Commentary on "Wuthering Heights"

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Vikram Vijay

Journal 3

English literature

Mr. Charles

Volume 2 chapter 3

Setting : Summer had past and it was winter settling, Nelly was in the parlor with little Catherine on her lap when suddenly someone barged in laughing which made Nelly angry. Later Nelly finds out it was Mrs. Heathcliff who ran away from him.

The paragraph “The intruder was Mrs. Heathcliff.  She certainly seemed in no laughing predicament: her hair streamed on her shoulders, dripping with snow and water; she was dressed in the girlish dress she commonly wore, befitting her age more than her position: a low frock with short sleeves, and nothing on either head or neck.  The frock was of light silk, and clung to her with wet, and her feet were protected merely by thin slippers; add to this a deep cut under one ear, which only the cold prevented from bleeding profusely, a white face scratched and bruised, and a frame hardly able to support itself through fatigue; and you may fancy my first fright was not much allayed when I had had leisure to examine her.” gives us a description of how she was when she arrived at the Grange. We see that she was in a really bad state but still laughing just because she is free from Heathcliff now. We see that she was bruised which makes us see that she must have been beaten at the Heights several times. We see she had a cut under her ear which makes us think what has happened with her at the Heights.

We see that even though she was tired and hurt she would not let Nelly mend her wound before she got what she wanted, a way to travel to Gimmerton as soon as possible so that Heathcliff would not be able to get her, the phrase “She insisted on my fulfilling her directions, before she would let me touch her; and not till after the coachman had been instructed to get ready, and a maid set to pack up some necessary attire, did I obtain her consent for binding the wound and helping to change her garments.” shows us how she was worried about Heathcliff will find her at the Grange and she needs to travel to Gimmerton as soon as possible.

The phrase “I'll smash it!' she continued, striking it with childish spite, 'and then I'll burn it!' and she took and dropped the misused article among the coals.” shows us that Isabella now just doesn't want to be in Heathcliff's life. The person who she loved or had been attracted towards was now the receiver of her hatred. This part can be taken as a symbol which represents that there is no more connection between Heathcliff and Isabella, now they both are apart and have no connection.

On the other hand the line “I'll smash it!' she continued, striking it with childish spite, 'and then I'll burn it!' and she took and dropped the misused article among the coals.  'There! he shall buy another, if he gets me back again.” gives us a feel that Heathcliff will get isabella again, we can sense that Heathcliff will reach Isabella in some way or will someday find her.

The phrase “'I ought, and I wished to remain,' answered she, 'to cheer Edgar and take care of the baby, for two things, and because the Grange is my right home.  But I tell you he wouldn't let me!” shows how much Isabella wished to stay at the Grange and be happy with Edgar and Catherine but she could not do this because of Heathcliff.

This all gives us a feel that she is like a bird who has flew away from her cage. This all tries to make the reader feel sad for Isabella but to me i do not feel that bad because this all is a result of what Isabella chose herself. We should not forget that this life was chosen by Isabella herself against the will of Edgar.

The phrase “I've recovered from my first desire to be killed by him: I'd rather he'd kill himself!  He has extinguished my love effectually, and so I'm at my ease.” shows us that now the love once she had for Heathcliff is gone and now she feels nothing for her now and would not feel sad but rather happy that she is free from him forever.

Later in the chapter Isabella tells us that Heathcliff has been behaving very strange after Catherine's death. He does not stay at the Heights much, whenever he comes to the Heights he just goes into a room locks himself and prays which we can easily assure to be the prayers for Catherine's ghost to remain with him forever.

Later we see that Isabella tells us that she had nothing to do except roam around the house or talk to  the old rude Joseph. The phrase “I recovered spirits sufficient to bear Joseph's eternal lectures without weeping, and to move up and down the house less with the foot of a frightened thief than formerly.” shows us that she somehow managed to stand Josephs long lectures, perhaps who was the only one she could talk to at Wuthering Heights.

The line “ He is quieter now than he used to be, if no one provokes him: more sullen and depressed, and less furious.” where Isabella is telling Nelly that Mr. Earnshaw is now less furious and more reserved shows us that he also now has no one to be with and talk to.

Later we see that one day when everything was quiet at the heights and Isabella and Hindley were sitting silently Heathcliff arrived in a rage. Suddenly things got heated up and Mr. Earnshaw soon made his mind to shoot Heathcliff today, Isabella tried to stop him but it did not work, then she tried warning Heathcliff before opening the door but it was no use. Both men were eager to tear each other apart and rampage at each other.

The phrase “'You, and I," he said, "have each a great debt to settle with the man out yonder!  If we were neither of us cowards, we might combine to discharge it.  Are you as soft as your brother?  Are you willing to endure to the last, and not once attempt a repayment?” in which we see that Mr. Earnshaw was telling Isabella that he will take revenge from Heathcliff today and Isabella too have a debt to settle with him. He taunts Isabella that is she so weak like her brother or will she help Hindley to take his revenge alongside taking hers. Though Isabella tells him that she is not scared or weak and would love to take her revenge but she does not believe that violence can take her revenge and says that it harms the person who uses it more than the person aimed on.

Finally when Hindley walked towards the door to harm Heathcliff Isabella jumped towards him to snatch his weapon and Heathcliff quickly pulled the knife from him with brutal force which caused Mr. Earnshaw's hand to have a huge cut on his wrist. This all was terrible, poor Mr. Earnshaw were getting beaten up in a savage way. Isabella witnessing all this ran to get Joseph who came down saying “'What is ther to do, now? what is ther to do, now?” which shows us that Joseph thought there is no use now going down as Hindley would have already been killed or almost killed. We see that when Joseph came down, Heathcliff screamed on Joseph to clean his master and that Heathcliff will send Hindley to a asylum.

Later Isabella started telling how she wishes to take revenge from Heathcliff, but she knows she can  never have her revenge so will never forgive him. The line “But it is utterly impossible I can ever be revenged, and therefore I cannot forgive him.” shows us that even she knows it is impossible for her to take revenge on Heathcliff but if she could she would love to.

The next day when Mr. Earnshaw was sitting in his chair all bruised and battered while talking to Isabella he said “Oh, if God would but give me strength to strangle him in my last agony, I'd go to hell with joy," groaned the impatient man, writhing to rise, and sinking back in despair, convinced of his inadequacy for the struggle.”. From which we saw that the only thing he wants to do before he dies is to kill Heathcliff and take his revenge. We see that he does not mind if he goes to hell by killing Heathcliff but his desire to kill Heathcliff is very strong.

The phrase “"At the Grange, every one knows your sister would have been living now had it not been for Mr. Heathcliff.  After all, it is preferable to be hated than loved by him.  When I recollect how happy we were--how happy Catherine was before he came--I'm fit to curse the day."

'Most likely, Heathcliff noticed more the truth of what was said, than the spirit of the person who said it.  His attention was roused, I saw, for his eyes rained down tears among the ashes, and he drew his breath in suffocating sighs.  I stared full at him, and laughed scornfully.” shows us that when Isabella says that things were blissful at the Grange before Heathcliff came made Heathcliff pay attention to what she was saying. When she mentioned that Catherine was very happy before Heathcliff came and might as well be alive if he did not enter their lives again made Heathcliff break down into tears. We can assure that Heathcliff might have felt sorry for what he caused but again we can not be sure about it as Heathcliff still does not want Catherine's ghost to rest in peace. Though we know the reason behind Heathcliff wanting this is that he loved her a lot and does not want her to leave him in this world alone. So moreover we can take this all as a really tormented scene where Emily Bronte might have wanted to play with the readers mind. It makes the reader wonder that is Heathcliff feeling sorry for what he did and if it really is like this then why is he still not letting everyone live in peace.

Later in the scene we saw that listening to all this made Heathcliff ferocious, he got up and threw a table knife at Isabella which resulted in the cut under her ear. To this Isabella started running out of the house, Heathcliff tried to get her but tripped over Hindley who was standing in front of him. This is the last thing Isabella saw at the Heights of Heathcliff and ran all the way to the heights.

The line “And far rather would I be condemned to a perpetual dwelling in the infernal regions than, even for one night, abide beneath the roof of Wuthering Heights again.” is where we see that Isabella would prefer suffering in a forest rather than spending one more night at Wuthering Heights.

The phrase “I believe her new abode was in the south, near London; there she had a son born a few months subsequent to her escape.  He was christened Linton, and, from the first, she reported him to be an ailing, peevish creature.” shows us that Isabella went towards London and gave birth to Linton who she raised in a good manner.

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The line “He often asked about the infant, when he saw me; and on hearing its name, smiled grimly, and observed: 'They wish me to hate it too, do they?” shows us that Heathcliff perhaps cared for the boy and the part where he says that do they want me to hate him too because his name is Linton adds a bit of fun to the line, it shows us that he still hates the Lintons which leads to Edgar and Isabella too but yet does not hate they boy. The line “But I'll have it,' he said, 'when ...

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