Ycian asked this question about
Wuthering Heights:
Why? Why? Will someone just tell why people love this book so much? What is so great about it?
Nita
I get why a lot of people hate this book so much. It's really hard to like a book who's protagonists are absolutely preposterous. Heathcliff is almost…moreI get why a lot of people hate this book so much. It's really hard to like a book who's protagonists are absolutely preposterous. Heathcliff is almost like a reincarnation of the devil. Cathy is really annoying and about the most whimsical person you'll ever meet. A lot of the secondary characters are also not very relatable. But here's one thing about Wuthering Heights.
It's not here to teach you something about life. It's not here to prove a point or address some kind of an issue. Heck, it's not even a novel about romance, as countless other readers perceive it to be.
Charlotte Bronte, who happens to be Emily's sister once remarked that Emily completely immersed herself in the novel until she finished it. And it shows. It really does.
What irks me about this novel is how people think it's one of the greatest romances ever written. Simply put, it's not. Cathy is not your average romantic heroine. And Heathcliff is most definitely NOT the man of your dreams. Wuthering heights is actually a wild, intense, gothic tale of the amoral and self-destructive passion between a man and a woman. Who happen to be foster siblings, by the way. Does that sound romantic? If it does, forgive me for saying you seem to have serious issues.
Wuthering Heights represents human nature at its darkest. It represents the fatal and selfish side of love. I've honestly never come across a more accurate depiction of how selfish love can get. Cathy and Heathcliff's love is fatal not only to them, but also to everyone around them. Heathcliff seeks revenge on Cathy for hurting him although he's still in love with her and after she dies, he literally sets out to take revenge on the world. All those incurable romantics musing about how beautiful Heathcliff and Cathy's love is will tell you that "yes, Cathy and Heathcliff are flawed but it's their oh-so-heart-wrenching love for each other that redeems them." Just, no.
Wuthering Heights doesn't seek to make you like apparently flawed or misunderstood characters. It does not ask for redemption. It just shows you a glimpse, a small yet unforgettable insight into just how cruel people can be. Some of Heathcliff's words and actions literally give you the chills. In my opinion, he's one of the best Gothic heroes ever written.
At the same time, the novel does not glorify Heathcliff's character. Both Heathcliff and Cathy die miserably. However cocky and satisfied Heathcliff may appear while inflicting pain on others, it is ultimately he who suffers the most. He tries to derive satisfaction and pleasure by unleashing his grief onto others in the form of anger and torture, but in the end, he is unable to find any real happiness, no matter what he does. And he realises this in the end, shortly before his death which is why his character seems to waver during his final days. He finally accepts that death(and hence Cathy) can be his only salvation, stops trying and just embraces death. That's not to say he realises the error of his ways though. He does not regret his monstrosities. He simply gives up and dies an unsatisfied and pathetic man full of self pity, while all those around him gradually find happiness.
Yes, the atmosphere is exaggeratedly depressing. But it was in fact a core factor of the story. The novel wouldn't give you half the chills it does if it wasn't set in the wild moors which are brought out so well in the novel. You literally cannot think of Wuthering Heights without picturing the moors. Some people think it's soap-opera-ish, but it's just goth. The Bronte sisters(except Anne) never went for realism. They chose to wildly romanticise their characters and settings and themes. If you prefer the realistic approach, you might like The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. Or Jane Austen, for that matter.
What struck me about the novel the most was its passion, twisted and warped though it is. You can almost feel the fervor and passion with which Emily wrote her novel. And the strong, albeit not likeable characterisation. The setting is positively applaudable and dark.
If you still don't like this, maybe it's just not your type. But you're not allowed to say that the generations of readers who have found it appealing are deluded and wrong. There's a reason it's a classic and has survived for so long, you know.(less)
It's not here to teach you something about life. It's not here to prove a point or address some kind of an issue. Heck, it's not even a novel about romance, as countless other readers perceive it to be.
Charlotte Bronte, who happens to be Emily's sister once remarked that Emily completely immersed herself in the novel until she finished it. And it shows. It really does.
What irks me about this novel is how people think it's one of the greatest romances ever written. Simply put, it's not. Cathy is not your average romantic heroine. And Heathcliff is most definitely NOT the man of your dreams. Wuthering heights is actually a wild, intense, gothic tale of the amoral and self-destructive passion between a man and a woman. Who happen to be foster siblings, by the way. Does that sound romantic? If it does, forgive me for saying you seem to have serious issues.
Wuthering Heights represents human nature at its darkest. It represents the fatal and selfish side of love. I've honestly never come across a more accurate depiction of how selfish love can get. Cathy and Heathcliff's love is fatal not only to them, but also to everyone around them. Heathcliff seeks revenge on Cathy for hurting him although he's still in love with her and after she dies, he literally sets out to take revenge on the world. All those incurable romantics musing about how beautiful Heathcliff and Cathy's love is will tell you that "yes, Cathy and Heathcliff are flawed but it's their oh-so-heart-wrenching love for each other that redeems them." Just, no.
Wuthering Heights doesn't seek to make you like apparently flawed or misunderstood characters. It does not ask for redemption. It just shows you a glimpse, a small yet unforgettable insight into just how cruel people can be. Some of Heathcliff's words and actions literally give you the chills. In my opinion, he's one of the best Gothic heroes ever written.
At the same time, the novel does not glorify Heathcliff's character. Both Heathcliff and Cathy die miserably. However cocky and satisfied Heathcliff may appear while inflicting pain on others, it is ultimately he who suffers the most. He tries to derive satisfaction and pleasure by unleashing his grief onto others in the form of anger and torture, but in the end, he is unable to find any real happiness, no matter what he does. And he realises this in the end, shortly before his death which is why his character seems to waver during his final days. He finally accepts that death(and hence Cathy) can be his only salvation, stops trying and just embraces death. That's not to say he realises the error of his ways though. He does not regret his monstrosities. He simply gives up and dies an unsatisfied and pathetic man full of self pity, while all those around him gradually find happiness.
Yes, the atmosphere is exaggeratedly depressing. But it was in fact a core factor of the story. The novel wouldn't give you half the chills it does if it wasn't set in the wild moors which are brought out so well in the novel. You literally cannot think of Wuthering Heights without picturing the moors. Some people think it's soap-opera-ish, but it's just goth. The Bronte sisters(except Anne) never went for realism. They chose to wildly romanticise their characters and settings and themes. If you prefer the realistic approach, you might like The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. Or Jane Austen, for that matter.
What struck me about the novel the most was its passion, twisted and warped though it is. You can almost feel the fervor and passion with which Emily wrote her novel. And the strong, albeit not likeable characterisation. The setting is positively applaudable and dark.
If you still don't like this, maybe it's just not your type. But you're not allowed to say that the generations of readers who have found it appealing are deluded and wrong. There's a reason it's a classic and has survived for so long, you know.(less)
by
Emily Brontë
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