Narrative Patterns in Wuthering Heights AH YES

Narrative Patterns in Wuthering Heights

AH, YES, THE FLASHBACK u Everyone who has seen very many movies understands the technique of the flashback. u When an author uses the flashback, he usually begins in the present (Mr. Lockwood has rented a house, Thrushcross Grange, and is mightily intrigued by his rough and gruff landlord and neighbor, Mr. Heathcliff (first and last name the same)

The present. . . u When Mr. Lockwood visits the house known as Wuthering Heights– both of his visits are unwelcome– he is trapped there by a snowstorm and strange things begin to happen as he gets ready to go to bed A tap, tapping at the window, a little voice that cries Do let me come in, and an icy little hand that grabs Mr. Lockwood’s as he tries to shut the sash of the window set the stage for an intriguing story.

Mr Lockwood unnerved u Well, of course, Mr. Lockwood is unnerved– he thinks that he has had a horrible dream UNTIL Mr. Heathcliff rushes in, throws open the window, and howls for Cathy to haunt him.

What’s a man to think? u Naturally, Mr. Lockwood wants to know the whole story behind the ghost, the unidentified girl who lives with Heathcliff, and whatever other mysteries surround the harsh environment of Wuthering Heights, but how is he to find out what happened twenty years ago– Heathcliff certainly isn’t going to gossip

But Nelly Dean will gossip In the house that Mr. Lockwood rented for the year there is a housekeeper, Nelly Dean. When Mr. Lockwood comes down with the flu ( he really should have stayed in during the storm) Nelly Dean promises to stay by his sick bed and tell him the WHOLE story about all of the strange goings on at Wuthering Heights BECAUSE

NELLY THE NARRATOR u Nelly lived at Wuthering Heights and worked for Catherine’s family (and later for Catherine) all of her life, and she was around to witness AND to participate in all of the events. u SO as Mr. Lockwood recuperates, Nelly Dean entertains Lockwood by telling him the tragic and violent story of the love between Heathcliff and Catherine

THE PAST u Now, through Nellie, the reader is taken back (flashback, get it) twenty years to the time when Mr Earnshaw brought home a waif from Liverpool and named him Heathcliff. u The reader will now, with the help of Nelly’s narration, progress through the past and will eventually (toward the end of the book) permanently return to the present.

But there is a “catch” u Remember reading the Great Gatsby in 11 th grade? u Sometimes the narrator of a story may not be reliable or truthful. .

Veracity of the Narrator u Veracity of the narrator is a literary term which indicates that the reader must judge whether or not a character who narrates a story is truthful, is untruthful because he is deliberately lying, or is untruthful because his perception is skewed by his own experiences and personality

FOR EXAMPLE u Mr. Lockwood indicates to us (the readers) that Heathcliff is crude, crass, rough, and illiterate HOWEVER We soon see that Mr. Lockwood is a “city slicker” who is just a little (no, a lot) effeminate SO

MR LOCKWOOD u Of course he sees Heathcliff as a BRUTE However, Nelly Dean’s story seems to confirm Mr. Lockwood’s perception EXCEPT

Dastardly NELLY? u Watch for what Nelly says about Heathcliff. She states that she ALWAYS-- from the very first day of his arrival-- hated Heathcliff u In fact when he was a young child stricken with a severe case of measles, and she was his nurse, she secretly took the child out on the cold stairs hoping that the chill would kill him.

u And DEMON CHILD when the freezing air didn’t kill the young child, she pronounced him a demon child. ( I just ask you, who’s the demon here? ) u But what about Joseph, the bad tempered gardener, who CONSTANTLY tells us that Heathcliff and Catherine are products of the devil?

Joseph u However, as you read you should see that Joseph believes that EVERYONE (except for him) is doomed to down under ULTIMATELY

YOU u The reader must draw his own conclusions about the story and especially about the people who relate the events. u Be suspicious. See if you can make a case for Nelly Dean as a principal villain

Some other things to think about u What factors will motivate whom you marry? u Will you marry for love, security, social strata or passion? u What about Catherine? Who will she marry? u Decide which if any of her decisions are wrong.

Heathcliff u What about Heathcliff’s total disregard of all the conventions of society? Is he a free spirit that lives a genuine, authentic life without regard to “what other people think”? OR Is he a horribly destructive force that threatens the fabric of society?

Revenge AS YOU READ, EXAMINE… u Does Heathcliff ever want revenge? u Whom does Heathcliff have a grudge against? u Does he punish anyone? u What are the results of his revenge? u Does it satisfy him?

Nature vs. Nurture u An age-old question– why do we become who we are? Is it because of our nature—we were born to be what we become OR Is it because of the environment in which we are brought up? What makes Heathcliff SOOOO bitter?

LOVE STORY u Why are Heathcliff and Catherine the ARCHETYPES of masculinity and femininity ? u Why is their story so enduring? u Why do girls ALWAYS choose the “bad boys” who NEVER treat them well u Why do girls NEVER appreciate the suitors who are REALLY in love with them?

Unconditional u Is this story so appealing because Heathcliff’s love is unchanging and unconditional? Be ready to share your view at the end of the reading of this novel.

R for Violence u Watch out as you read -- how many scenes of violence can you identify? (Be careful, you may get so used to all of the scenes of violence that you began not to notice them. )

Moorlands

Walker on The Bronte Way