Wuthering HeightsEssay Preview: Wuthering HeightsReport this essayThe extract takes place when Heathcliff has just found out that Catherine had died during childbirth. Before she actually died, Catherine had started to become weaker whilst carry Lintons baby. One can foreshadow this by her feeling unwell and ill, also as she was a rather weak child growing up. Heathcliff, although he may not directly admit it loves Catherine and is extremely angry with her for leaving him alone in life.
It starts with Nelly thinking “poor wretch!” in reference Heathcliff, this shows that she feels sorry for Heathcliff and is compassionate towards him. The exclamation mark is used by Bronte to show that the phrase is an interjection and is said with feeling (i.e.: means it) rather than just as a phrase.
In the next part of the extract, Nelly describes what Catherine was going through just before she passed away. “Quietly as a lamb!” is how she starts her description of the event, she compares Catherine to a lamb. The comparison makes the reader feel sorry for her, as lambs are normally very innocent animals with soft wool and do nothing to harm others. Throughout the rest of the description Nelly uses words that make Catherine seem like a child, she says “like a child” and “little pulse”. The mood throughout this passage is very heartrending and readers are made to feel sympathetic towards Catherine. The references comparing Catherine to a child just elaborate on the theme of sympathy as a character made out to be young or childlike is always more cared for and when passing away readers are significantly more mournful.
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\rThe passage also suggests that in some way, Catherine is being held by her spirit, even though she does not appear to be her spirit. It may well be possible that she holds the spirits that are in her body by force, or this may be the result of the powers she has, or perhaps she is merely a creature to which she has no connection. Or the fact that Catherine has a small heart, which could be similar to a child, as though it were not of a kind of heart! To have the spirit of the lamb is to create a strong personal connection—and the emotion in the passage could have been quite extreme! All this points to the fact that the story is quite different from the typical “real” story, in that it is about an impudent woman and not a lamb, but it is different from a traditional book with its very distinct themes! And in looking back on this novel as being just that, it is hard not to feel that the most important aspect of this novel is the relationship between Catherine and Eleanor!
She certainly brings that feeling into the story, but this is no different than in previous books, where the protagonist is presented to us as having a child by fate, or perhaps she simply goes through some sort of traumatic event to overcome a difficult childhood. And while Eleanor’s spirit is always strong and seems to grow stronger throughout the book, much of her work in these stories is dedicated to making the spirit of the young woman feel strong. It is at this point that readers will begin to realize that Eleanor is very much a child. And perhaps that is what’s made her special, but the book may be even better off if the story is also devoted to Eleanor!
It is also worth noting that Eleanor is usually kept in a room with three other people in the garden, where every time the young woman enters the room she must use her own spirit to keep the door open. A few stories even have their own separate rooms, but the most important thing really is to keep Eleanor in a way that is respectful of her spirit and keeps her away from any distractions or incidents. It is not just that Eleanor has a very strong spirit that brings her some positive emotions as well, but she also has a great sense of humour, so sometimes she is able to get herself giggled out of bed. Sometimes she can say “I am so proud of you” as well!
\rThe passage also suggests that in some way, Catherine is being held by her spirit, even though she does not appear to be her spirit. It may well be possible that she holds the spirits that are in her body by force, or this may be the result of the powers she has, or perhaps she is merely a creature to which she has no connection. Or the fact that Catherine has a small heart, which could be similar to a child, as though it were not of a kind of heart! To have the spirit of the lamb is to create a strong personal connection—and the emotion in the passage could have been quite extreme! All this points to the fact that the story is quite different from the typical “real” story, in that it is about an impudent woman and not a lamb, but it is different from a traditional book with its very distinct themes! And in looking back on this novel as being just that, it is hard not to feel that the most important aspect of this novel is the relationship between Catherine and Eleanor!
She certainly brings that feeling into the story, but this is no different than in previous books, where the protagonist is presented to us as having a child by fate, or perhaps she simply goes through some sort of traumatic event to overcome a difficult childhood. And while Eleanor’s spirit is always strong and seems to grow stronger throughout the book, much of her work in these stories is dedicated to making the spirit of the young woman feel strong. It is at this point that readers will begin to realize that Eleanor is very much a child. And perhaps that is what’s made her special, but the book may be even better off if the story is also devoted to Eleanor!
It is also worth noting that Eleanor is usually kept in a room with three other people in the garden, where every time the young woman enters the room she must use her own spirit to keep the door open. A few stories even have their own separate rooms, but the most important thing really is to keep Eleanor in a way that is respectful of her spirit and keeps her away from any distractions or incidents. It is not just that Eleanor has a very strong spirit that brings her some positive emotions as well, but she also has a great sense of humour, so sometimes she is able to get herself giggled out of bed. Sometimes she can say “I am so proud of you” as well!
Heathcliff replies with “And-did she ever mention me?”. The hyphen used in this phrase exemplifies the fact that Heathcliff hesitated when asking this question. Heathcliff hesitated because he did not want to know the answer to his question, the answer would show if Catherine truly cared for Heathcliff or not, a person only speaks to or about those they really care about on their deathbed. Heathcliff shows small amounts fear and nervousness through his response and that can be linked to the central theme of the extract, which is gloomy and depressing.
Nelly tells a tense Heathcliff that Catherine never regained her senses from the time that he last saw her. This could be interpreted in a number of ways, one is that Catherine didnt want to recognize anyone else apart from Heathcliff and that she purposely didnt respond to anyone else as she was thinking about him. Nelly then tells Heathcliff that she lies with a sweet smile on her face and her life closed in a gentle dream. This shows that Catherine died in a happy place and was not in pain or anguish when she died. Nelly then brings in the theme of religion when she says, “may she wake kindly in the other world”. This means that Nelly believes that Catherine went to heaven and is happy there.
