呼啸山庄阅读笔记

Love and Revenge Background:

Wuthering Heights takes place during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s in a small English town. Wuthering Heights is the name of a manor, Wuthering, being a rural adjective describing the atmosphere of agitation forever exposed to stormy weather and suffering. The novel begins with a narrative told by Mr.lockwood, a tenant of the elderly Heathcliff. As the story progresses, however, he comes into contact with a long-time servant of Mr.Heathcliff’s Ellen Dean, who explains the troubling events that took place many years ago at Wuthering Heights.Throughout the novel, Mr.Lockwood discovers the past love between a mysterious Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff that began after the girl’s father brought him as a boy to live with the family. The love between Heathcliff and Catherine, however,etndures great suffering, and the two eventually torn away from one anther. This tragic story, filled with passion and suffering, continues throughout two generations, as told by the old servant woman, many years after the events began. The story:

Mr.Earnshaw was the old owner of Wuthering Heights. He had two children, daughter Catherine Earnshaw also called Cathy and

son Hindley Earnshaw. One Summer morning he announced that he would be leaving for a short journey and promised his children with presents, however, when he came back, he hold a black-haired, dirty child, looking a bit older than Catherine. The child, though spoke no words of English, but rather murmured a few words no one could understand.Old Mr. Earnshaw chose to bring the child who was in the street, staving and homeless in Liverpool home since the good man had very little money. Mrs.Earnshaw was quite upset, while her children felt only anger towards the child, after discovering that their father had not brought them gifts.The boy was given the name Heathcliff. He and Cathy soon became close friends, but Hindley hated him and always beat Heathcliff, Heathcliff tolerated all of this with quiet anger inside him. Heathcliff knew the old man cared for him, and had long ago realized that he had only to speak and all the house would agree to his wishes. So sometimes he could take this advantage to protect himself and he even encouraged the master to think little of Hindley as nothing but an evil child. Finally, the old man died one day. Hindley came back with a wife and succeeded his father’s position. He punished Heathcliff to live with the servants and work in the fields, with Cathy’s help and accompany, everything is normal. Cathy and Heathcliff loved each other, and led a happy life. However, when her brother Hindley found this, they were forced to leave the sitting room for making a noise, they walked outside and soon saw

lights from the Grange.They wanted to know the difference between their life and the Lintons,while they were laughing, they were found, and then Cathy ’s leg were bitten by a dog while escaping, soon the Lintons knew them, as a result of it,Cathy was reserved and taken care of ,while Heathcliff was dragged out. It was during this spell, Edgar Linton fell in love with Cathy. Before long, Hindley got a son Hareton, but his wife died soon. Because of vanity, Cathy decided to marry Edgar hearing this, Heathcliff disappeared. Then Cathy married Edgar. Three years later, Heathcliff came back, with a lot of money. Actually, he began to carry his revenge plan. He made Hareton a bad man, he married Edgar’s sister Isabella Linton without Edgar’s permission. He worsen the relationship of Cathy and Edgar, then Cathy bore a daughter Catherine Linton, after two hours of the baby, she departured forever. Mrs. Linton’s funeral was to be the Friday after her death. Her body remained in the sitting room, and Linton spent his days and nights here, a sleepless guardian. Heathcliff spent his nights outside the window in the same manner. Both Edgar her husband and Heathcliff fell into great sorrow. So Heathcliff always flattered at his wife Isabella , beat her. Isabella left him, and lived alone, she had a son called Linton who was weak after her escape a few months later. Hindley died six months after his sister’s death, leaving nothing to his son Hareton but debts, and Wuthering Heights became Heathcliff’s property. Hareton from then on has been controlled by Heathcliff ,but he

himself didn’t realize that and even have fun in that way. However, Edgar loved his daughter who was very sensitive, affectionate and gentle very much. Years later, when Isabella was dying, Edgar went to see her and by the way to bring his nephew home, as Catherine was a curious girl, when her father was absent, she finally could go far away to satisfy her curiosity. She came to Wuthering Heights ,which was also her father was against and worried about. Here Catherine met Hareton, and she learnt that the young man was her cousin, she had complicated feelings hearing this. Then little Catherine waited the coming of his father and her anther cousin Linton. But Heathcliff got Linton back, and he was disappointed at the sick boy. To revenge Edgar, Heathcliff designed to let Catherine and his son Linton met, he and his evil son deceived the naive girl. Catherine was made to marry Linton or she wouldn’t be free, and be captive at Wuthering Heights. Unfortunately, Catherine’s father died a few days later, as a result, all the properties belonged to Heathcliff and his emotionless son. Heathcliff was so cruel that he even bought Edgar’s lawyer over, and demanded that Edgar Linton would not be buried next to his wife, but in the cemetery with his family.Catherine, without doubt, started a terrible life. Because of serious illness, her husband died.she was now in despair, for two weeks , she was in her room, finally, she couldn’t bear the bitter, she came out. Hareton loved Catherine discreetly, he now always wanted to help her but ending with disappointment, since her

husband died, and she hadn’t go out of it.Gradually, Catherine fell in love with Hareton. Catherine and Hareton got married and led a happy life.Though Heathcliff revenged so many people, but he was not happy at all, he became more and more lonely, eventually, he went to the heaven. This is a stunning novel, frightening, inexorable, unsettling, and filled with unbridled passion that makes one cringe.

My idea after reading Wuthering Heights is that this is a beautiful tragedy. Here I want to talk about the main characters of the story—Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff: Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff love each other deeply, but they didn’t have a right attitude towards love, which led to the tragedy. They were the source of the tragedy. Catherine made a very stupid choice---marrying to Edgar. Instead of choosing real love, she chose money and status. Heathcliff, on one side he should be blamed. If he could not get the love he wanted, he would rather destroy it. His love was selfish. If you love someone, then love what she or he loves .Because of Heathcliff’s selfishness, his cruelty, he finally learnt that even he revenged all of them, he didn’t feel a bit of happiness. So from this point, one must learn to be tolerant，generous，think for others, not just caring about himself, or he will sooner or later do some extreme behaviours and produce tragedy. On the other hand, I think he was also a victim of the love and revenge, to some degree, I feel much sympathy for him.

I This novel reveals the powerful and ruthless natural force, but human are not slaves of the nature, and have the courage to fight against it. So is it with human society. People dare to resist unfair phenomenon and oppression. For instance, when Heathcliff was abandoned by Cathy, he knew he had to be rich, and years later, he made it. Anther example, Catherine Linton never gave in to the evil man,and finally she did had a not bad ending. I think this is a light point of the novel, because through this way, it praises personality.

We are college students, many of us have girl friends or boy friends, by reading the story, when in love, we must take a correct attitude towards love. If it breaks up, we should think the problems between us rationally, we must not use illegal and unmoral ways to revenge the one we love, and even the whole society. We must be confident and positive.

To sum up, love should not be selfish, one must be humanitarian, confident, tolerant. Life is full of goodness, do not waste time hating others who betray you or do bad things to you. Though there’s much to be concerned about, there’s far, far more for us to be thankful. Happiness can be obtained, if your heart is big enough. If you really love someone, then give him or her the freedom to choose what he or she likes and loves, and also be generous. Only those who look forward can they win the future.