Wuthering Heights Quotes Analysis
Alex Plager
Britten
Wuthering Heights Assignment Round 2
Reading Log: The two men in Catherine's life represent one of many sets of doubles within the novel. Both of these men contrast one another, and fight for power, influence, love and attention in her life. Because both Edgar and Heathcliff both represent contrasting forces in the novel, they are unable to work together or act amiably towards one another. The goal of each one is to remove the other from Cathy's life. After Catherine's death, Heathcliff attempts to sneakily remove the lock of Edgar's hair enclosed in the locket about her neck and replace it with his own. In "open[ing] the trinket, and cast[ing] out its contents," (145) Heathcliff believes that he has won this battle …show more content…
One would expect a servant to respect their master, and keep their tongue in check, however Nelly Dean seems exempt from these expectations, causing the reader to question who is the true master and servant within the household. On page 102, "[Catherine] rang the bell till is broke with a twang," however, rather than rushing in as most servants should given the franticness of the bell ringing, Nelly "enter[s] leisurely." This singular event provides a plethora of insight into the relationship between master and servant. The reader is able to discern that, since it is Nelly recounting the story, she would have no knowledge of the events happening in the room prior to her calling unless she was not already within earshot. Therefore, Nelly already knows the nature of the confrontation going on between Edgar and Nelly, and how it is of importance. Yet still, Nelly "leisurely" enters the room, flaunting her knowledge that Catherine needs her on a level beyond that of which a master typically needs a servant, and also spiting her by deliberately taking longer to arrive. However, during her narration of this scene, the reader can see building emotion within Nelly just within the paragraph this quote is taken from. It is clear that Nelly's "temper of a saint" is strung tight by Catherine's "senseless, wicked rages!"(102) And as a result of this emotion that she is not entirely able to control, Nelly's narration of this particular scene may be more unreliable than usual, as she might be tempted to exaggerate Catherine's behavior in order to justify her anger with her to Lockwood more, so that he may agree with her, or so that she may feel that he
Britten
Wuthering Heights Assignment Round 2
Reading Log: The two men in Catherine's life represent one of many sets of doubles within the novel. Both of these men contrast one another, and fight for power, influence, love and attention in her life. Because both Edgar and Heathcliff both represent contrasting forces in the novel, they are unable to work together or act amiably towards one another. The goal of each one is to remove the other from Cathy's life. After Catherine's death, Heathcliff attempts to sneakily remove the lock of Edgar's hair enclosed in the locket about her neck and replace it with his own. In "open[ing] the trinket, and cast[ing] out its contents," (145) Heathcliff believes that he has won this battle …show more content…
One would expect a servant to respect their master, and keep their tongue in check, however Nelly Dean seems exempt from these expectations, causing the reader to question who is the true master and servant within the household. On page 102, "[Catherine] rang the bell till is broke with a twang," however, rather than rushing in as most servants should given the franticness of the bell ringing, Nelly "enter[s] leisurely." This singular event provides a plethora of insight into the relationship between master and servant. The reader is able to discern that, since it is Nelly recounting the story, she would have no knowledge of the events happening in the room prior to her calling unless she was not already within earshot. Therefore, Nelly already knows the nature of the confrontation going on between Edgar and Nelly, and how it is of importance. Yet still, Nelly "leisurely" enters the room, flaunting her knowledge that Catherine needs her on a level beyond that of which a master typically needs a servant, and also spiting her by deliberately taking longer to arrive. However, during her narration of this scene, the reader can see building emotion within Nelly just within the paragraph this quote is taken from. It is clear that Nelly's "temper of a saint" is strung tight by Catherine's "senseless, wicked rages!"(102) And as a result of this emotion that she is not entirely able to control, Nelly's narration of this particular scene may be more unreliable than usual, as she might be tempted to exaggerate Catherine's behavior in order to justify her anger with her to Lockwood more, so that he may agree with her, or so that she may feel that he