Friday, December 6, 2013

Literature Analysis #2

1. Exposition: Emily Bronte starts the book off with a character named Lockwood who buys a house called Thrushcross Grange in the country of England. In Thrushcross Grange, he meets his landlord, Heathcliff who lives in an ancient house called Wuthering Heights. Lockwood asks Nelly, his housekeeper, to share with him her stories while she was living in Wuthering Heights as servant for the Earnshaw family.

Inciting Incident: Nelly starts off with her childhood and how Heathcliff came about Wuthering Heights. One day, Mr. Earnshaw brought home a little orphan boy named Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights. Initially, everybody despised the dark-skinned boy but Catherine, the youngest of the family, grew fond of him and soon fell in love with him. As they grew older, they become inseparable.

Climax: After Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley the oldest of the Earnshaw family, takes over Wuthering Heights and gets married to a woman named Frances who soon finds out that she is pregnant. When Frances dies after giving birth to her son, Hareton, Hindley becomes an alcoholic and begins to display his abusive side especially to Heathcliff. After being bitten by a dog, Catherine stays in the Grange to recover and meets a man named Edgar whom she later becomes infatuated with. She and Edgar marry and Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights.

Falling Action: After returning back to Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff plans on taking revenge on those who have done him wrong. Hindley dies and Heatcliff inherits the ancient home of Wuthering Heights. Catherine dies shortly after giving birth to her son and Heathcliff begs her spirit to remain on Earth. He then marries a woman named Isabella Linton whom he treats very brutally.

Resolution: Edgar Linton dies and Heathcliff invites Nelly and Catherine back into Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff forces Cathy to be his servant in Wuthering Heights. He also buys Thrushcross Grange for Lockwood. Catherine and Hareton continue to live in Wuthering Heights.

2. The theme of the novel is mainly revenge because after Heathcliff returns back to Wuthering Heights, he seeks revenge on everybody who wronged him. This also leads to a love versus hate theme because the only reason he takes revenge on people is because he built up a lot of hatred and anger toward people who have done him wrong, but nothing could have hurt more than abandonment and betrayal of his one true love, Catherine Earnshaw.

3. I chose this book because a lot of people have recommended it to me, but honestly it really isn't my type of books because I felt like it was really confusing and dark. The only reason I kept reading was because I loved the passion and admiration Heathcliff and Cathy had for each other although it didn't last.

4. The book was definitely realistic; a lot of the events in the book could happen to anyone in this world. The only connection I made with this book was through Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship. It reminded me of how my sister liked this boy and he liked her back, but he just left her for somebody else while they were still talking which complicated their relationship.

5. The novel has a bit of a dark and gloomy tone to it especially when Heathcliff is around.
"And what if she should have slipped in clambering among them," Ellen (Nelly)  reflected, "and been killed, or broken some of her bones."
"Ah," said she, "you are come a seeking your little mistress! Don't be frightened. She's here safe: but I'm glad it isn't the master." (about Heathcliff)

6. "Missis walked in," Catherine said, "as chill as an icicle..." (Simile) (pg 281)
"...as high as a princess" (Simile) (pg 281)

CHARACTERIZATION

1. Indirect: "I've no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn't have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am" (86). Catherine admits to Ellen that she loves Heathcliff but cannot think of marrying him because he has been degraded by Hindley. Heathcliff hears this speech, and he leaves Wuthering Heights, not to return for three years.

Direct: "Keep your eft's fingers off; and move, or I'll kick you!" cried Heathcliff brutally repulsing Catherine.

2. After returning home after three years, Heathcliff changes and so does his way of speaking. In the beginning he was more of a soft-spoken guy, but at the end he lets his anger get to him; therefore he yells very often. 

3. Heathcliff is definitely a dynamic character. Initially, he is a very nice, sweet, romantic guy but at the end he turns into a very angry man who yells often and acts very cruelly toward those who wronged him.

4. After reading the book, I was left with a strong hatred for Heathcliff. I felt as if I were in the book and he was saying all of those brutal things to me.

ENDURING MEMORY

From this book, I realized that I have to choose carefully on who I fall in love with because sometimes people are not who you think they are. If you make one mistake, it can lead to many problems kind of like how Catherine led Heathcliff on and then married Edgar.



No comments:

Post a Comment