Hello AP Students! This blog is designed to give you a chance to communicate with me and with each other about your summer reading assignments. Whenever you post a comment to this blog, you will be able to express your insights, your frustration, your confusion, your questions, and your successes with the novels. As you know from the letter I sent, you will also be required to post responses to a question over each novel at different times later in the summer.
I hope that by this point that you have at least been able to secure your novels, look them over, and decide how best to break up the reading over the summer. Some of you may have even started reading; believe it or not, Stephanie Senior has already finished Wuthering Heights! (You go girl!) Although you may certainly cover the books in any order that you choose, my recommendation would be to start with the more difficult of the two, Wuthering Heights.
If you get your reading done early in the summer and want to go ahead and post your responses to the two novels before the due dates, you may do so; however, please try to avoid including information about plot that might ruin either novel for your classmates. This is ESPECIALLY true of Rebecca!
If you have started WH, you may have noticed that the character Joseph (older man who is a family servant at the Heights) speaks in a rather confusing dialect that is very difficult to read unless you read his passages out loud. Even then, however, you may not catch everything that he says. Do not let this discourage you! Most of the time, you will be able to figure out the basic message of his "rantings." The main thing to remember about Joseph is that he is a complete grouch who is either complaining about something, chastising someone (usually Catherine or Heathcliff) about "heathen" behavior, prophesying doom and gloom, or sermonizing very self-righteously. Work around the dialect, and ASK if you need help!
Happy Reading!
About Me
- Mrs. Mawhirter
- This year will mark my 16th year of teaching, and my 10th at high school level. The 2009-2010 school year will be my third at Robinson High School. I have been married for 25 years (in July) to my college sweetheart, Max, and we have 3 children, all of whom attend or have attended Robinson ISD: Levi, who is about to begin his junior year at Abilene Christian University; Abigail, who will be a senior at RHS this year; and Luke, who will be in 8th grade at RJHS.
57 comments:
I have tried not to disclose too many spoilers for those who have yet to read this book, but it was somewhat difficult. Sorry. :)
Despite what many might say about Wuthering Heights, I believe that it is definitely a classic love story. Since Catherine and Heathcliff in fact did not have a happily ever after the story shows us the side of love that many like to ignore. It proves to us that although love is categorized as being the most amazing thing in life, it can also be the worst and most painful. I admired that Emily Bronte was able to show the selfishness that must be put aside in order to make a relationship work and also showed that many are unable to be selfless. This is one of the main problems in relationships today, and she was able to capture that and make me feel like I was actually in that situation. Many of Heathcliff’s actions were very unjust in my eyes. Love had truly made him go crazy, and his cruel nature was accentuated. I had a really hard time judging him or even hating him for the things he did to the ones around him. I pitied him more than anything, and actually found myself more disappointed than angry in both him and Catherine! However, his cruelty to animals really struck a nerve and I wish Emily could have left that part out! Catherine and Heathcliff’s love was so passionate and real. I cried during their confessions of their undying love for one another, and it was hard to see them be separated by things that should have been irrelevant. Although Heathcliff and Catherine were unable to be together due to Catherine’s wishes for higher social rank, I was glad that there was an over all happy ending with Cathy and Hareton. When I read about Cathy and Hareton’s first meeting I feared that they might repeat their parent’s mistakes, especially since Heathcliff had degraded Hareton’s social rank just as Hindley had done to Heathcliff. Fortunately, they had a little more sense than that; it just took them a while to realize they were perfect for each other. I really felt for Hareton when Cathy was rude to him about his illiteracy, and was very glad to see that they were in fact going to be together. As for Nelly Dean, I felt like she was my best friend! I loved her morals and the fact that she was just a great person over all. She showed in herself what many people lack today, and she is somewhat of an influence to be a better person. Although I feel that many relationships in this story were dysfunctional and unhealthy, they were much different than the traditional love story, and they helped start a whole new style and type of writing. Wuthering Heights was an amazing read and it also helped to expand my vocabulary as well! :]
Heyyy Mrs. Mawhirter!!![:
I tried to post my blog as a comment, but there were too many characters. I did write mine though. Please take a look at it, and tell me what you think. Thanks a million!
All my loveeee,
Amyyyy!(:
In my opinion, Catherine did not choose the right spouse.
Throughout the book it clearly confirms my belief that Catherine felt she had made the wrong decision also. The literature frequently express's her feelings of misery, grief, and hopelessness.
Catherine is constantly thinking of Heathcliff and about her error in her marriage to Edgar. I felt as though Edgar caused her many troubles, which made her long even more for Heathcliff. I noticed this constant longing caused her an abundance of stress every time Heathcliff came around. Then when he would leave her, she would become very ill.
Catherine could not predict her future whether it be underprivileged financially, socially, or love stricken with Heathcliff. Her statement that their marriage would cause them to become beggars is only one factor in choosing a spouse.
She couldn't have known that happiness in the arms of the one she loves is a much greater gift than financial stability. I believe your financial situations shouldn't be considered when deciding on marriage...if the person you are with is your one true love. I have faith it is better to marry for love; to have a life filled with more happiness than sorrows.
Is Heathcliff's quest for revenge justified? What effect does this quest have on those around him?
Is revenge ever justified?
Revenge is not something to be sought after because it acts as a double-edged sword by inflicting pain both on the giver and the recipient. Although Heathcliff was greatly wronged by Hindley, I don't find his pursuit of revenge was justified. Heathcliff caused everyone to hate him during this time. Nobody could trust him because of his deceitful and abusive actions. His behavior caused great pain and suffering on those around him and, at times, even lead to their demise. During this quest Heathcliff winds up destroying the only thing he ever truly loved, Catherine Earnshaw Linton. She said that because of Heathcliff and Edgar she was dying. Both men had broken her heart. Later, after Hindley’s death, Heathcliff continued his vengeance upon Hindley through Hindley’s son, Hareton. He succeeded in lowering Hareton to a stupid brute, capable of little as he was under Heathcliff’s bondage. The irony is that a quite similar thing was done to Heathcliff at about the same age. However, the sad part about it is that Hareton didn't know any better and considered Heathcliff a "father-like” figure. For Heathcliff this is a completion to some degree of the vengeance he’d so earnestly been seeking. Towards the end of the novel, when he could have reaped his final revenge, he found that the prospect didn't satisfy him. His quest, though so prominent at first, had dwindled into nothingness. A reason for this change might be attributed to the fact that even after revenge has been dealt it refuses to bring the feeling of justification. It is never enough. It poisons the mind with the delusion that once revenge has been sought and won, there will be closure. Revenge never brings the prolonged sensation of gratification. When seeking vengeance, you‘re sure to come away with something, but it isn‘t always what you expect.
Is Heathcliff’s quest for revenge justified? What effect does this quest have on those around him? Is revenge ever justified?
Heathcliff was very much the victim and the villain in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. Because of Hindley’s determination to degrade Heathcliff in any way, Bronte captures his isolation growing up, and, because of it, the reader can almost pity Heathcliff and can almost understand why he chose to live a life full of vengeance and hatred. As easy as it is to say that revenge is never justified, Bronte superbly captures the human notion to fall into the trap of a life filled with a never quenched thirst for power and revenge. Bronte makes Heathcliff an almost unnatural sort of villain, because he never once wavers in his quest for revenge, and will sacrifice anything to have his will be done. His quest isn’t justified, but what quest for revenge ever is? His quest was human, and in addressing that, the reader can almost sympathize with him when he’s at his weakest. Naturally, his quest for revenge affected those around him. There are the obvious ways that he hurt people in his quest, such as the way that he hindered Hareton in the same way that Hindley hindered him as a child. He also scarred young Cathy. She was torn away from her home at a time when she and her father were both vulnerable, and she didn’t get to see him as much as the two of them would have liked. It was hard for her to be away from her father, knowing that he was facing his death. This parallels Heathcliff’s relentlessness to see Catherine before she died, and shows the reader how he could care less for other people’s emotions. He doesn’t allow Cathy to see the only person she loved before his death, and this act of hypocrisy is proven because he refused to take no as an answer to seeing Catherine before her death. After her father’s death, Cathy did her best to honor Edgar in his death. Heathcliff also made use of his son, Linton, for his own worldly benefits. This in itself hurt Linton, who, until his dying day, remained a sniveling, whining creature. There are also emotional consequences to Heathcliff’s quest. Cathy was forever scarred because she was ripped from her home to bid Heathcliff’s will. She then turned into a hard and cold woman, embodying the negative aspects of her mother’s personality. Hareton also suffered under Heathcliff’s hand. In the novel, Hareton is the only one who sheds a tear over Heathcliff’s death, and that is the result of Heathcliff being the only father figure that he had as a child. This obviously would scar anyone to have a father who was as cold and unforgiving and selfish as Heathcliff. Although revenge is never justifiable, it is our human flaw. Bronte captures that flaw and emphasizes it in Heathcliff, causing the reader to want to pity Heathcliff and making him seem more human. Is Heathcliff’s quest for revenge justified? No; although his quest is understandable, revenge is never justified under any circumstances. In the end, was Heathcliff happy? Did his quest ever once make him feel at peace with himself? No; Heathcliff inflicted constant pain and misery on himself and those around him. He never once opened himself to the idea of being human and allowing forgiveness to wash over his soul.
Did Catherine choose the right spouse? Is it better to marry for love alone, or should the financial/social situation of your intended spouse be strongly considered?
When Mr. Earnshaw adopted Heathcliff, Catherine grew very fond of him. She respected Heathcliff and she made it obvious to him. Over time, Catherine and Heathcliff fell powerfully in love with each other. Catherine didn’t really worry about her social status around Heathcliff. Their love couldn’t be broken – nothing could stand in their way.
When Catherine’s ankle got bitten by the Linton’s dog, she had to stay at the Linton’s for a long period of time during the healing process. She became close with Edgar and they developed a relationship. She didn’t think about Heathcliff because he wasn’t around. Catherine got to see Edgar’s lifestyle – both his social and financial situations. Catherine chose to marry Edgar because of his social and financial situation; however, she still loved Heathcliff. Heathcliff just couldn’t provide for her like Edgar could. Catherine would struggle with her decision for the rest of her life.
I think it’s better to marry for love than marrying for money. Catherine would have had a much happier love if she had married the person she truly loved. Catherine struggled with her conscience because she knew she had made the wrong decision. Her love for Heathcliff was stronger than all the money Edgar could give her. Catherine’s health declined because she could never be at peace with her conscience for not marrying the person she truly loved. True love always wins!
In my opinion Catherine did not choose the right spouse. I think through out the book there was evidence of consequences for her actions. For instance she gets ill whenever Heathcliff leaves. She clearly loved Heathcliff and Edgar but I think in the end she loved them for different reasons. I think her being away from Heathcliff when she was at the Linton's made her long for someone to love. Therefore she started developing feelings for Edgar. She may have thought she loved him but I think she might have just been replacing Edgar for Heathcliff. So she thought she really loved Edgar but I think the financial/social situation drew her to marry Edgar. Like I said before, she loved both of them but for different reasons, and some of those reasons weren't for the best. I think you should marry the person who your truly love. You should love the person for them, not for their money and social status. That shouldn't be a major factor. Yes, you should consider it but it shouldn't be the only reason your marry a person. You should marry a person for true love.
The relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine has been described by many as a classic love story; others call their tempestuous relationship destructive and dysfunctional. With which do you agree and why?
Most people would agree that finding someone to love is one of the most important aspects of life. Although I agree with this thought, I think that Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship didn't demonstrate a speck of classic love nor could ever be thought of as respectable. Catherine didn't favor Heathcliff's love over Edgar's status and her decision to marry the latter proved that her love towards Heathcliff, though true, was secondary to wealth. To me, that is the worst mistake a person can make in the concept of love. However, some may agree with her decision and they have sensible reasons for doing so, but I feel that if one chooses to marry, they should give their whole heart to that one person. Catherine continually broke Edgar's heart as Heathcliff was constantly a priority for her. Although at the time I was hoping for the unification of Catherine and Heathcliff after he had returned, I now feel that once she chose Edgar, it should have been the end of it with her and Heathcliff.
Heathcliff proved to me as being the character most destructive and dysfunctional. I absolutely despised his personality, his motives, his attitude, and his overall being. Emily Bronte did an excellent job of developing his character, which is why I believed I hated him with such a passion. I am not at all implying that Heathcliff had no love for Catherine. I am saying that he handled his abundant love for her terribly. He married Isabella in order to somehow get back at Edgar for stealing his Catherine. Heathcliff treated her worse than a master treats a slave and hoped that Edgar would discover this and be hurt. I believe he also married her to make Catherine envious, as that is what the topic of their quarrel was on one occasion.
I will never understand the manner in which Heathcliff and Catherine spent their last night together. I couldn't keep up! They were angry with each other yet felt a passionate love somehow. Catherine was selfish enough to blame her death on him (which was so I think, but a great love would never say such harsh things when they have no time to be taken back). Heathcliff scolded her for neglecting him for Linton for the first time! He chose the day of her death to spill his heart out and although it was resolved, I feel it was selfish of both of them to leave such harshness on each other.
Heathcliff and Catherine had a love that was true, but in my opinion, held nothing special. Of course, Heathcliff grieved her death until the end of his life, but that simply reflected his bad nature. He changed none from his life before Catherine's death to his life after besides the fact that he missed her. He was evil all around. Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship was very enjoyable to read, but was definitely destructive and dysfunctional.
Catherine says if she married Heathcliff they would be beggars. Did Catherine choose the right spouse? Why or why not? Is it better to marry for love alone, or should the financial/ social situation of your intended spouse be strongly considered?
I believe that Catherine did not choose the right spouse. Yes, Heathcliff started out very poor at Wuthering Heights and was degraded majorly by Hindley Earnshaw, but when he first arrived to Wuthering Heights Catherine was extremely fond of him. At the beginning of Nelly's tale to Mr. Lockwood about Heathcliff's initial arrival at Wuthering Heights, Nelly comments that Cathy "was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separated from him. "This shows her immediate connection with Heathcliff, a connection not easily broken. I believe this was the beginning of her love for Heathcliff that would come into larger affect later in the novel.
Secondly, Catherine admits her reasons for loving and marrying Linton in the first place. After asking Catherine about these reasons and hearing her response, Nelly suggests to Catherine that she loves "Edgar because he is handsome, and young, and cheerful, and rich, and loves you. The Last, however, goes for nothing: you would love him without that probably; and with it you wouldn't, unless he possessed the four former attractions.” Nelly is explaining to Catherine here that her love is for material things and social status instead of true love itself. I believe that because of her love for only material things with Edgar, she was not fully complete and satisfied with her choice.
Thirdly, when Catherine compares her love for each of the two men (Heathcliff and Edgar), she says "My love for Linton is like foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary.” In saying this, Catherine is declaring that her love for Heathcliff is eternal and never-changing, though it would be more difficult to manage; and her love for Edgar is changing and won’t last forever, though it is very easy to maintain. Catherine also realizes that she gets what she wants with Edgar (social and financial stability) but does not get what she needs (the true LOVE) that she does get with Heathcliff. Because of this realization, I believe Catherine acknowledges her deep regret for her spouse choice.
Lastly, Catherine explains that no one can tear Heathcliff and her apart. Because of her determination to not be separated from Heathcliff, she is ill often when Heathcliff is not near her, or banned from her presence. Catherine also hints that she has only married Edgar to aid Heathcliff. She shows this when she says "if I marry Linton, I can aid Heathcliff to rise, and place him out of my brother's power. "For this reason, I think that Catherine truly wishes to be with Heathcliff but cannot because she has already chosen Edgar for the financial and social stability.
In conclusion, I believe Catherine did not choose the right spouse. She married for financial and social stability rather than a true love she needed desperately. I do not think it is bad to consider the financial and social stability of your intended spouse, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries, but to fully rely on that alone could result in illnesses and depression; whereas if you truly love and adore someone, social and financial status would not be as big a factor.
Hey Mrs. Mawhirter!
My Rebecca blog was too long to post, I hope it's ok if I send it to your email tomorrow morning so you can read it! Thanks & I love you!!
--Stephh. :)
In the book Wuthering Heights, I believe Catherine chose the correct spouse for her situation. However, for her heart, Edgar was definitely the wrong choice. Women of Catherine's time period were usually expected to marry a man with wealth and land for the woman's security, rather than for love between the couple. I think that Catherine did at least love Edgar to some degree, so her situation wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been or as many women’s were then. Had Catherine married Heathcliff and he hadn’t acquired the wealth that he did, I don’t think Catherine would have been nearly as happy a beggar in love as she was married to a wealthy man who didn’t have all her love. I also think that no matter where Catherine chose to go, she wouldn’t have been happy had she not gotten her way at least most of the time. I think Edgar was the correct choice in this aspect (her happiness) as well. Edgar let her have her way much more than I think Heathcliff would have, had he and Catherine gotten married. I believe that Heathcliff would have tired of letting Catherine have her way all the time, much as he loved her. In marrying Edgar, Catherine chose monetary security, but she also likely realized that she would be happier in getting her way much more often marrying Edgar than she would have in marrying Heathcliff. Today, it is not nearly as necessary for a woman to consider her potential spouse’s financial position as it was then, mainly because today a woman can do basically any job she wishes to, and then it was greatly frowned upon for a woman in Catherine’s position to do any type of work to sustain the family or couple. I think that if Catherine had been in our time period, she may have chosen Heathcliff over Edgar because she would have been able to work and help support them financially. However, I think if Catherine chose Edgar over Heathcliff today, it would be because she wouldn’t have wanted to work. For Catherine’s time and situation, I believe she certainly chose the correct spouse.
Is Heathcliff's quest for revenge justified? What effects does this quest have on those around him?
Is revenge ever justified?
Heathcliff's character, from Alice Hoffman's introduction, can be considered the ultimate literary stranger, a character whose very presence changes everything and everyone around him, a fierce storm storm in human form, an elemental force. After reading that little passage in the introduction, I felt quite puzzled because I did not know what was going on or what was going to happen with that character, but after finishing the whole novel I finally realized what she really meant.
The spark for Heathcliff's revenge is caused by Hindley's jealousy for Mr. Earnshaw's love for his only son. After the death of Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley starts to demoralize Heathcliff in any way he can do. Bronte's way of describing it is very emotional and descriptive and the readers at that point now know the reasons for his hatred, vengence, and hostile personality toward everyone around him. But, some readers may feel a little pity for Heatcliff when he hears about Catherine reasons to marry Edgar and not him. After that it quickly turns into another act of revenge on Edgar thus increasing his hatred even more. I agree with Melissa about Heathcliff's abusive actions and behavior on everyone causing them to suffer their fate.
All of this may have lead to the death of his love for Catherine Earnshaw, whom died in pain from Heatcliff's cruel ways. With Hindley dead, he passes his cruelty onto his son Hareton and do the same things Hindley has done to him in the past by taking away his education and turning him into a slave in his own house. Hareton wasn't the only person he used for revenge, he uses his own son Linton as a mere tool to carry on his revenge by marrying Cathy and gaining control of Thrushcross Grange and accomplished his revenge on Edgar for taking Catherine from him. Near the end of the novel, you can tell Heatcliff's act of revenge no longer satisfies him anymore and at his hatred for everyone at the beginning was very strong, but it soon deteriorated away, which also makes him starts to think their is no longer a purpose for him to live on.
I also felt through out the whole novel was that Heathcliff had an obsession with revenge on everyone else and that obsession was a lot stronger than his love for Catherine.
No, I do not think Heathcliff's quest for revenge was justified because to me revenge is never justified. I say revenge generates more enmity, then more revenge because it becomes a never-ending vicious cycle, and everyone I mean everyone suffers. The effect of Heathcliff's quest for revenge has caused quite a lot of pain and suffering to everyone around him.
I say revenge isn't about justice, it's about emotions.
There are many themes to Wuthering Heights. But, the most dominate theme is revenge. This really shows in the second half of the book when Heathcliff’s spiteful plan of revenge comes to life. When Heathcliff is introduced to the Earnshaw family, Mr. Earnshaw describes him as “It’s as dark almost as if it came from the devil”. However that statement alone is not reason enough to justify his vengeance. The justifications for such bitter actions were brought from many years of putting up with cruel mistreatment from Hindley, his hatred and jealousy of the rich Edgar Linton, and the love of his life, Catherine. From the first day he is in the Earnshaw family, when Mr. Earnshaw names him after his first born son, who died, Hindley despises of him. When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley returns home to be in control of Wuthering Heights. Hindley also “drove him from the company of the servants, removed lessons from the curate, and insisted that he should work labor outside.” In spite of that Catherine and Heathcliff still love one another greatly. “Catherine was much fond of him. The biggest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from Heathcliff.” Catherine has an unending love for him. She exemplifies this to Nelly by saying “he’s more than myself than I am”. Eventually Edgars Linton’s social status is what draws Catherine toward him. That makes Heathcliff despise him. When Catherine and Heathcliff got caught spying, She was bitten by Edgar’s dog, and was invited to stay, Heathcliff was not. As he watched from outside and saw Edgar admired Catherine and she admired the lifestyle they live. On the second encounter of Heathcliff and Edgar, Edgar teases Heathcliff about his appearance. The insults infuriate Heathcliff tremendously. He ends up throwing applesauce on him. Then he receives a beating from Hindley. He starts vowing revenge with the mental and physical abuse done by Hindley, which turns him into an uneducated, dirty, and cruel man. That sends Catherine toward Edgar, the man he despises. Heathcliff casts his revenge on his enemies with complete brutality of their own weapons, to turn them on to their own game. He buys Hindley and reduces him to a drunken impotency and takes advantage of him, and then takes control of Wuthering Heights. The weapon he uses against the Linton’s is their own weapon of money by arranging marriages. He marries Isabella and then has Linton, his son, marry Catherine Linton. Therefore the entire property of the two families will be controlled by him. However cruel his revenge may seem, it is not justified. The effect of Heathcliff taking revenge is devastating on others around him. His wife leaves him, and doesn’t speak of him to his son. Nelly no longer likes him. When Linton comes to live him, He hates having to stay at Wuthering Heights, and wants to be at Thrushcross Grange. Cathy Linton despises him; she thinks he is a wicked and cruel man. Edgar hates him even more than he did in his younger days. The only person that doesn’t seem to dislike him is Joseph. Revenge serves no purpose, although it may feel good to the person who is doing the revenge, it really just causes more revenge to fall upon them. It brings you down to their low level. Revenge can never change what has happened in the past. It might be hard to not want to dish out revenge to people, but just think “what am I going to prove”? The bottom line is it will do nothing but get you into trouble and dig you deeper into a hole.
In my opinion, the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine is both a classic love story and destructive and dysfunctional.
As they grew up together and spent every moment together, it only makes sense that they would fall in love, making their relationship a classic love story. And having their love forbidden and a secret from each other makes it even more so. In the beginning, i could already tell that they would end up in love, just by the way that Catherine would treat Heathcliff in spite of how Hindley cursed and beat him.
The reasons of how this relationship is destructive and dysfunctional is what happened ever since the night when Catherine confessed her love for Heathcliff to Nelly Dean. She told her that she would be ashamed to marry Heathcliff because he is poor and very ill-mannered, which would have been very destructive to her reputation. Also, the fact that she ends up marrying Edgar Linton because of his youth, looks, and money shows the reader that Catherine would have never been fully satisfied with Heathcliff, even though she is not fully satisfied with Edgar either. But Catherine is better off with him.
After Heathcliff returns, Catherine and his relationship becomes very destructive and dysfunctional. She should not have been allowing him to visit since she was married to Edgar, knowing how she felt about Heathcliff. She feels an emptyness and broken when she is away from Heathcliff, but if he had never come back, the healing would have gone by much faster and she could have been somewhat normal. Heathcliff and Catherine's love for one another was truly destuctive in the end, which led her to her death bed.
Did Catherine choose the right spouse? why or why not? Is it better to marry for love alone, or should the financial/social situation of your intended spouse be strongly considered?
I am torn between marrying for love alone, or marrying for love but making sure your intended spouse is financially and socially equipped.
Marrying for love is always the right way to go, but it might not get you very far. I think that Catherine did choose the right spouse, even though she loved Heathcliff more. Edgar made her life as comfortable as she wanted it, and made sure that she was happy. It turned her into a lady, instead of being wild like she was with Heathcliff. Her father would have been happy with her decision, and Hindley was pleased, too. Edgar gave Catherine everything she wanted. Heathcliff might have not been able to do that. If Catherine and Heathcliff would have married each other, who knows what the outcome would have been between them. They wouldn't be the richest family, but they would have definitely been happy. I think that Catherine ended up happy with Edgar though, and that proves she made the right decision.
You should always marry the one you truly love, even if they aren't the most financially equipped. Happiness is key in a marriage. If your intended spouse does not have a lot of money, that only means that you will have to work harder to have more money, which isn't always a bad thing. You should marry for love, not money.
In response to the first question:
After reading Wuthering Heights, I feel describing the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff as a “classic love story” is too narrow and simple for their complex love. “Dysfunctional and destructive” seems to fit the pair better. But this relationship cannot be melted down to two words; it is much too complicated for that. So in order to see what this love is, one must define a classic love story.
A classic love story is generally referred to as the stereotypical young lovers who marry and grow old together, eventually dying as a happy couple. Many factors expand this story past tradition. Though they fell in love young, they lived together as foster siblings, which led to the exposure of their extreme faults and weaknesses. Secondly, they couldn’t be traditional because of their incompatibility: Heathcliff was a beggar who hadn’t experienced true love, while Cathy was raised in a loving home with money to spare. Finally, due to her family’s expectations, Catherine felt like she had to marry above her class, not to her foster brother who didn’t have a penny to his name or a reputation worth repeating.
The second category, a dysfunctional love, matches the couple more accurately. This type of love is one that tries and fails repeatedly due to circumstances or incompatibility. Certain instances in the novel prove their destructive love. For example, Heathcliff repeatedly injures himself over Catherine: the night of Cathy’s death, the night Mr. Lockwood stays at Wuthering Heights, and the days before his own death when he starves himself. Yet Cathy is not completely innocent. She marries Edgar, forgetting the love she had with Heathcliff and how in love he is with her. This leads to Heathcliff marrying Isabella to spite Cathy. Finally, they both die from anguish of their complex love.
To finish this analysis of Cathy and Heathcliff’s love, I would say that this relationship simply shows the readers the power of love. Many people would say that this relationship doesn’t represent love, but I found it to be exactly what love is: passion. Though Heathcliff used this passion in a negative manner, it still shows his ardor and devotion to his lover. What is most amazing about this love, though it was never shown through marriage, is that from the ashes of disaster and death, Hareton and young Cathy find true love. The readers can only hope that the dysfunction seen in Catherine and Heathcliff won’t be carried on through generations.
I believe Catherine chose the wrong spouse. I think her mistake was made while being so overwhelmed in trying to decide what she really wanted in life and choosing the right person to make that dream come true.
She obviously wanted to have a secure social and financial status, and with her marriage to Edgar, that was accomplished. Catherine also longed to be in love with her spouse and to be loved in return. As a result, she believed that Edgar was perfect for her because he was “handsome, and young, and cheerful, and rich, and (most importantly) loved her,” as Nelly had summarized after Catherine confessed her love for Edgar. But there was no denying that in her heart, she also loved Heathcliff deeply. Soon after she acknowledges her certain love for Edgar, she contradicts her confident decision to marry Edgar with her statement about Heathcliff. She says, “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. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightening, or frost from fire.” After reading that statement, I found it hard to believe that she could love anyone other than Heathcliff regardless of his social status, because her love for him was real and wasn’t aroused by material things as it was with Edgar. If Catherine wouldn’t have been caught up in her selfish desire to give herself a good name and to be financially secure, I think she would have been able to see that Heathcliff was her true love. She also never really gave Heathcliff the chance to show her how much he loved her, which caused her to believe that Edgar was a better choice. I think she realized that she made a mistake because she made herself sick when she found out that Heathcliff was not happy with her, and it eventually caused her death. If Catherine would have married Heathcliff, Edgar probably would have been happy for her in the end because he seemed to always have her best interest in mind. Therefore, if she had married Heathcliff, everyone would have been happy, and Catherine and Heathcliff would have had an opportunity to make a good name for themselves. Their marriage would have also prevented Heathcliff’s destructive quest for revenge.
I don’t think people should ever marry for financial/social reasons because if you are truly in love with your spouse, then creating a good life for yourselves will come much easier. On the other hand, if you marry for money then you might end up struggling to find true happiness.
Hello Mrs. Mawhirter. I absolutely loved Wuthering Heights just like you said I would. This book filled me with so many different emotions. I laughed, cried, and at one time nearly threw my book across the room. :)
Catherine's prediction of becoming a beggar if she marries Heathcliff is a reasonable one. However, I think Catherine should have put this prediction aside and let herself love Heathcliff with a feeling of hope that he might become more stable as life went on. Catherine was miserable after marrying Edgar though many times she tried hard not to show it. She got most of what she wanted by marrying Edgar, (money, mansion, respect...) but she did not have what her heart desired. She lacked what she most longed for, and without that she would always be miserable. It pains me to know Catherine could have been living a long happy life with Heathcliff and that by just a moment’s confusion and pride, she let it all slip away. She should have not payed so much attention to money and social class when choosing her husband, and that is why I have to say Catherine made the wrong decision in marrying Edgar Linton.
Pride had a major role in Catherine's decision making but it was not something that she'd always had. Towards the beginning of the story, when Catherine and Heathcliff were fresh in the beginning of their yet to be known life long friendship, Catherine was wild, ambitious, carefree, and hardly had an ounce of pride in her. At that time, as the friendship grew, the only thing that truly mattered to her was being with Heathcliff. It says in the book that the only punishment they could give Catherine would be to separate her from her pal Heathcliff. The two of them existed in their own world and never noticed or even cared about the people or things happening around them. They grew so close eventually came to love each other. Though not one of them said a single word about it to the other, they both knew.
This young love they had did nothing but grow as they got older. I think they could have eventually gotten married. It was that one night when Catherine got stuck at Thrushcross Grange with the wealthy Linton family that changed Catherine's perspective. It was here that Catherine gained her pride, and here that began the start of all her confusion. The Linton's confused her by degrading Heathcliff. They made him seem unworthy of her attention, as he was to theirs. This long stay at Thrushcross Grange changed Catherine from a wild carefree girl, to a prideful, snotty, arrogant woman. However Catherine did not lose her hard head. She kept that and might have even made it bigger. By noticing this change in Catherine, Heathcliff became extremely angry with the Linton’s, especially Edgar, who now seemed to be the main subject of Catherine's attention. This was not good for Heathcliff, as it made Catherine feel that he was mad at her. Deep down, however, they both still loved each other, just neither one had the guts enough to hurt their pride and confess it. In a state of confusion I feel Catherine made a rash decision based on what was happening at present. That is why Catherine chose the wrong man, Edgar Linton, to be her spouse.
I don’t know for sure whether marrying for love or marrying for money would be the better way to go. In this situation however I definitely think that marrying for love would have been the best solution. Catherine and Heathcliff could have found a way to have made it work if they really loved each other, and then they both would’ve lived long happy lives together. I definitely think if you love someone you should give your all to make it work, and I just don’t think Catherine gave Heathcliff a chance.
Is Heathcliff's quest for revenge justified? What effect does this quest have on those around him? Is revenge ever justified?
In the beginning, Heathcliff's main goal for revenge was to make Edgar Linton's life terrible after he married Catherine. It was also to make Hareton a fumbling fool and humiliated because of the way Hindley treated Heathcliff. Due to Heathcliff's actions towards Catherine and Edgar, Catherine went crazy. I believe that if Heathcliff had left Catherine alone after she married Edgar, she wouldn't have been so unhappy with her life. Making Catherine go mad also had an effect on Edgar. He was unhappy as well, until Little Cathy Linton came along. Heathcliff did justify his revenge on Edgar because of the way he treated Cathy once she fell in love with Linton. Edgar died with no hope for his daughter's future. Heathcliff never got to justify his revenge on Hareton. Even though he raised him without a tutor and led him to become an idiot, Hareton desired to learn, and started teaching himself to read. Once Hareton and Cathy fell in love, Heathcliff had changed his mind about the revenge, and gave it up all together. His revenge on Hindley by making Hareton's life miserable wasn't justified, and Hareton was to live happily ever after.
Heathcliff's quest for revenge made everyone's lives around him miserable. He drove Catherine crazy, made Edgar lose hope, and raised Hareton to be a mean-spirited man with no literacy or recognition. No one was ever truly happy until Heathcliff died.
I think that in some cases, revenge is justified. For example, Heathcliff's revenge on Edgar. It worked out for him, because Edgar died knowing that Heathcliff had succeeded in the end. But an example when revenge isn't justified is in Hareton's cse, when he eventually falls in love and is to live happily ever after. This was an awesome book, I loved it!
in my opinion, the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff was a classic love story. Throughout the book there was evidence that they shared a love for each other. Catherine showed her love for Heathcliff by the kind way she treated him, unlike Hindley. However, their love was hidden from everyone in a way. They did not exactly confess to everyone the love they shared, which, I think, caused their relationship to become destructive and dysfunctional. Catherine only confesses her love for Heathcliff to Nelly, and what really caused their relationship to go downhill is the fact that Catherine married Edgar. Not only that, but she married him because of his financial status and for his looks. I think that is what caused the problems between the two of them. Heathcliff was neither good looking or rich. The pain and heartache that Catherine was dealing with caused her to face death early in her life and the pain was caused because she was not satisfied with Heathcliff or Edgar.
I think Catherine made the wrong decision in choosing Edgar. Sure, he had money and could provide a good life for her, but would she be happy? If she would have put more thought into her choice I think the outcome would have been better. Of course in this type of society, the women were expected to marry into wealthy families. People may have frowned upon her for being with Heathcliff, but I think she would have been a lot happier. I believe that it is better to marry for love rather than the financial or social status of a person because in the end it does not matter how much money you have. The only thing that matters is if you enjoyed your life, and as you can tell Catherine did not enjoy the time she had on earth. Her time was wasted on Edgar when she could have been with her one true love. When Heathcliff went away to Gimmerton, I think that is when Catherine decided that she would be poor if she were to marry Heathcliff. I felt bad for Heathcliff because he never had the chance to show Catherine how much he truly loved her. He became jealous of Edgar which caused Catherine to see only the bad side of him. They should have been together the whole time.
Heathcliff's quest for revenge may have been justified in some ways, but altogether I think it was wrong. His whole mission in life after Catherine married Edgar was to ruin Edgar's life, which he succeeded in doing. Not only did he ruin Edgar, but he also attempted to ruin Hareton because of the way Hindley had treated Heathcliff when they were younger. He spent the majority of his life trying to ruin the lives of those arouind him, which, in turn, ruined his own life. His quest for revenge was not right, but he did have some success. Revenge, in my opinion, is never justified because it turns others against you. Revenge is a person's way of showing others that they can't be beat, which is not true. Heathcliff practically killed Catherine because of his seeking of revenge. He made her life unhappy which made Edgar's life unhappy as well. It was like a domino effect. The outcome of revenge is never good.
I think it is obvious for anyone that read the book that Catherine did not choose the right spouse. Anyone can plainly see the dilemma she faced was a difficult one, marrying the man she loves and risk becoming poor, or marry a rich man that she did not love and risk losing her true love. Now I think you can see the real question here, which is more important love or materialistic wants. She struggled with this decision, so she sought to gain the best of both worlds. She believed by marrying Edgar that she could enjoy a life of comfort and nice things, but still be able to have her true love, Heathcliff, in it. But she was deluding herself, such a life was not possible, and thus she succeeded in not only making her own life miserable but also that of Edgar and Heathcliff. It was absurd to think that she could marry one man and still keep her love loyal to her. By trying to compensate money for love, she ruined any chance of a happy life.
As a result of her decision Heathcliff felt his love was not returned and of course left, thus ruining her dream of a life with her love, and causing her grief. At the same time, Edgar could easily tell that she loved Heathcliff rather than himself, which caused him to hate Heathcliff and kept them at a distance, furthering Catherine’s distress. Not being able to have the love of her life with her, and having her husband and true love fight eventually caused her death.
Many people will tell you that when you choose a spouse you should seek one that will be able to meet your financial needs. But the way I look at it is that in the end you have no choice in the matter, for you can not choose who you love, and trying to love someone you don’t, never ends well. Trying to connect love and money just doesn’t work. You may say, "Look at the world, there are many people that married for money and it ended just fine," but if you truly look deep into the world you will see just how many families are crumbling, just how many quarrel between themselves in unrest. The divorce rate of today shows you the danger of trying to attach money to love. There are so many people that are rich and not happy, they have so many expensive toys and nice things, but at the end of the day they are stuck with a personal life lacking love. At the same time there is the always persistent question of "but how can I be happy without money and the luxuries money brings?" This solution is harder to find, but I believe a true love is one that doesn’t just make you feel good but one that can turn any situation for the better because what is important to you is no longer what you have and what you want, its who you are with and the joy they bring you.
Wuthering Heights takes the reader deep inside the more twisted parts of the human consciousness, and explores the darker side of love. Heathcliff tinkers on the edge of human and monster, as love tears his life apart; an ordeal that could have been bypassed if Catherine only had the wisdom to listen to her heart. The dark demeanor of Wuthering Heights should be accredited to Catherine’s choice of spouse. If there is one lesson that I take from this story it is that there can be no compromise between love and money, and only one will bring you happiness.
The relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine has been described by many as a classic love story; others call their tempestuous relationship destructive and dysfunctional. With which do you agree and why?
in my opinion i strongly believe that it was destructive and disfunctional because they never really matured in their relashonship and the stayed in the stage of adolecent love.Their relashonship was mainly based on both of of their bad tempers and strong wills they believed that they were so much a like,and they were, that they thought that it would be enough to build up on. they were so careless in some of their choices they would always try and get back at each other if the other was wronged like when catherine maried edgar,it was a stupid mistake evn though heathcliff had been gone three years, heathcliff came back and married isabella just so he could get back at both of them. i think if they truely did love each other than they should have waited but they were to hasty in their decisions and if catherine loved heathclif, marrying for money should have never crosed her mind and this all showed her imaturiy.all their relashonship did was burn bridges between them and everyone else who was around them and it always turned into a big "he said she said" and the constant finger pointing never ceased.i think if this was a true love story then it would have ended with the church bells ringing the birds singing and heathcliff getting married to catherine ,but it didnt.
mr mawhirter i really enjoyed this book even though i swear im half british and can speak a little yorkshire i cant wait to see you......i really cant because by then 2adays will be over and i'll be happy to be alive
The relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine has been described by many as a classic love story; others call their tempestuous relationship destructive and dysfunctional. With which do you agree and why?
The relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine is a classic love story because, in a classic love story such as Romeo and Juliet, their love is “forbidden”. Because of social and financial differences, the love between Heathcliff and Catherine is not allowed. Heathcliff was raised with Catherine and enjoyed all the privileges of her family status. However, after Mr. Earnshaw passed away, he had to endure life as a servant because Hindley no longer allowed him the same life that he once had while Mr. Earnshaw was alive. Heathcliff’s and Catherine’s relationship is also like a classic love story because in the end, regardless of what he had to endure, love ultimately conquered hatred and the desire for revenge. Near the end of the story, when Heathcliff grabs the young Catherine in his hands, intending to harm her, he looks into her eyes and sees her mother, the Catherine he fell in love with, and releases her.
Catherine says if she married Heathcliff they would be beggars. Did Catherine choose the right spouse? Why or why not? Is it better to marry for love alone or should the financial/ social situation of your intended spouse be strongly considered?
Catherine did choose the right spouse because Edgar liked her and he also had money while Heathcliff was living as a servant but loved her. Even though Catherine loved Heathcliff she also needed financial support, something that Heathcliff did not have at the time. Also, if Catherine had not married Edgar, Heathcliff would have never have taken the chance to go out and become wealthy. Marriage, during that time period, needed a balance of both love and financial/social standing so that you can live as well as if not better as when you were growing up. When choosing someone to marry you need to have some love at the very least so you don’t feel as if you were marring a complete stranger.
Is Heathcliff’s quest for revenge justified? What effect does this quest have on those around him? Is revenge ever justified?
Heathcliff’s quest for revenge is not justified because even though he is doing this for Catherine, he is really further breaking her heart while she is still alive and making Catherine change some of her feelings towards him. The effect that this quest for revenge has on the people around him is that they see that he is full of anger and hate and are repelled away from him. This results in him becoming a more distant, villainous character in the novel. I believe that even though revenge feels satisfying at the time it is never fully justified in the end, particularly if you spent your whole life seeking revenge and not doing anything else as Heathcliff has done. When the revenge is finally carried out you have nothing else to live for.
Question: Catherine says if she marred Heathcliff they would be beggars. Did Catherine choose the right spouse? Why or why not? Is it better to marry for love alone, or should the financial/social situation of your intended spouse be strongly considered?
In my opinion I believe that Catherine choose the wrong spouse because she is blinded by Edgar’s wealth and social stability. Her choice was either to marry Edgar, someone that she did not love, just to be financial stable, or be with Heathcliff, the one that she grew to love and adore, even though he had no money. I believe that her choice was selfish because all she was worrying about was the materialistic things. She quoted that, “if Heathcliff and I married, we should be beggars?” I think if Catherine would have trusted herself with Heathcliff, that the financial matters would mean nothing to Catherine. People that just marry for money are not truly happy, and it clearly shows in Wuthering Heights. When Heathcliff left from Wuthering Heights all Catherine could think about was he. Edgar new that Catherine loved Heathcliff, which made him hate Heathcliff even more. He wanted Heathcliff to stay away from Catherine. Time went by and Heathcliff finally came back to see Catherine. The joy in her face was indescribable, she was shocked that Heathcliff came back to see her. Edgar was not so joyful, but he wanted Catherine to be happy, so he invited Heathcliff into their house. When Heathcliff had to depart, it was hard for Catherine to see him go. When he left she became ill, and this would happen every time he left. It truly shows the regret she feels.
I believe that the financial situations should be questioned in a relationship, but it should not determine if you and someone would marry because of that. When you truly love someone, you should trust them that they will be able to provide for you. I do not think you should marry for money because money does not buy happiness or love. In Catherine and Heathcliff’s situation, I believe that marrying for love would have been the best solution. Instead, Catherine never gave Heathcliff a chance to prove himself.
I made no attempt not to disclose any spoilers, but I did wait until the last day so nothing should take anyone by surprise or ruin anything for someone.
In Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights, one of the main Characters, Heathcliff, succeeds in taking revenge on others who he has felt have wronged him in the past. The question of whether revenge is ever justified is one of the central themes of this story. Heathcliff is first introduced as a seven-year-old boy who was found by Mr. Earnshaw “starving, and houseless, and as good as dumb.” Ellen Dean who narrates much of the novel says, “From the very beginning [Heathcliff] bred bad feelings in the house.” The master had promised gifts for the children when he returned from his trip, but they had either been lost or broken during his return due to the fact that he had a young child in tow. The young Cathy quickly befriended the little orphan however for her older brother, Hindley, Heathcliff became an object of resentment. Turmoil and fighting ensue and begin to affect the characters within the Wuthering Heights household and relationships become spiteful and vindictive. Hindley severely mistreats Heathcliff and quickly loses favor within the family. He is eventually sent off to school and does not return until his father passes away. The new master deprives Heathcliff of an education and although he does not cast him out of the house, he reduces his role to that of a common laborer working in the fields all day.
After a few years Heathcliff runs away, heartbroken, when he discovers Catherine’s intent to marry Edgar Linton, the gentleman of the neighboring house. He returns three years later and stays with Hindley at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff takes on a very influential role in the raising of Hindley’s only son, Hareton. Heathcliff teaches the boy to swear at his father and does not allow the curate to teach him. Hareton loves Heathcliff and sees him as a father-figure and role modle. Heathcliff’s revenge on Hindley was not for lack of a better term, making the son pay for the sins of the father. Although still madly in love with Catherine, Heathcliff marries Miss Linton in order to take revenge on Edgar. The new Mrs. Heathcliff soon realizes what a dysfunctional relationship she has entered, and eventually leaves him and moves to London to raise their child.
While Heathcliff’s vengeance is primarily aimed at Mr. Linton and Hindley it tears apart the lives of all the other characters because he uses them as a means of seeking vindication. Only after the two who originally wronged him have died does he realize how his efforts are wasted. Manipulating the lives of those around him benefits him in no way.
Revenge can be completely justified, but the end result will never satisfy those who sought retribution. Take our own criminal justice system for example. Those who commit crimes are made to pay for their wrongdoing. Isn’t this society’s way of taking revenge? It helps maintain the balance of our social order.
Mrs. Mawhirter
I'm so proud of you! You picked a book that didn't completely suck. Thanks a lot. It was a fun read!
Zack
One of the most important themes in Wuthering Heights is love. This theme comes about in many places in the book, but is probably most prevalent in the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff. Some would say that this bond is that of destruction and dysfunction, but in my opinion it is a story of classic love. In this case, there is a fine line between a classic love and that of destruction and dysfunction. However when looking at all the classic loves throughout literature, it is obvious to me that Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is of that nature. When I think of a classic love, I think of Romeo and Juliet, one of the most famous love stories of all times. Although Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is very different from Romeo and Juliet’s, it is also very comparable. In both cases the relationships are prohibited for petty reasons, whether it is money or social status. Though Catherine truly loves Heathcliff, she chooses Edgar for his economic assets and marries more for security than true love. In both loves you also see subtle archetypes that remind me of true classic love. When I think of Heathcliff, I think of the tragic hero. In this case, Heathcliff’s tragic flaw is that he loves to love as much as he loves to hate. Another archetype found in Wuthering Heights is the damsel in distress. Although Catherine plays a more authoritative role in the relationship for the most part, in her ending moments she is a lot like a damsel in distress and Heathcliff becomes her knight in shining armor. These are two of the most important archetypes encompassed in any classic love story. Finally, when looking back on what a classic love story really is, at the center of all the loving and caring, is destruction and dysfunction. Going back to Romeo and Juliet, we see that their love was as pure as any could ever be. However, in the end, the situation reveals itself to cause more pain and suffering than anything else. So when thinking about this question, I do not see a difference between dysfunction and destruction, and a classic love. The relationship that goes on between Heathcliff and Catherine in Wuthering Heights is a perfect example of how a classic love and destruction and dysfunction are truly the same thing.
Spoiler alert! Contents of this post will give stuff away! And I HATE that we never get a name from the narrator.....super annoying. Other than that great book! :)
What is your reaction to Maxim's fate? Do you think it was fair or not? Explain why.
Maxim’s fate was a rather shocking, and dramatic twist to end the novel. It’s difficult to say if his fate is fair or not, but upon reflection I think it is. Although the story is told from the new Mrs. DeWinter’s point of view, Maxim is the tragic hero in this novel. From the various definitions of the tragic hero we understand that there is always a constant: the hero must fail in the end. He had just narrowly escaped a trial for Rebecca’s murder yet a price was to be paid for his freedom and the ultimate price for Maxim. Manderley. When it seemed everything had been "resolved" there was that one, final snag. Upon arrival to Manderley we find that Mrs. Danver’s had set fire to the estate, thus destroying the thing Maxim loved most in the world. He’d fought so hard to keep Manderley from degradation during his marriage to Rebecca, and now it was gone. The one thing that should have survived was destroyed and the person that should have been destroyed, survived. Although this ironic trade-off should have been considered a blessing, it did not console Maxim for his plight.
What was your reaction to Maxims fate? Do you think his fate was fair or not? Explain why.
My reaction to Maxim’s fate was not only astonishment, but I was also very appalled. I feel that no individual has the right to decide if another can live or die. No matter what Rebecca did or how repulsive she was, it was not Maxims place to determine her death.
I think his fate was definitely not fair, he should have to suffer for denying another of their life. However, when the truth about Rebecca and Maxim was revealed to Mrs. De Winter it was showed as positive because it cleared her mind some and made her more secure with her marriage that Maxim was not still in love with Rebecca and was truly never in love with her, but that does not hide the fact that Maxim’s action in the past needed to have consequences.
The relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine has been described by many as a classic love story; others call their tempestuous relationship destructive and dysfunctional. With which do you agree and why?
There are so many different kinds of love stories. Some are passionate yet forbidden, some are magical, and others are just about two ordinary people. I don't exactly know how a love story suddenly turns into a classic love story. Is it just compared to the first one ever written? Is it compared to the love story that ends the most tragic or happily ever after? I think we all have our own ideas on what a classic love story should look like and end up like, but my idea of a classic does not bring up the thought of Wuthering Heights. Though it may be a classic novel it does not mean its love story is as well.
Because we all have so many different ideas on what a classic love story should look like, I will compare Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship to characters from another novel that I, myself, consider to have a classic love story.
I like to look back on one of the books we read during freshman year: Pride and Prejudice. Unlike Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff and Catherine start out passionate about each other. They grew up together and became very familiar with one another. Though their love may have come as a surprise to the family, it was destined to happen from the start. But that is not really the area that I wish to focus on. The main thing is really the attitudes and actions that all four of these characters show. Elizabeth is a strong woman who loves her family very much and draws a very fine line on the reason for marrying. And though Elizabeth struggles with pride and can be very judgmental she learns in the end and all is well. But Catherine, on the other hand, could be considered as spoiled, and only married Edgar for his money. Though Catherine is an extremely strong woman as well and is not afraid to speak, she doesn’t always say or think the right things. The biggest comparison though is of Mr. Darcy and Heathcliff. Though Mr. Darcy made his mistakes at first, he quickly overcame them. His character was one of nobility, honesty, and integrity. His precious gifts (that were only seen by patient eyes) became a curtain that covered up all his faults. Heathcliff was obviously different. Heathcliff reminds me of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. But instead of his hate turning into love like the Beast’s did, his anger, jealousy, and hunger for revenge grew tremendously.
Now, I realize all I did here was compare the characters’ personalities and I was probably little biased towards Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (partly because their best traits stand out a lot better than Heathcliff’s and Catherine’s), but when it comes to love it is the character’s character that allows that to happen. Mr. Darcy was the hero for Elizabeth. Not exactly a knight in shining armor but a humble man that would love her forever through kindness and honor. That’s what I think is classic. Not the forbidden part or the fighting part, but the kind of love the two people share. Heathcliff and Catherine definitely had love, but was it honorable? Was it more out of rage or regret? Was it classic?
Catherine says if she married Heathcliff they would be beggars. Did Catherine choose the right spouse? Why or Why not? Is it better to marry for love alone, or should financial/social situation of your intended spouse be strongly considered?
Did Catherine choose the right spouse? It all depends on what aspect you are viewing from. If we are viewing marriage situations from that day and time, then yes i do think that she chose the right spouse. In reality if she had married Heathcliff at the time that Edgar proposed then yes they would have been beggars, for Heathcliff had not a penny to his name. In those times that would have been complete social suicide, not to mention love can only get you so far before the realities of the world hit. When she chose to marry Edgar it was a decision made with her head, not her heart. Yes Edgar could provide everything that was important to life in those times, and over time you can learn to love the person with whom you spend your time and days. Heathcliffs absence for many years and the hateful revenge he sought when he came back makes me believe that if they had been together, then at some point the pressures of life would have ruined their relationship, or marriage based on his character is actions. Therefore I believe according to that date and time she made the right desicion 100%.
Marrying Heathcliff could mean becoming a beggar as Catherine said, but isn’t being with the one you love worth it? The feeling of having money and status is great, however it could never compare to the sensation of being loved. Catherine died with a broken heart and left two men on Earth grieving after her; one who had the satisfaction of having her physically and another who had her emotionally. She chose Edgar to be her husband, but that choice only made the future become a living nightmare. Heathcliff, scorned by her rejection, caused him to become bitter to everyone. Her one choice caused everybody at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange to suffer in the hands of her beloved Heathcliff. For me to say Catherine made the right choice would be false. If she chose Heathcliff I don’t believe Edgar would have acted as dramatically as Heathcliff. Things would have started off rocky but surely there would have never been any serious conflict. The love Heathcliff and Catherine had for one another had been powerful and heart grasping. That being said, pleasure can’t come from a marriage based on money and social status. Catherine lived in a big house with servants and a wealthy husband, but she was never truly happy. She jumped into a marriage with one man knowing that her heart belonged to another, so to pay for her ignorance she lived her wealthy life in unhappiness. Money can buy just about anything except the most genuine thing in the world; love. So in the end love triumphs over money and status for that is the key to real happiness.
What is your reaction to Maxim’s fate? Do you think his fate is fair or not? Explain.
It is very rare for an author to captivate readers in the powerful way that Daphne Du Maurier does in her gothic novel, Rebecca. Du Maurier introduces her readers to a timid, self-conscious girl who marries the powerful master of Manderley, Maxim de Winter. Upon a first introduction to the character of Maxim, the reader gets the feeling that he is only barely recovering from the shocking death of his perfect wife, Rebecca. The reader pities and almost fears this mysterious man, and is surprised at the instant connection between Maxim and our narrator. Throughout the majority of the novel, the reader is left with an eerie feeling of suspense, and we’re always expecting Maxim to act out on what seems to be his apparent grief. The reader can also begin to make conclusions of what Rebecca was truly like. At the beginning of the novel, Rebecca seems to be a mysterious, attractive woman. By piecing together bits of information from other characters, the reader draws the conclusion that Rebecca, who at one point seemed to embody the perfect bride and woman, is actually a sort of harlot, callous and cold in her relationship with Maxim. When Maxim tells his bride the truth of Rebecca’s death, both the reader and the narrator are shocked. But, after the brunt of the realization took hold, I felt the same as the narrator. I wasn’t too surprised, and it almost seemed a natural turn in the novel. I felt as if the ongoing mystery that Rebecca embodied was finally coming to a close. I didn’t feel too worried when Maxim had to handle the inquest, but I did feel a sense of uneasiness and foreboding when Favell revealed Rebecca’s note. I felt as if Rebecca truly was fighting her last battle with Maxim. And, with the knowledge of what a tragic hero was, I knew by Aristotle’s definition that the tragic hero always falls in the end. I didn’t want the truth of Rebecca’s murder to come out, but I feared that it would once Julyan, Maxim, and the others met with Doctor Baker. When Rebecca’s “suicide” finally had a motive to match it, I felt as if the novel had some hope of ending peacefully. But, upon Maxim’s awful feeling about what was happening at Manderley, coupled with the disappearance of Mrs. Danvers, I felt as if something bad had happened indeed. Naturally I was shocked at what happened to the Manderley estate. I felt that all of Maxim’s efforts had gone to waste, very much embodying A.C. Bradley’s definition of the tragic hero. I do not feel as if his fate was fair, although I feel as if it was inevitable. Mrs. Danvers and Favell’s actions are not excusable by any means, but they make sense in their own distorted way. In essence, Maxim took away the one thing that the two of them loved in life, which was Rebecca. They felt as if Maxim needed to experience their own pain, and so they destroyed Manderley, which was the one thing in his life that he was truly passionate about. I do not think it was fair because Maxim killed Rebecca, who was a deceitful harlot that cared for no one but herself, let alone Danvers, Favell, or even her husband. I do not think it was fair because Manderley was so much more than a home to Maxim. It was his entire life. It belonged to his family. It held centuries of history. It encompassed a timeless beauty, and it was a shame that it had to be destroyed. My reaction to Maxim’s fate? One of horror and disgust. Was it a fair fate to be bestowed on him? Absolutely not, and I’m sorry that his life had to be forever altered because of Favell and Danvers’ actions.
In what ways does the narrator change during the novel? Which changes do you feel are positive? Negative? In what ways do life experiences impact people for the better? For the worse?
The narrator in the novel Rebecca changes a great deal throughout the course of the novel. She went from being an immature girl to, eventually, a respectable wife. The changes of her character would generally occur over the COURSE of an entire adult life. However, the narrator is forced to grow up much more quickly than an average female given her circumstances.
Mrs. De Winter’s character began as being timid, quiet, and very unsure. She devoted herself to Mrs. Van Hopper’s needs because she didn’t have any of her own and because that was her job. After she met Maxim, the initial changes soon emerged. She stepped out of her comfort zone in accepting his request to take a car ride with him (even though she was very hesitant). She soon felt it easy and natural to share things with Maxim as more of her time was spent with him and started to think him as her friend. Because of Mr. de Winter’s insistence for her to interact with him, her personality took on a slight change in that she was better able to tell her feelings to someone instead of constantly keeping them to herself. I believe that this little change was definitely positive because it improved her social abilities. Mrs. De Winter’s decision to marry Maxim instead of move with Mrs. Van Hopper to New York was very unexpected in comparison to what her type of personality would usually do. That choice, in itself, proved a change in her seeing as how she was normally the opposite of spontaneous and a “go with your heart” kind of person. I believe that this also was a positive change because it was what she wanted, not what other people wanted her to do. It was her first step in being her own person. Up to this time, Mrs. De Winter’s character didn’t much change, mainly just her decision making. However, once she arrived at Manderly, a great deal of change involving her actual being began to emerge. She started noticing things and places that Rebecca previously owned and operated and became quite jealous. Her mindset for a great deal of the book was focused on how Rebecca was no doubt more worthy than she. Because of this, Mrs. De Winter became suspicious, curious, and somewhat depressed. She still was in essence the same shy and young teenager, but her concerns no longer consisted of her own affairs, but of Maxim’s affairs, wants, and needs. After Maxim told her that he had murdered the late Mrs. De Winter, she was somewhat overjoyed. Strangely, this confession made her stronger and more self confident. She began easily giving orders to the servants, and being able to take charge of the household easier all because Maxim had given her a confidence boost. Mrs. De Winter’s changes all occurred because of Maxim and his choices. They all affected her and her personality. I think that these changes in character were primarily negative. She based her worth on the actions of Rebecca which was entirely unhealthy.
Life experiences, small or large, can change people’s lives and impact them in both positive and negative ways. In which way the experience takes generally depends on the attitude of the person. For instance, two different people could experience the same tragedy of having a family member killed. One has a positive outlook and focuses on how God can work through them to make things better while the other shuts down and makes a mess of their loss. One was for the better and one for the worse. I think everything depends on the type of person, and what they take out of the experience.
Oh and sorry I forgot to put my last name on my first comment but that was me! haha
Marriage in Rebecca is revealed as being based on society and their views. The marriage between Maxim De Winter and the narrator appeared unusual to others. Maxim was a very wealthy man who was well known in society whereas the narrator was an underprivileged girl who worked for an elderly woman as her companion. Throughout the whole novel she is looked down upon by everybody in Maxim’s social circle and constantly compared to his late wife, Rebecca. The first Mrs. De Winter enjoyed horseback riding, sailing, and throwing extravagant parties. She sat comfortably in the circle since her background and personal choice of activities attracted everybody. The narrator on the other hand was the complete opposite since she was shy and did not want to partake in activities the rich considered fun. For that reason they steadily thought of her as childish and unsophisticated.
I would not say that the foundation of people’s marriage these days are much different from the 1930’s, but more people do expect love to spark up before making such a commitment. My own personal outlook on marriage is founded on numerous aspects; however love and respect are the most important. When you are married to the one you love you get to spend life with someone who cares just as much about you, as you do about them. From being able to see within my family I have learned that if you have respect for one another in the marriage then you are capable of working together in your partnership to make sure your marriage is a success. You should be able to enjoy what the married life has to offer if you marry for the right reasons.
Okay, so I'm not really trying to avoid spoilers in this one. It's kind of hard to with this novel! I'm answering the first question: What views of marriage are presented in the novel? What are your own views of marriage based on both your beliefs and the marriages you have seen modeled in you life?
The main reason I chose to answer this question is because of the many different answers to it. The narrator of the novel gives an opinion on every couple she meets and how life should be. She also changes her "label" on her own marriage halfway through the story. The narrator is also very analytical and scrutinizes each person she encounters in detail, from the "lady in the salmon dress" to the deceased Rebecca.
The first marriage presented to the readers is the supposedly well known and respected marriage of Max and Rebecca de Winter. It looks, on the surface, to be the perfect marriage: they are both beautiful, in love, and rich in land, servants, and money. They love each other, and everyone loves them. This description is given by Mrs. Van Hopper.
Then Maxim marries his second wife, the narrator, and the readers see another type of marriage. The couple is years apart in age, but profess to love each other. However, they are insecure and aren't completely honest with each other. If Maxim had not confessed, I think this marriage would have ended soon. The narrator labels her marriage as a failure.
Thirdly, the narrator describes the relationship between Beatrice and Giles, Maxim's sister and her husband. It is viewed as a practical, functioning marriage; they aren't extraordinarily special or dysfunctional, just the average, dull couple with children.
Then the readers reach the climax of the plot, in which they discover what a farce Maxim's first marriage was. This could be labeled as the "dysfunctional" couple. They were not in love, they only married for the image, and it ended in disaster. I find this couple interesting because of the question I answered about Wuthering Heights about how to describe Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship. This marriage is also a "double life" marriage, where what is assumed by the public is not true.
Lastly, a change arises in the narrator's own life. She and Maxim transform what was an insecure marriage into a totally interdependent, in love marriage. They are completely open and honest with each other and, no matter what happens, they will always love and provide for the other. Though not recognized by society as "perfect," this is what I believe everyone strives for in their own marriage.
In my personal experience, I have seen marriages like all of these in my life. From dysfunctional, ending in divorce, to dull and average, to society's image of perfection. I believe the only way to find "perfection" in a marriage is if both people are striving towards God's will for the two of them.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this novel and its ending. It kept me on the edge of my seat and made me feel a variety of emotions including anger, surprise, and pleasure. I'm glad Mrs. Mawhirter chose this book for our summer reading! (Now if only the narrator's name had been mentioned...)
What views of marriage are presented in the novel? What are your own views of marriage based both on your beliefs and the marriages you have seen modeled in your life?
To begin I would like to say that there were multiple different aspects of marriage presented throughout “Rebecca.” There was the marriage of Rebecca and Maxim that appeared to be perfect on the outside, but on the inside it was nothing more then a struggling and deeply unhappy marriage. Rebecca and Maxim’s marriage was like a block of clay, it was molded to fit the image that society had inflicted on their lives of what a “perfect” marriage should be like.
Then there was the narrator, whose name is never mentioned, and Maxim. I must admit that in the beginning of their marriage I was confused as to why these two even got married. I can tell that the narrator was in love with Maxim, however the feeling did not seem to be returned. I felt as if their marriage was lacking passion. Yet, I was proved wrong. No one, including myself, thought their marriage could last. Many wondered why they were even married. They were years apart in age. The narrator was extremely shy, an underclass than Maxim, and was constantly being reminded that she wasn’t Rebecca. However, we were all proven wrong when their loved prevailed all that was placed in front of them. It just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover.
Lastly, there was the marriage of Maxim’s sister, Beatrice and her husband Giles. I don’t really know the perfect word to describe their marriage. It seemed like a marriage that at one point may have been filled with love, but now they were just to the point that they were together because it was convenient for the two. They were also a very unlikely pair. Beatrice seemed very prim and proper. Giles, not so much, he was ill-mannered and not very spontaneous at all.
Although, I haven’t had the best influences of what a marriage should be like, I have my ideas of what an ideal marriage should be. Personally, I feel like there are three very important things a marriage must have in order to make it, true love, trust, and commitment. I also feel that if you praise God for the happiness in your marriage, and confront him with the problems you are having, when they occur that God will do what is best for both you and your significant other. This is true in any and all relationships, not just a marriage.
What is your reaction to Maxim's fate? Do you think his fate is fair or not?
My opinion is probably similar to everyone's about being rather surprised and outraged by his fate throughout the whole novel.
At the start of the novel, the author described Maxim as rich and wealthy man with a widley renowned estate called Manderley. We also only know that he has just recently lost his wife, the beautiful and loving Rebecca, in a terrible drowning accident a year ago and still seems to be recovering from that unexpected event. The author, DuMaurier, introduced and described the narrator(Whose name is never mentioned throughout the whole novel) as a young, insecure, woman who always second guess herself on making the right decison and if she is uncertain over the course of the novel she always seem to try and predict an outcome and to my surprise the narrator goes into a detailed story about the whole thing.
The relationship and marriage between the narrator and Maxim, in my opinion, can be described as a lion and lamb relationship. Maxim is aged man with years of experience ahead of him while the narrator, a young lady who has not been on the Earth very long and is ashamed of her inexperience to the whole world and as well being not as great as Rebecca once was .
At first, the relationship between the two was rather distant but when Maxim made his indiscreet confession to the nearrator, the two lovers finally accepted one another and became a lot closer than ever before.
What amazed me the most was that how the narrator took to the confession so naturally and unphased after learning about Maxim's disturbing story.
Maxim's confession gives his reason for shooting Rebecca, whom everyone loved, and explained she was using him and Manderley, playing with his life as if it
were childs game to her. All these things made Maxim miserable and never happy and only he would know what was happening between them but to the rest of the world, they know them as the perfect couple but to me, Maxim was living a lie his whole life.
I say that the relationship between Maxim and Rebecca is sort like a game to Rebecca and she was always winning and taking every little thing from Maxim as the game went on.
I would have to agree with Tabitha and Melissa on comparing Maxim as the Tragic Hero, a person who is not perfect, but is alsom human and makes the same mistakes and problems as we do. A mixture of good and bad characteristics and the hero always falls in the end.
And with that,the description fits him very well to me because Maxim's whole life is a journey to try and find happiness and end the past.
Maxim choice to take Rebecca's life was his last and maybe only hapchoice to become free from her "perfect" world. To answer the following questions: like I said before,I was shocked for the outcome for Maxim having his life corrupted by an evil woman and I felt rather sorry for Maxim having to be miserable and having to be punished by Rebecca even well after her death.
No, I did not think his fate was fair because he had to go on and live with a big weight on his chest and thinking the whole time Rebecca has already won with that wicked smile she had when her life was taken away. I suggest as that one saying goes "No good deed goes unpunished" Maxim was living up to the status of a tragic hero where he falls and ends in tragedy for himself and others around him
What was your reaction to Maxim’s fate? Do you think his fate was fair or not? Explain why.
My reaction to Maxim’s fate was not really surprised, but appalled. Maxim didn't have the authority to kill Rebecca. No one should have the right to kill anyone. But, when the reader read about why Maxim had killed Rebecca it made perfect sense. I felt that she had almost deserved it. She was about to die and fooled Maxim into thinking that she had a child that wasn’t even Maxim’s. Therefore the child would take over Manderley when Maxim died. He went into one of his anger rages and shot her. Then he put her into a boat to cover up what had happened. A few weeks later a body that was believed to be Rebecca, washed up on the shore. Maxim identified it as her, knowing that it wasn’t. Years later someone had found her boat with her corpse in the cabin. Everyone thought that Maxim just made a mistake in identifying the other woman as her. They brought up a trial of her death because Mr. Favell, Rebecca’s beloved cousin, suggested that Maxim had killed Rebecca because she was pregnant. He had a note to “prove” it. They asked Mrs. Danvers some questions and she replied that she couldn’t think of a reason of why she would commit suicide. She did know that she went to a doctor on the day of her death. She told them it was Dr. Baker in London. So they went to Dr. Baker to find a motive of why she would be murdered. After seeing Dr. Baker and learning that she had an illness called cancer, it was concluded that she committed suicide. Maxim got off the hook with the trial of Rebecca’s death a free man. Everyone was convinced that Rebecca had committed suicide due to her illness. On the way home to Manderley Maxim sensed something was wrong with the disappearance of Mrs. Danvers. He decided to drive straight home and not stay the night at the inn. He and Mrs. De Winter drove all night back to Manderley. When he got home to Manderley he saw orange flames and realized that Manderley was on fire and destroying. Not only did his home destroy, but everything that he had built up and worked for was also destroyed. His whole life’s accomplishments were ruined and maybe his life. The whole reason of murdering Rebecca was to keep Manderley safe. Therefore his killing of Rebecca did nothing. Manderley was still destroyed. I don’t think that Maxim’s fate was fair. No one should have to live through that.
During this novel the narrator gradually changes from a shy, skittish and insecure girl, to a confident and very secure young woman. The change starts to take place when the narrator meets Mr. de Winter. She feels that she must be a talented, beautiful, older woman in order to even be considered by Mr. de Winter. This is where she starts to analyze her life and sees herself as an anxious little girl.
This change that she makes can be looked at in both a positive and negative way. Mostly I feel that her transformation throughout the book was a positive one. As a result of her transformation from a little girl into a secure woman, the narrator builds up confidence in herself. This confidence leads her to feel like she can stand up for herself, what she thinks is right, and also for the ones she loves. This confidence is shown when the narrator finally shows Mrs. Danvers who is boss one day in the morning-room by stating, “I am Mrs. De Winter now, you know. And if I choose to send a message by Robert I shall do so.” This statement left Mrs. Danvers in shock, and also proved to herself that the transformation was complete, she was no longer a child.
Like I said most of the change that took place within the narrator I feel resulted in mostly positive things. The one negative change that occurred in the narrator during a section of the book, was her jealousy of Rebecca. This was not a good quality in her at all as it made her stray away from Maxim and led her to draw conclusions that were terribly incorrect.
Certain life experiences impact people in different ways. Most of the time they teach lessons and one can learn and become a better person as a result of that experience. For example the narrator’s life experience of living with Mrs. VanHopper was not a good one, but it resulted in good things as the narrator decided she did not want to keep on living like she was. The experience encouraged her to make more of her life and not stay a little confused child for the rest of it. I believe that the way people react to certain experiences determines how it will affect them in the end.
Oh sorry..I was answering question #2.
What is you reaction to Maxim’s fate? Do you think his fate is fair or not? Explain why.
When I think of the word fate, a negative connotation always enters my mind. “Fate” always brings up thoughts of death, unhappy endings, and depressed lonely characters. But when I read of Maxim’s fate I surprised myself by not being too angry about what had happened.
I absolutely cannot stand Rebecca. The way that she totally came across as another person when in public but with Maxim she was a total brat just threw me off. I really didn’t like how the main character (whatever her name could be) had to put up with it. The poor girl had just stepped into a very new and strange life of which she had no idea of how to act in. But of course she wasn’t the first one to enter a life with Maxim. There was someone before her; someone that others could compare her to.
As strange as it sounds I really liked the way the book ended. The last couple of chapters definitely had my heart beating hard inside my chest and I was so incredibly relieved to find out that Maxim was going to live. I loved the growing relationship between Maxim and his new wife. I thought that they were absolutely perfect for one another and that they deserved a fresh new start, just the two of them. Both of the de Winters had endured many emotional and social struggles because of Rebecca, and they both needed something to come along that would end everything once and for all.
As for the fate of Manderley, I liked it as well. I felt as if Manderley was one of the biggest things that had been holding Maxim back from truly loving his new wife. Everything in Manderley was touched with Rebecca. Even though it was once Maxim’s dream house that fully belonged to him, it became a prison holding in all the secrets that were between Maxim and Rebecca. The end of Manderley was the beginning of the de Winters new life; one without secrets, without mystery, and without a barrier between two people in love.
What views of marriage are presented in the novel? What are your own views of marriage based on both your beliefs and the marriages you have seen modeled in you life?
There are several different types of marriage represented in this novel. The marriages either have a good outcome or a bad one. The marriage of Mr. de Winter and Rebecca, for instance, ended badly. Not only did they hide things from those around them leading people to think they were happy, but in the end Rebecca was killed. This marriage can be called destructive and possibly even fake, considering they shared no love for one another in the end. On the other hand, the marriage of Mr. de Winter and the narrator is much different. The narrator, who is a lot younger than Mr. de Winter, is a very insecure and quiet girl who is pushed to become a woman maybe a little too soon. She was sort of rushed into a marriage with Mr. de Winter, not that she didn't want to marry him, I just think she was a little too young. This marriage actually turns out well for the both of them. The narrator, at first, was not sure that Mr. de Winter really loved her. In the end, when the truth came out, she realized that he did. This was a very successful marriage, I think. The last marriage represented in this novel is the marriage of Beatrice and Giles. I loved Beatrice. She was very outspoken, but not in a rude way. You might hear of more marriages like this today. They're not perfect, but they have a good marriage. It's mediocre, which is not entirely a bad thing.
When I think of marriage, I think of being with someone who you love and will love for your entire life. I believe if you are with the right person, you will be together forever, and even though you may struggle, at the end of the day everything is always okay. I think about my own Mom and Dad. They have their share of arguments, but even if they are mad, I always know they love ach other no matter what. I know of several marriages that express this love, but I have also seen marriages like that of Mr. de Winter and Rebecca. The husband did not necessarily kill his wife, but it is obvious that they don't share a true love, and it causes them to grow apart which ends up with a divorce. The marriage I hope to have is like my own parents. The only way to have the "perfect" marriage is to put all your focus on God, and he will bring the perfect person into your life, and you will have your very own "happily ever after".
P.S. I wish we knew the narrator's name!
The narrator goes through many changes throughout the novel. Some of these changes are good, some not so good, while others are simply neutral. When we first meet the narrator, she is a shy young girl who allows Mrs. Van Hopper (her employer) to walk all over her so she can keep her job as Mrs. Van Hopper’s companion. While vacationing with Mrs. Van Hopper, our narrator meets Maxim de Winter, who had been recently tragically widowed. Being around Mr. de Winter gradually made our narrator bolder and bolder. While Mr. de Winter is away for a day from the hotel, Mrs. Van Hopper decides to leave the hotel and go home to America. The narrator thinks she won’t be able to tell Maxim goodbye. She sees him the next morning before she is about to leave, and he seemingly impulsively proposes marriage to her. At the very beginning of the novel, our narrator would never have accepted Maxim’s “ridiculous proposal” of marriage. Our narrator gradually becomes more outgoing by the end of the novel, but her growth is hampered by her fear of changing things from “Rebecca’s ways” to her own ways. The new Mrs. de Winter is terrified of bringing up any mention of Rebecca for fear of hurting anyone by those memories. She becomes outgoing before the party, but then retreats back into her shell when she realizes she has made a mistake in choosing her costume, as it was the same one Rebecca wore near her death. When Maxim finally tells her he loves her, and never loved Rebecca, Mrs. de Winter makes the most extreme change in the entire novel. She becomes much more sure of herself, and no longer lets people push her around. I feel that if the narrator had never met Maxim, first of all we wouldn’t have a story, but aside from that, the narrator would have stayed the same timid quiet girl we knew her as at the beginning and not as the confident, competent girl we now know her as. I definitely feel that the changes the narrator went through in the novel were positive.
I loved both of the books you chose for us, Mrs. Mawhirter!Thanks!
What views of marriage are presented in the novel? What are your own views of marriage based on your own beliefs and the marriages you have seen modeled in your life?
There are several different views of marriage presented in the gothic novel, Rebecca. These include dysfunctional, classic, and traditional marriages.
The first marriage presented in the novel is the marriage between Max de Winter and Rebecca. In the beginning of this story, Rebecca's marriage to Max seems to be the perfect marriage that everyone is envious of. Their relationship is loving, sweet, caring, and trusting. They seem to have very little, if any, problems in the marriage. Max and Rebecca seem to be publically in love. At the end of the novel, we find out that this was not the case at all. It was actually the opposite. Max hated Rebecca. She cared only for herself. You also find out that Max killed Rebecca because of her self-centeredness and his hatred towards her. This is when the reader finds out that what Max and Rebecca allowed others to see in their relationship was in fact not the reality of the marriage. This is an example of the classic, perfect marriage everyone wishes they had, but in reality it is a dysfunctional marriage.
The next marriage in this novel is between Maxim and the narrator, the late Mrs. De Winter. When they are first joined together in marriage, it is not looked upon as a good, “traditional” marriage. People in this time generally married for social status. I think that because Maxim married a servant girl who was in a lower class, he is looked down upon by many people in his society. Mrs. De Winter is a very timid and insecure person, while Maxim is a very strong and confident individual. At the beginning of their marriage, they are not open with each other and hide things often; even little things like a broken china piece. They do not trust each other with their thoughts or true feelings. Because of these factors, their marriage is significantly hurt which causes them to live as two strangers in the same household. Toward the end of the novel, Maxim finally becomes open and honest with Mrs. De Winter and tells her his story of Rebecca. Because of this confession, Mrs. De Winter becomes more confident in herself and their marriage. Their marriage is changed into a successful marriage because of this one very significant incident. This is an example of a marriage that started out being dysfunctional, but changes into a very successful marriage.
These two main marriages presented in the novel show two different sides of marriage. One is a fake marriage while the other is real. I personally believe a marriage needs to be based off of love foremost. If you love your spouse truly and deeply, things like respect and trust will come naturally. I think that is very important in a marriage. From marriages modeled in my life, from dysfunctional to successful, I have learned that you should have the same of similar goals in life, primarily the desire to follow in God’s footsteps and do his will for you, being a husband or a wife.
What views of marriage are presented in the novel? What are your own views of marriage based both on your own beliefs and the marriages you have seen modeled in your life?
The first view of marriage that is presented in the novel is the marriage of Maxim de Winter and Rebecca. Their marriage is described as the perfect marriage where they both love each other and they are very compatible. They love to have public events and always look happy. It also shows the truth about some marriages, when Maxim reveals that they never loved each other, that people will go to an extent to marry each other just for the publicity or to make someone else happy.
The other view of marriage in this novel is between Maxim de Winter and his second wife. She looks at it as the typical marriage where the husband does his duties around the house and does business deals while the wife takes care of social events and just finds things at the house to occupy herself. She never really believes that Maxim loves her, she is only a companion to him, so that he is not alone.
I believe that marriage should be based on love, and nothing else. The marriages modeled in my life have been good and bad. Sometimes i think that the people are happy just that they have a spouse, not necessarily happy with the spouse themself. But other marriages i have seen, they really do love each other, and that is all that matters to them.
I think Maxim deserved everything that happened to him -- the good things, and the bad. His complicated marriage to Rebecca was, without a doubt, the foundation of all his problems. It seemed like he would never be happy again after everything he went through with her. As the book progressed, the reader learns about the true character that Rebecca was. She was very deceitful to the public eye and she lived a life full of lies; in the end, I think she got was she deserved. Killing her was not the best option for Maxim, but it eventually led to the birth of a new beginning in his life.
His marriage to the new Mrs. De Winter had a rocky start, because of the many traces of Rebecca’s life left behind in Manderly for the narrator to discover. But, after Maxim revealed his secret, their relationship began to smooth out. I was very nervous while waiting to find out what would happen to Maxim after the discovery of Rebecca’s body, because I didn’t believe he deserved the harsh punishment that Mr.Favell was determined to inflict upon him. Rebecca had been an awful wife to him and was paid back for everything she did. I would have felt even better if everyone knew about the kind of person Rebecca really was, rather than being fooled by her charm.
I was somewhat surprised when Manderly was set on fire, but I came to favor the end of its existence. Without Manderly’s well-being constantly on his mind, Maxim would be able to put more effort into loving his new wife. Finally, Maxim would have the chance to completely start his life over, and discover a new meaning to his life that wasn’t materialistic. Maintaining Manderly had completely controlled his whole life and indirectly led to the biggest mistake of his life – killing Rebecca. If he wouldn’t have been so worried about what other people thought about Manderly and his lifestyle, he could have ended his relationship with Rebecca in a better manner.
In conclusion, I believe Maxim’s fate was very fair. He was punished for the murder of Rebecca by the misery he endured and by the burning of his beloved estate. But, he was also given the opportunity of a better life after everything was settled and he could finally be at peace with his new wife.
Marriages in Rebecca are represented on each of the extremes on the scale. Some relationships are completely dysfunctional, others are picturesque of true love, while others still were just your run of the mill, “average” marriage.
The first marriage we encounter in Rebecca is that of Max de Winter and Rebecca. At the beginning of the novel we see this relationship as the perfect marriage, in that the love they once shared was passionate, caring and true. However we find out later in the book that this is not true at all. On the outside, the bond of Rebecca and Maxim seemed perfect and even went so far in making people believe this relationship was true. However on the inside, this marriage was the epiphany of hatred between two individuals. Maxim was disgusted with Rebecca’s selfish and self-centered ways and he went as far as to kill Rebecca. This was a most extreme case of dysfunction between two married individuals.
Another example of marriage is the relationship of Beatrice and Giles. This is probably the most boring example of marriage in the book. Though it does not seem that they have any extreme contempt for each other, or abundant love for that matter, makes their marriage rather dull and unentertaining. This marriage seems to only be there for one reason: functionality. They are your basic monotonous couple with kids.
The last good example of marriage in Rebecca is the relationship of Maxim and the narrator. This marriage to me seems to be the best example of “true love” in the novel. The initial marriage seems to be rushed and impulsive. The idea of marriage seems to be hurried in this situation, but later in the novel it seems that this relationship was built on nothing but a foundation of sincere love. By the end of the novel there is no question that both maxim and the narrator are completely in love, however not without small speed bumps along the way in the relationship. To understand these complications completely, you must look at the time period. At this time people were still in the tradition of marrying for social status. For Maxim, Rebecca was a good choice for a wife, not for any particular bond they shared, but for the fact that she was from a comparable class. For these reasons the marriage between the narrator and Maxim was at first looked down upon. Other conflicts occur because in the beginning stages of their marriage they have a hard time trusting each other. The narrator does not actually know how much Maxim loves her until very late in the book. Because of these first uneasy moments between the couple, the relationship starts off rocky. However I believe that classic loves do not come without their flaws and this is another example of a true love overcoming obstacles.
The marriages in Rebecca show both extremes of marriages, the everlasting happiness and the never-ending pain they can cause. In my opinion good relationships should be based on a foundation of common values. If you agree with a spouse’s values then important decisions should become easier to make, and the overall relationship should just fall into place. Marriage in its “perfect” form in my opinion should not be a heartache or job in anyway but rather two people striving to form a strong bond through God’s will.
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At the start of the novel the narrator is a very quiet, unambitious girl. Her marriage to Maxim de Winter, a man old enough to be her father, forces her to try and take on a much different roll than her in her previous life as a companion to Mrs. Van Hopper. Throughout the entire story the narrator is an extremely self-conscious people pleaser. She tries painfully hard to be unobtrusive and low maintenance. Her rushed marriage with a man she hardly knew was extremely difficult for someone with her disposition to handle and if it hadn’t been the discovery of the late Mrs. de Winter’s body, the marriage could have been a total failure. The first few months spent at Manderly were awkward and uncomfortable. Mrs. De Winter went from knowing her place to feeling like she was drowning in a new life as mistress of a mansion. When Maxim was finally forced to be honest with his young bride, she warmed up to him instantly. She changed into a his equal and felt suddenly free to say what she pleased. The pressure to measure up to the standards set by her predecessor were no longer inhibiting her from feeling comfortable with herself inside within her marriage. Although the circumstances were far from ideal, I feel as if this change was for the better because Mrs. de Winter no longer felt like a stranger in her own home.
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