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A review by chocorb
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
this book was catastrophic, alarming, maybe even ominous, and im not entirely sure if i like it or not. i certainly don’t care for any of the characters, except perhaps heathcliff.
as much as i like nelly and think she doesn't get paid enough for this, i think she acted a little too rational during catherine 1’s breakdowns. i can see how the latter acted like a brat stuck in a shoujo manga, but her indifference and exasperation felt out of place with the whole situation.
i am not one to say a story was too dark, or that the characters were too flawed because i tend to enjoy those traits in a book. but this? this is not flawed characters, it’s toddlers milling about acting like the world is falling around them. the one problem i had was catherine 1 marrying edgar and causing this whole family line to literally collapse. to think that none of the events in this book would happen if only she stopped acting like the main character for one moment! maybe hindley forced her hand seeing how she cared for heathcliff, that would be a reasonable explanation for marrying someone who you barely act yourself around. it’s the way she didn't even accept she loved heathcliff and tried to gaslight herself. i think im not so much irritated with this book as i am with catherine.
i know everyone hates heathcliff’s guts but i can’t bring myself to. he was brought to a home he never fit into, where everyone hated him, and the one person who loved him abandoned him and called him below her class. i pity him. if circumstances were different, he and cathy would be happy together. the chapter where heathcliff reactors to catherine’s death is so, so tragic, and even though i didn’t like any characters at that point, that scene made me tear up a bit. he never got to feel what it was like to be loved; never knew how to be happy with someone, or that anybody could love him for who he was, even when he was unsure of that himself. he never got to be content with just being himself, kept hating on everyone maybe because he felt like he couldn't bear it. im not saying his actions are forgivable, just that he was in a lot of pain himself.
catherine 2’s story was weird, if not weirder than her mother’s. she wasnt as insufferable, but to this day i wonder what the hell she saw in linton that made her love him. im not saying i condone the toxic relationship, or hate this book because it contains one, just that linton had absolutely no personality whatsoever. i do not understand how their love came to be, like it was so random?? definitely felt hatred for linton and can appreciate the writing for that. he was clearly meant to be a character worth hating. i think the contrast between both their natures is that linton seemed to be heavily influenced by his father and so felt less realistically wronged, and more evil, and thus bringing me to hate him more than heathcliff.
I PHYSICALLY CANNOT STOP RANTING
what i didn't understand was the principles on how cathy 2 could even love linton, i really love the writing and the absolute assortment of emotions i felt with the aftermath of that destructive affair.
hareton, my sweet lil’ boy, you are the one character in this whole saga i actually rooted for. the romance between him and cathy 2 actually had grounds to lay upon, with their constant banter and teasing one another. i suppose cathy 2 left me more confused than annoyed. anyway, hareton, from the moment nelly says he was without a friend and unknown to his misery, was instantly likeable to me. he was never melodramatic, his emotions and reactions were pretty valid considering his whole situation, and he stood up for himself! i especially enjoyed the scene when cathy 2 first meets him and is told he is her cousin. his reaction, the way brontë described it, was just chef’s kiss. i think the way he kept his dignity intact even after everyone tried to shun him was really brave. he never caved in to insults. for someone to have credible feelings in this book that are completely justifiable, you know my guy is special.
for someone who has a lot to say about this book, i still don’t know if i like it or not.
i am not one to say a story was too dark, or that the characters were too flawed because i tend to enjoy those traits in a book. but this? this is not flawed characters, it’s toddlers milling about acting like the world is falling around them. the one problem i had was catherine 1 marrying edgar and causing this whole family line to literally collapse. to think that none of the events in this book would happen if only she stopped acting like the main character for one moment! maybe hindley forced her hand seeing how she cared for heathcliff, that would be a reasonable explanation for marrying someone who you barely act yourself around. it’s the way she didn't even accept she loved heathcliff and tried to gaslight herself. i think im not so much irritated with this book as i am with catherine.
i know everyone hates heathcliff’s guts but i can’t bring myself to. he was brought to a home he never fit into, where everyone hated him, and the one person who loved him abandoned him and called him below her class. i pity him. if circumstances were different, he and cathy would be happy together. the chapter where heathcliff reactors to catherine’s death is so, so tragic, and even though i didn’t like any characters at that point, that scene made me tear up a bit. he never got to feel what it was like to be loved; never knew how to be happy with someone, or that anybody could love him for who he was, even when he was unsure of that himself. he never got to be content with just being himself, kept hating on everyone maybe because he felt like he couldn't bear it. im not saying his actions are forgivable, just that he was in a lot of pain himself.
catherine 2’s story was weird, if not weirder than her mother’s. she wasnt as insufferable, but to this day i wonder what the hell she saw in linton that made her love him. im not saying i condone the toxic relationship, or hate this book because it contains one, just that linton had absolutely no personality whatsoever. i do not understand how their love came to be, like it was so random?? definitely felt hatred for linton and can appreciate the writing for that. he was clearly meant to be a character worth hating. i think the contrast between both their natures is that linton seemed to be heavily influenced by his father and so felt less realistically wronged, and more evil, and thus bringing me to hate him more than heathcliff.
hareton, my sweet lil’ boy, you are the one character in this whole saga i actually rooted for. the romance between him and cathy 2 actually had grounds to lay upon, with their constant banter and teasing one another. i suppose cathy 2 left me more confused than annoyed. anyway, hareton, from the moment nelly says he was without a friend and unknown to his misery, was instantly likeable to me. he was never melodramatic, his emotions and reactions were pretty valid considering his whole situation, and he stood up for himself! i especially enjoyed the scene when cathy 2 first meets him and is told he is her cousin. his reaction, the way brontë described it, was just chef’s kiss. i think the way he kept his dignity intact even after everyone tried to shun him was really brave. he never caved in to insults. for someone to have credible feelings in this book that are completely justifiable, you know my guy is special.
for someone who has a lot to say about this book, i still don’t know if i like it or not.