housekeeper Zillah, and servant Joseph.
they are very mean and sad people- with no manners. Because of the storm outside, Lockwood asks permission to stay the night at Wuthering Heights.. when he does, he discovers a room full of possessions from a Catherine Earnshaw, whom ghost he clamis to have seen. After the night is over, he goes back hom to Thrushgrove Grange, where he persuades his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, to tell the story of Heathcliff and the people in that house.
The story (going back 40 years in time) in simple english goes like this:
Heathcliff, a gypsy orphan has been taken in by Mr. Earnshaw who lives at Wuthering Heights. Mr. Earnshaw has two children, Hindley Earnshaw and Catherine Earnshaw. Hindley is always mean to Heathcliff, beats him up and treats himm like crap. Catherine Earnshaw treats Heathcliff fairly and as the two grow up together in the meadows of the English country, they form a strong bond.
Mr. Earnshaw passes away, Hindley marries, and takes over the household. He is mean to Heathcliff and abuses him. He forbids his sister Catherine to play with Heathcliff so they frequently play away from the house in the meadows, without his knowledge. For this horrible life, Emily Bronte does some foreshadowing: Heathcliff is caught saying that he will have revenge on Hindley, no matter how long it takes.
One day Catherine and Heathcliff decide to explore Thrushgrove Grange, one of the neighbouring houses. Catherine, a wild spirit, gets hurt, and when the owners of the house, the Lintons, discover her, they take her in and take care of her. Heathcliff was declined an offer to stay at the Linton;s because they think he is a servant (The Linton;s have two children, Isabella Linton and Edgar Linton). So Heathcliff goes home and Catherine stays at the Linton's for a few months. She returns home a new, sophisticated lady- well- dressed and well- worded. She spends more time with the Linton children than with Heathcliff (although she loves Heathcliff, she is a little embrassed of him).
Edgar Linton proposes to Catherine. Catherine accepts. Heathcliff overhears Catherine tell Nelly Dean (the housekeeper telling the story) that she loves Heathcliff but he has no money, no property or wealth and can;t give her what she wants. Heathcliff runs away. Three years later Heathcliff comes back wealthy. As vengeance he fools the now dying hindley earnshaw to pass over wuthering Heights to him. He also attains guardianship of hindley's son.. who is a toddler.. and in the long run Heathcliff lets the boy run wild, neglects his education, and the boy loses the rights to his own property and is dumb as a piece of wood. His name is Hareton Earnshaw.
Next, Catherine and Heathcliff often visit eachother.. she admits she loves Heathcliff. Heathcliff tells her to run away.. but she loves Edgar Linton too.. so she can't. Heathcliff decides to woe Edgar's sister, Isabella Linton. She falls in love with Heathcliff and against Edgar Linton's orders, she marries Heathcliff. Heathcliff only used Isabella to torment both Catherine and Edgar.. and treats her like crap at Wuthering Heights.
Heathcliff and Catherine continue to see eachother behind Edgar Linton's for a long time.. until Edgar finds out and tells her to choose Heathcliff or himself. Catherine falls deeply ill, does not make a decision, and because she is pregnant.. gives birth to a daughter and dies.
Isabella Linton runs away from Heathcliff.. lives in the South with her and Heathcliff's son. Time passes.. Cathy Linton 9the daughter of Edgar and Catherine) grows into a charming young lady. Isabella Linton dies.. and begs her brother Edgar to take care of her son Linton Heathcliff (LOL @ with the names.. grrrr). BUT Heathcliff hears of this and takes Linton away. Cathy doesn't understand what happened.. she also doesn;t know anything about her mother or Heathcliff..until one day she finds out... In short, Heathcliff forms a new plan.. to marry cathy and her cousin Linton. The two do love eachother (because they have been sending letters and Cathy has been visiting him at Wuthering Heights without her father's knowledge). Linton falls sick and is very weak. Edgar Linton is also in a frail state and he is dying. Edgar then finds out about Cathy visintg Linton and bans her from any communication. But one day she runs away to Wuthering Heights.. and is surprisingly kept there against her will by Heathcliff who forces her to marry Linton. She wants to get home and inform her father about her whereabouts but Heathcliff beats her and forces her to marry his son. She does and she goes home to her dying father. A few weeks pass and Linton, her husband dies as well. Now, Heathcliff is the owner of both Thrushgrove Range and Wuthering Heights.. his revenge is complete. Catherine is also forced to stay at Wuthering Heights.
Back to the present. Catherine falls in love with her other cousin, Hareton (the uneducated boy). She educates him. When Heathcliff learns of this new love he is about to scorn Cathy.. but then suffers a mental breakdown and begins to see Catherine's ghost. that night he dies, with the window open, rain coming in from the outside, a smile on his face, and his hand stretched out towards the window.
It is believed he is reaching for the hand of Catherine, his love, who has tormented him all these years.. and he is happy to finally have found peace with her.
he is burried next to Catherine. Catherine's husband, Edgar is buried across of her.
Lockwood then visits the graveyard and notes how peaceful they look.
The end.
The movie filmed in 1939 is a very close encounter of the book. The 1992 version isn;t very good, and I found was more confusing.
Above: Ixtapaluca, Mexico
