In this excerpt, Nelly Dean, the housekeeper and one of the novel's narrators, sits with Catherine
as she emerges from self-imposed seclusion on the heels of a quarrel between Heathcliff and
Edgar. Read the passage carefully. Then in a well-written essay, analyze how the author uses
literary elements and techniques to characterize Catherine and her complex response to the
quarrel.
Original:
In the excerpt provided, Catherine is distraught that she is dying and that Edgar has not
come to visit her. Catherine relives her childhood with Heathcliff. The author uses literary
elements and techniques such as flashbacks and imagery to characterize Catherine and her
complex response to the quarrel between Edgar and Heathcliff.
Catherine has feverish dream flashbacks that help the author characterize Catherine and
her complex response to the quarrel. As Catherine was in her confused state she believed that she
was back home at Wuthering Heights, “I thought as I lay there, with my head against that table
leg, and my eyes dimly discerning the grey square of the window, that I was enclosed in the
oak-panelled bed at home; and my heart ached with some great grief which, just waking, I could
not recollect.” (Ch. 12) This is the beginning of Catherine recalling her childhood. This
flashback brings the readers to her childhood home. As children Heathcliff and Catherine spent a
great deal of time and a love for each other developed between them. Catherine explains that her
“misery arose from the separation that Hindley had ordered between me and Heathcliff. I was
laid alone, for the first time; and, rousing from a dismal doze after a night of weeping,”(Ch. 12).
Catherine had to separate from Heathcliff and was left lying alone. The past between Heathcliff
and Catherine is a main reason why Catherine has a complex response to the quarrel. It is her
past lover and her current husband fighting. The flashbacks are used to help the reader
understand why Catherine is confused and has a difficult time responding to the quarrel between
Edgar and Heathcliff.
The author also uses imagery to characterize Catherine and her complex response to the
quarrel. Catherine describes the aftermath of the quarrel as much as she can, “I remember being
in the parlour after they had quarrelled, and Edgar being cruelly provoking, and me running into
this room desperate. As soon as ever I had barred the door, utter blackness overwhelmed me, and
I fell on the floor.” (Ch. 12). While, the description of the moves Catherine made after the
argument are not that deep it does provide the readers with much needed context. The reader
learns that Edgar was cruel to Catherine causing her to lock herself up. The “utter blackness” is
Catherine passing out after the adrenaline rush and confusion that occurs after an argument.
Nelly’s description of Catherine at the end of the passage is, “before I could hinder her, she
crossed the room, walking very uncertainly, threw it back, and bent out, careless of the frosty air
that cut about her shoulders as keen as a knife.” (Ch.12). Nelly is depicting the toll the conflict
between Edgar and Heathcliff has on Catherine’s mental and physical health. Catherine’s health
declines from the stress of being torn between her passionate love with Heathcliff and platonic
love for Edgar.
as she emerges from self-imposed seclusion on the heels of a quarrel between Heathcliff and
Edgar. Read the passage carefully. Then in a well-written essay, analyze how the author uses
literary elements and techniques to characterize Catherine and her complex response to the
quarrel.
Original:
In the excerpt provided, Catherine is distraught that she is dying and that Edgar has not
come to visit her. Catherine relives her childhood with Heathcliff. The author uses literary
elements and techniques such as flashbacks and imagery to characterize Catherine and her
complex response to the quarrel between Edgar and Heathcliff.
Catherine has feverish dream flashbacks that help the author characterize Catherine and
her complex response to the quarrel. As Catherine was in her confused state she believed that she
was back home at Wuthering Heights, “I thought as I lay there, with my head against that table
leg, and my eyes dimly discerning the grey square of the window, that I was enclosed in the
oak-panelled bed at home; and my heart ached with some great grief which, just waking, I could
not recollect.” (Ch. 12) This is the beginning of Catherine recalling her childhood. This
flashback brings the readers to her childhood home. As children Heathcliff and Catherine spent a
great deal of time and a love for each other developed between them. Catherine explains that her
“misery arose from the separation that Hindley had ordered between me and Heathcliff. I was
laid alone, for the first time; and, rousing from a dismal doze after a night of weeping,”(Ch. 12).
Catherine had to separate from Heathcliff and was left lying alone. The past between Heathcliff
and Catherine is a main reason why Catherine has a complex response to the quarrel. It is her
past lover and her current husband fighting. The flashbacks are used to help the reader
understand why Catherine is confused and has a difficult time responding to the quarrel between
Edgar and Heathcliff.
The author also uses imagery to characterize Catherine and her complex response to the
quarrel. Catherine describes the aftermath of the quarrel as much as she can, “I remember being
in the parlour after they had quarrelled, and Edgar being cruelly provoking, and me running into
this room desperate. As soon as ever I had barred the door, utter blackness overwhelmed me, and
I fell on the floor.” (Ch. 12). While, the description of the moves Catherine made after the
argument are not that deep it does provide the readers with much needed context. The reader
learns that Edgar was cruel to Catherine causing her to lock herself up. The “utter blackness” is
Catherine passing out after the adrenaline rush and confusion that occurs after an argument.
Nelly’s description of Catherine at the end of the passage is, “before I could hinder her, she
crossed the room, walking very uncertainly, threw it back, and bent out, careless of the frosty air
that cut about her shoulders as keen as a knife.” (Ch.12). Nelly is depicting the toll the conflict
between Edgar and Heathcliff has on Catherine’s mental and physical health. Catherine’s health
declines from the stress of being torn between her passionate love with Heathcliff and platonic
love for Edgar.
