Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte
Wuthering Heights
Summary
The book Wuthering Heights begins in 1801. The story starts as Mr. Lockwood is meeting Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights. Mr. Lockwood is a resident at Thrushcross Grange and Heathcliff is the owner of the Grange, which is part of the Wuthering Heights property. Heathcliff is an affluent man who lives in the main mansion of Wuthering Heights. During their visit the weather becomes impossible for Mr. Lockwood to navigate through, forcing him to stay the night at Wuthering Heights. With nothing else to do for the night Mr. Lockwood asks a house maid named Nelly Dean to tell him about Heathcliff.
After this opening chapter, the story goes back in time to when Heathcliff was a kid. As Nelly tells the story Mr. Lockwood writes down the details. Nelly begins the story by telling that the Earnshaw family brought an orphan named Heathcliff into their home. The Earnshaw family had a son named Hindley and a daughter named Catherine. As her story goes on Heathcliff and Catherine fall in love but they know they shouldn't be together. One day Catherine meets someone else and Heathcliff wonders if their love will last. Nelly's story didn't end how I wish it would have.
Review
I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful because you never knew what was going to happen next. Throughout the book I enjoyed how the author used so many descriptive words because it helped me to visualize what was going on. At times it was difficult to understand what was going on and who was talking, but overall I would recommend reading this good book.
Main Characters
Heathcliff is the young orphan the Earnshaws adopt. As Heathcliff grows older he begins to fall in love with Catherine and they become inseparable until Catherine meets someone else. Heathcliff is a protagonist through most of the story.
Catherine is the youngest and only daughter in the Earnshaw family. Catherine falls in love with Heathcliff, but because she desires a higher social status than that of Heathcliff, she goes for someone else. Catherine is primarily a protagonist throughout the story.
Hindley is the oldest and only son in the Earnshaw family. Hindley very much dislikes Heathcliff and treats him horribly and has many undesirable traits. Hindley is the antagonist in this story.
Favorite Passage
"The ledge, where I placed my candle, had a few mildewed books piled up in one corner, and it was covered with writing scratched on the paint. This writing, however was nothing but a name repeated in all kinds of characters, large and small- Catherine Earnshaw, here and there varied with Catherine Heathcliff, and then again to Catherine Linton. In vapid listlessness I leant my head against the window, and continued spelling over Catherine Earnshaw- Heathcliff- Linton, till my eyes closed; but they had not rested five minutes when a glare of white letters started from the dark, as vivid as spectres- the air swarmed with Catherines; and rousing myself to dispel the obtrusive name, I discovered my candle wick reclining on one of the antique volumes, and perfuming the place with an odour of roasted calf-skin."
- This passage was found on page 24 of Emily Bronte's book, Wuthering Heights.
I chose this passage of the story because it is a great example of how descriptive Emily Bronte writes. This paragraph is about Mr. Lockwood's dream that he had in Catherine's bed on the night he had to stay at Wuthering Heights due to the weather.
Works Cited
Advertisement. YouTube. YouTube, 09 June 2011. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
- Brontèˆ, Emily, Fritz Eichenberg, and Bruce Rogers. Page 24. Wuthering Heights. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.
- "Heathcliff." Google. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. "Heathcliff." Google. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
- "Catherine." Google. Web. 07 Nov. 2013."Catherine." Google. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
- "Hindley." Google. Web. 07 Nov. 2013."Hindley." Google. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
- Brontèˆ, Emily, Fritz Eichenberg, and Bruce Rogers. Wuthering Heights. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.