From this section of reading, identify something that you believe is symbolic and write your post exploring the significance of this symbol.
Please include illustrative excerpts from the text (with page #), and feel free to respond to / build off of others' posts.
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some ideas to get you thinking...windows & doors (or other barriers), eyes, jewelry, environment, dogs...
ReplyDeleteThe nature surrounding characters in the novel is very symbolic of the states of being and characters that is is around. This became evident when Cathy was on one of her walks with Nelly. While on this walk the pair sees the last of a group of bluebell flowers. When Cathy sees "the lonely blossom trembling in its earthly shelter", she voices her opinion on the inevitable deaths of those around her (221). The dreary-looking flower represented frailty in age and illness. Cathy did not want the members of her family to droop and inevitably die with age or disease like Linton's mother. The idea that the once beautiful flower was dieing in front of her was to much to bear when she thought of death in the context of her closest family that she will ultimately outlive. Also, after Catherine died, Heathcliffs emotions were put into words through the description of the old ash tree behind him. With the description of its "knotted trunk" and the "several splashes of blood about the bark", Bronte describes the rugged and malevolent character of Heathcliff (162).
ReplyDelete-Jeff B.
I think both literal and abstract reflections are symbolic throughout Wuthering Heights. As the first stages of Catherine's eventually fatal illness progress, she begins to lose her mind. Catherine cannot recognize herself in the mirror, hoping that the face "will not not come out when [Nelly] is gone" and that "the room is haunted" by the face(119). Here, the reflection is a symbol of truth and foreshadows what is bound to come. The mirror confirms Cathy's insanity, while hinting that Cathy will die and haunt her family in the future.
ReplyDeleteA more abstract kind of reflection is seen in Cathy and Heathcliff, who are each others doubles. They are not doubles in a "physical" way, as they have opposite appearances. However, despite their differences in appearance, they are very similar in personality, and cannot bear to live without each other. Earlier on in the book, Catherine exclaims, "whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same"(78). Later on, Heathcliff claims that Cathy has a "heart as deep as [he] had" (144). Finally, this theme reappears at their last meeting, when they both announce they will not be in peace as long as they are apart (154). This reflection is a symbol for the deep connection that Cathy and Heathcliff have with each other.
Shelby
Jeff- Lovely insights in the symbolic qualities of the flowers and tree! I think it's fitting, too, that Heath connects with the knotty tree and Catherine with the fragile flower.
ReplyDeleteShelby- Love,love,love the connections you have made with the symbolic concept of reflections! I always find the scene you referenced with the mirror so haunting and eerie. Grea tpoint of the "doubles"- something to think about when we look at Jung's idea of anima/anamus and shadow later this week.
LC
Ghosts are a constant topic or sight recalled in Wuthering Heights. Certain ghosts give the forefront of nightmares, and other of pleasant parts of a character's past. In the beginning of the novel Catherine's ghost appears to Lockwood and it seems to be a nightmare, (not seen as reality); towards the end Heathcliff's spirit appears to the villagers and it is regarded as more of a superstitious sighting. The ghost are always described so vaguely that it is hard to interpret which ones are real and which are imagined. Dean narrates a scene about a time when her and Hindley were going to find Haretons father and Dean believed she saw the ghost of her childhood friend. "I started: my bodily eye was cheated into a momentary belief that the child lifted its face and stared straight into mine! It vanished in a twinkling.."(126) She immediately is overwhelmed with the sensations and memories that she begins to experience that the apparition literally is said to have "outstripped her." Ghosts represent memories of people and places, often seen filling the characters with either great fear or happiness.
ReplyDeleteamanda
Amanda- Interesting choice of quote...why do you think Bronte chose to include these ghosts? Does it emphasize something about the setting? Reveal something about the characters who see them? Reinforce a theme?
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Ms. Coppens suggestions about dogs being symbolic in this book I began thinking of all the times they were mentioned. I realized that dogs are very representative of people's personalities and feeling towards others. One scene that really jumped out at me was when Heathcliff hung Miss Linton's dog right in front of her. The dog obviously represented Miss Linton and Heathcliff's actions were symbolizing what Heathcliff wanted or was going to do to her. I also recalled the scene from Isabella's letter talking about how Hareton wanted to set the dog on her. The dog represented Hareton's incivility and cruelty towards others. However I found it very interesting that when Isabella was alone with the dog, it was quite friendly and loving to her because it had known her long before. "I fancy it knew me; it pushed its nose against mine by way of salute, and then hastened to devour the porridge, while I groped from step to step, collecting the shattered earthenware..." (140). The dog helped her clean up a mess but more importantly gave a little comfort in a broken home. Lastly, I thought of one other incident where dogs reflected the intentions and emotions of humans. It was in the very beginning of the novel when Heathcliff let his dogs attack Mr. Lockwood. He wanted Lockwood out of the house and held no kindness towards him. Similarly, at the slightest provocation, the dogs mauled Mr. Lock wood letting him know he was not welcome. Dogs are a subtle but effective theme through out Wuthering Heights.
ReplyDelete-Allison
I agree with Jeff, in that I saw nature, particularly the weather, to be symbolic in this section of the reading. I likewise saw the lone flower to symbolize Cathy’s own state of loneliness. In addition, I saw the weather, as it was a stormy day when Cathy took the walk with Nelly, to outwardly portray Cathy's own turbulent emotions. On that bitter autumn day “the cold, blue sky was half hidden by clouds– dark, grey streamers, rapidly mounting from the west, and boding abundant rain” fell from the skies (220). This atmosphere seems to mirror Cathy’s own mindset. Three months has passed since Nelly burned the letters Cathy received from Linton and forbade Cathy from returning or writing any more. This restriction has destroyed Cathy, as she has lost, not only in her eyes, a lover, but also a close friend. All these repressed emotions shift onto her conscience as she is out with Nelly and here can verbalize her grievances. Further evidence of this can be found at the beginning of chapter 17 soon after Catherine Linton passes away. Despite it being summertime, snow fell at Thrushcross Grange during a brutal snowstorm. This seems to reflect the coldness and isolation in the manor. Edgar Linton keeps to himself, ignoring both Nelly as well as his own daughter, Cathy. The weather outside seems to be a common symbol throughout many different Romantic works, so it is not surprising that Bronte uses this to showcase the dark and tormented mindsets of some of the characters in “Wuthering Heights.”
ReplyDeleteAlso – lockets and keys seem to come up a lot, but I can’t seem to figure out what they symbolize. I just thought it’d be interesting to take note of it in case if anyone knew of their significance.
-Kelsey F.
"...Wake up! That is the glass--the mirror, Mrs. Linton; and you see yourself in it, and there I am, too, by your side."..."Oh, if I were but in my own bed in the old house!"...And that wind sounding in the firs by the lattice. Do let me feel it--it comes straight down the moor--do let me have one breath!" (120)
ReplyDeleteThe "glass" is real significant here. Nelly's trying to "wake" her up from the past, her old life. She points out her relection in the "glass," saying you're on this side of it, there you are, so am I to tell you or convince you that you are, and Catherine sort of thinks she's dead without the past: "do let me have one breath!" Or, rather than dead, she doesn't know herself from the reflection that Nelly points out to her, like she doesn't really exist on that side of the glass. She wants to be reminded of herself again by being able to breathe the air she once did, from the house she lived in, or being exposed to the fact that her past life was real, so she can feel it, rather than being in view of it and bringing herself down further, why Nelly tells her to look at her own reflection instead.
-Annalise
Annalise- Interesting reading of that passage. Are there other places where you see symbolism of "glass" framing or representign the past? One place i found interesting was when Heathcliff looks through the window at Thrushcross and sees Catherine with Edgar, and also when he basically walks through it after her death. It's intersting that the view from the window is the path to Wuthering Heights
ReplyDeleteKelsey F- Excellent points about the weather! I think it's relevant that the title of the book focuses on weather...
Allison- Great details about dogs. There's also the part where young Heathcliff and Catherine are attacked when they first peek in on Thrushcross.
LC
I thought that the moor upon which Heathcliff and the first Catherine often gathered were rather symbolic. Moors open, hilly, and wild landscapes. They are overrun by wet and wild vegetation. The wild aspect of the moor symbolizes the wild nature of Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship. Just as the grasses of the moor cannot be tamed, the love between the two cannot be stopped, even as they are wed to others.
ReplyDeleteThe wild nature of their relationship is shown through the final meeting before her death when Nelly describes the scene as, "he covered her with frantic caresses, said wildly...You have killed yourself" (155-156). The words "frantic" and "wildly" show that their loving embrace was anything but gentle, and Heathcliff's words show a savage passion. He shows that he cares for her with angry and almost accusatory words. If this isn't wild, I don't know what is. Catherine is also buried near the moors when she dies, showing that she remained as wild as ever. Despite the efforts of Linton to civilize her, she becomes undomesticated once she meets Heathcliff again.
In chapter 27, the scene was described, “We deferred our excursion till the afternoon; a golden afternoon of August: every breath from the hills so full of life, that it seemed whoever respired it, though dying, might revive. Catherine's face was just like the landscape - shadows and sunshine flitting over it in rapid succession; but the shadows rested longer, and the sunshine was more transient; and her poor little heart reproached itself for even that passing forgetfulness of its cares.”
ReplyDeleteI believe that weather is a HUGE part in this novel. Much like my previous post about Lockwood being like a weathervane, Catherine seems to be much like nature as well. She is a fragile (like previously stated in relation to flowers) but she is also having constant overflow of feelings. Pain is a reoccurring theme in this story and Catherine suffers from it every day. Before her description the hills seemed to be giving a felling of revival. It gives hope about lost that could be lost which is what Catherine is concerned with.
Kelsey- I believe that the idea of lock and key could be a symbol of new doors and new opportunities opening. Or even the idea of secrecy. The fact that each character has so much more to them that not only us as readers but even the other characters in the book know about them.
Nicole LaBelle
(sorry I dont have page numbers, I'm using a book online since I forgot my book at school.)
Jason & Nicole- Excellent points to build on the weather/nature symbolism. Nicole, I noticed you mentioned Catherine's "constant overflow of feelings" which almost directly echoes Wordsworth's definition of poetry as "the spontanious overflow of feeling"- interesting connection back to where we started, and I don't think simply coincidental. Many of the characters in this book are uber-Romantic, which is a big reason I like building up to this novel.
ReplyDeleteLC
I thought that I would elaborate on Ms. Coppens idea of windows and doors. Throughout the novel, windows and doors or other barriers are mentioned frequently. I believe that whether the are locked is symbolic of the person that is either being denied entrance or exit, or allowing entrance or exit. In the beginning of the novel Lockwood trys to enter the gate, but this stood as a barrier, not allowing Lockwood to enter. This could be a reflection of how Heathcliff does not want Lockwood to enter. Also windows and doors seem to contain the characters. Though you may think that windows are meant for people to escape it seems to be the opposite at Wuthering heights. For example Catherine is trapped in a room with a window in it that Nelly will not even let her open. When Catherine finally lets the servants bring her food, after locking herself in a room, she believes that she is very frantic and tells nelly to "open the window again wide". When Nelly refuses to do so she says "you won't give me a chance at life you mean" (122). This shows how much of a barrier this window is for Catherine and she feels that if she is able to open the window and be freed from the imprisonment she had been in.
ReplyDelete-Haley
My favorite part of this section of the book takes place at the garden where the body of Catherine lies. When Edgar, who normally watches over the body of Catherine, leaves, Nelly permits Heathcliff a moment alone with the body. When Nelly returns she accounts: “observing on the floor a curl of light hair, fastened ascertained to have been taken from a locket hung round Catherine's neck. Heathcliff had opened the trinket, and cast out its contents, replacing them by a black lock of his own.” This action by Heathcliff symbolizes his desire to replace Edgar in Catherine’s heart, symbolized by the locket. Also, this shows that Heathcliff believes that Catherine truly belongs to him and not Edgar. In response to Heathcliff’s action, Nelly claims she took the two hairs, “twisted the two, and enclosed them together.” Nelly’s action has a greater meaning. The intertwined hair shows how connected the lives of Edgar and Heathcliff are and how they both hold significant roles in Catherine’s heart. One hair shows Catherine’s civilized side where she desires to climb social ladders and achieve a high social status. The other shows her more natural, pure side.
ReplyDeleteI think this part of the novel is especially significant because it is one of the times Nelly intervenes in the plot of the story and it shows her insight and perspective.
-Sydney
Lovely ideas Haley & Sydney!
ReplyDeleteLC
The symbol that I caught mentioned a lot throughout the story is the houses themselves. The two houses, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, are owned one by Heathcliff and the other by Edgar. Both of these houses are visually rememberable, as are the owners. In the book the houses are big in the rivalry between Edgar and Heathcliff. The characters' house is his strength. They constantly refer back to their homes and that seems to me to be the only possession that really matters to them. Such as when Nelly says, "... he'll take measures to secure his house and its inmates from any such unwarrantable intrusions"(148). Nelly is on Edgar's side and she tells Heathcliff that Edgar will do anything to protect his house a.k.a. his persona. These mens' houses are their strength and all they are. The men are like there houses, also, in the appearance. Heathcliff is rough and wild while Edgar is clean cut and wealthy.
ReplyDeleteKelsey G.