Monday, February 21, 2011
Catherine a Gemini?
"I am Heathcliff!" (p. 88). Terry Eagleton points out that Catherine has to contend with two avenues of thinking. On one hand she desires to adhere to social convention by entering into a marriage with Linton while her heart firmly belongs to Heathcliff. By utilizing the previous statement Catherine is able to feel Heathcliff within her and can move away from him to join Linton who is seemingly a more suitable husband. This foolish attempt at duality instigates a myraid of problems among those who are involved and will ultimately cause her death. Having created an unbreakable bond between them they were more of an offshoot of the Earnshaw family exclusively exploring life and experiencing the Moors without interruption. As Eagleton points out, "...Heathcliff is a purely atomized individual, free of generational ties in a novel where genealogical relations are of crucial thematic and structural importance..." (p. 398). How would this have turned out if Heathcliff had been fairskinned? Would there have been a possiblity of the two entering into marriage?
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I think that there is definitely a sense of duality in Wuthering Heights. I believe there is a constant state of struggle throughout the entire novel. I think that Heathcliff is the catalyst for all of the stuggle.
ReplyDeleteIt is his presence that initiates all of the struggle and in a sense, the duality. For example, if Heathcliff never makes his appearance, the Earnshaw family would have functioned as it was "supposed" to.
However, I feel that it was not the color of Heathcliff's skin that determined whether or not Catherine would have been able to make the choice to marry him. I think you have to look at the historical context of the novel to determine what denotes "marriageable material." I honestly think Linton was always the choice for Catherine. I feel that even if she hadn't had the "choice" (and I use the quote marks in sense that it wasn't really a choice), Catherine would have ultimately ended up marrying Linton due to social pressure and expectations.
Hey Kathleen,
ReplyDeleteThere is most definitely conflict and an uneasy tensions between the characters of Wuthering Heights. I agree Elizabeth's thoughts of Heathcliff as the catalyst for all the drama in the drama in the novel. If it were not for Heathcliff, I believe Catherine would have never broken out of her shell as a child and would not learn to become whimsical and curious like Heathcliff. However, if it were not for Heathcliff, Catherine would have never met Linton either. I do not know if Catherine and Linton would have met any other way, but it's interesting to think of Heathcliff as the reason for Catherine and Linton meeting, then eventually getting married.