The Devil Incarnate, or a misunderstood man?

[WiccanKitten]

I know, I know, i should have read Brontes "Wuthering Heights" before seeing the musical - but can anyone help me out with understanding the plot?
My understanding of the ending of the performance was that the troubled Cathy died giving birth to the child of Edgar Linton. Heathcliff died a while later, still very much haunted by the memory of Cathy.
What was the situation between these two characters though? In the scene where Cathy dies, it seems that Heathcliff is torn between hatred and love for this woman, and vice versa...then in the final scene, where they meet afterlife, they are reunited in love.
Is that fairly accurate, or can anyone (who has read the book, or knows the play well) help me understand it further?

[noxlumos]

You're essentially right.Haven't seen the musical so can't comment on that at all but as to the book, I believe Heathcliff to very misunderstood and a victim of Georgian society and it's predeliction with social status.There are interesting semi-incestuous overtones to their love since they had been reared as siblings since quite a young age and their passion for one another goes far more deeply than simply lust or infatuation, it's more like the angst felt when a twin dies rather than merely a lover.Heathcliff's anger and pain are evident in the way in which he treats Cathy's daughter once she comes to live with him, he loves her as part of Cathy and hates her since she is not his child but Edgar Lintons. He has no such merciful thoughts about his own son who is merely his instrument and whom he views as almost less than nothing implying an unserlying insecurity and self loathing in that his own blood is clearly worthless ( perhaps harking back to the words Cathy spoke which prompted him to leave about Heathcliff being beneath her). I think their entire relationship was unhealthy in it's intensity and wondered myself if they had not been the victims of the Georgian class system and married what their story would have been, absive to the core I would imagine.It's an interesting take on early feminine domination too as Cathy is clearly the dominant one of the two in their relationship, which given the time it was written is interesting.

I haven't seen the musical, didn't really fancy it, is it any good?

[WiccanKitten]

Well judging by your (in depth and very informative) reply, i wouldn't reccomend the musical.
It failed to mention that Cathy's child lived, and the consequential relationship between Heathcliff and the daughter of Linton and Cathy. Isabella's child was also not mentioned. Thus it seems to me, that the musical failed to touch on the emotive issues, and reasons behind the conclusion.
I was very interested to hear your views on the characters and emotions protrayed in the book.
I was also fascinated by the incestuos overtones between Cathy and Heathcliff, as you said.
It gives an almost taboo edge to their relationship, and reason for it to have been a troubled love with incredible hidden depths. I understood the story to be of direct relevence to the predjudices of Georgian society, and you have confirmed that.

Following your reply, i have just purchased a copy of the book on ebay. Whilst the musical was entertaining, it clearly doesn't do the literature any justice.
Thanks for a very interesting reply noxlumos. xx

[WiccanKitten]

I liked your idea of an early take on female dominance.
To me, gender seemed irrelevent. I thought that the 'dominance' of Cathy was due to her status and position, and Heathcliff's clearly obsessive love for her.
The musical certainly suggested that they had a dominant influence over one another. Both characters seemed unable to be at peace without eachother. So whilst Cathy(being socially "above" Heathcliff) was shown to be dominant in their relationship, the fact that Heathcliff was able to 'haunt' Cathy to her dying day, indicates to me that they were equal.
Had Cathy married Heathcliff society would have shunned her, therefore she was almost denied her desire. I suppose that shows the dominace of Georgian society over the two characters rather then one over the other. What do you think?

[noxlumos]

Yes well you are absolutely right, social position was everything and certainly governed the behaviour of both of them to some degree.wuthering Heights is one of my favourite pieces of literature ( my dearest heart's wish was that Charlotte Bronte had not destroyed Emily's second novel after her death as in my opinion Emily Bronte was a remarkable author).

The whole book is charged with emotion from beginning to end and imho almost more interesting than the Cathy/Heathcliff saga is the relationship between Heathcliff, Hindley and Hindley's son Hareton.

Heathcliff returned and made it his life's work to destroy Hindley and place him in the same base situation that Hindley had inflicted upon him yet after Hindley's death, although he kept Hareton uneducated, he fostered a strange sort of affection for the boy as though he saw something of himself in his position and it is clear that he did him no serious harm, in fact making sure that the Heights were returned to him after his death. I always felt that that was Heathcliff at his most human and I have always thought that it was his attempt to make things right as they should be indicating that he thought and felt very deeply about the wrongs he inflicted on people.

It's an interesting, and hotly debated, idea that Heathcliff was modelled after Emily's brother Bramwell.

I hope you enjoy your book, I collect books and my wife bought me a very early copy of Wuthering Heights which i never fail to enjoy reading:)

[alba_26]

The edition I have has a history of the Bronte family in the introduction. It gives a really good insight to the life a middle class woman could expect at the time, I thought this was expressed in Wuthering Heights, but more so in Jane Eyre which is also a fabulous book.

Hope you enjoy the book.

[mike b]

I seem to remember reading the book in one evening...

[dumb]

My favourite scene in Wuthering Heights is the one just before Catherine dies and Heathcliffe is torn between kissing her and cursing her. When he says
"I love my murderer- but yours! How can I?"
my heart breaks for him everytime.
I LOVE this book lol

[WiccanKitten]

Its due to arrive tomorrow, i shall dig into that one asap. xx