Wuthering Heights

                                                   WUTHERING HEIGHTS
                                                               
                                                                                     
                                                                                             -Emily Bronte

This book is perhaps one of the most favoured classics that withstood the tremendous alteration of mind sets and manages to create mark on its readers, young or old. The only novel written by Emily Bronte, this dark, rather morbid tragedy has received mixed responses; many plainly shocked by the amount of violence and inhumanity in the characters. The title of this novel comes from the Yorkshire manor on the moors of the story.

There is a streak of foreboding running all through the novel and it almost seems as if the reader can feel the grief stricken waves of Heathcliff’s broken heart from the 19th century, but there is something about this book that hooks you on. Catherine is a well-to-do country girl and her father takes in Heathcliff, an orphan boy who eventually falls in love with Catherine and thus, the plot follows the relationship between the two and how this relationship affects everyone in their influence for a generation. However, all is not well when Catherine marries Edgar Linton, a boy closer to her class and leaves Heathcliff in the murky waters of love. He then spends the rest of his life proving his devotion to his beloved, even long after she is dead. The characters in the book are so shallow and frightening, that you might just get disgusted with the absolute absence of sympathy in them. Catherine, for instance has a high sense of self-worth whose rejection of Heathcliff for no commendable reason is what spurs further consequences. Heathcliff was controlling, possessive and of course a little crazy towards the end, albeit his behaviour may be the result of an unbalanced childhood. Lockwood and Johnson were not easily comprehensible, though their violence was pretty obvious. Nelly was perhaps the most relatable character in the book. Therefore, though the bottom line of the story was effective, the characters might be the reason for the unpleasantness.

There are a number of ways this book can be perceived by readers. For a more modern group of readers, the class concept might sound a little strange if not ancient. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love could have consummated in great passion in this age. The way the 19th century had perceived this book might differ in great proportions with how we do today. It differs from Romeo and Juliet (though they are not entirely comparable) in that the societal obligations were not what separated them, but their own behaviour which led to their downfall.

This classic can also be called an anti-romance one because it speaks of the death of romantic notions; happy ending doesn't seem to come from togetherness or possessive romance, but with quiet acceptance. It is a fun read, an insightful one, one that leaves you crying and hating with the characters. If Bronte had chosen simpler characters and reduced the melancholies…nah, it is best the way it is. Classic.