On to week 7 of our Wuthering Heights Wednesday read-along hosted by Jill at Fizzy Thoughts. This week we're covering chapters 19 - 21, or Volume II chapters 5 - 7. The chapters were fairly short and pretty uneventful compared to last week's reading. Here we go...Summary
- Edgar returns to Thrushcross Grange with the pale, sickly Linton.
- Joseph appears almost immediately to collect the boy, but Edgar sends him away.
- Mrs. Dean deliver Linton to Wuthering Heights the following day.
A few years pass...
- Cathy and Ellen, out for a walk, happen upon Heathcliff, who convinces them to visit Wuthering Heights.
- Cathy is shocked to find Linton, now nearly 16 and very tall, at home there.
- Cathy becomes aware of all the familial relationships, as well as the nature of the quarrel between Edgar and Heathcliff.
- Heathcliff plans for Cathy and Linton to fall in love and marry (such a union would position him to inherit everything if/when poor Linton kicks the bucket).
- Although forbidden to communicate, Cathy and Linton carry on a clandestine correspondence, only to have it discovered and halted by the ever-vigilant Mrs. Dean.
- Cathy lets it slip that she loves Linton.
Quotes
Heathcliff on Linton:
... he's mine, and I want the triumph of seeing my descendant fairly lord of their estates; my child hiring their children to till their fathers' lands for wages. That is the sole consideration which can make me endure the whelp: I despise him for himself, and hate him for the memories he revives! ... if I wished any blessing in the world, it was to find him an object worthy of pride; and I'm bitterly disappointed with the whey-faced, whining wretch! (page 204)
Heathcliff (comparing Hareton and Linton):
One is gold put to the use of paving-stones, and the other is tin polished to ape a service of silver. Mine has nothing valuable about it; yet I shall have the merit of making it go as far as such poor stuff can go. His has first-rate qualities, and they are lost: rendered worse than unavailing... And the best of it is, Hareton is damnably fond of me! (page 214)
Mrs. Dean (on Cathy's reaction to Edgar's appraisal of Heathcliff):
Miss Cathy ...was amazed at the blackness of spirit that could brood on and cover revenge for years, and deliberately prosecute its plans without a visitation of remorse. She appeared so deeply impressed and shocked at this new view of human nature - excluded from all her studies and all her ideas till now - that Mr. Edgar deemed it unnecessary to pursue the subject. (page 218)
My thoughts
Not an awful lot happening this week...
Linton is such a wimp! I doubt he's going to last long - probably just long enough for Papa Heathcliff to secure the inheritance.
Cathy seems to be developing a mean streak (or has it really been there all along?) She's still nothing like Mommy Dearest, but how about that slap at Nellie and derision of Hareton?
Heathcliff's feeling toward Linton and Hareton make for interesting reading! His fiendish plans seem to be moving forward.
I'm hoping the action picks up again soon...
Reading along
I can just picture Heathcliff rubbing his hands together in glee and cackling "mwah ha ha ha" in anticipation of his big inheritance.
ReplyDeleteThis week's reading was sort of boring (yawn). I guess I need a bit more backstabbing to keep me entertained.
ReplyDeleteI detest weak men too so hearing that Linton is pale and weak, pale and whiny and pale and sickly was enough for me to not want to hear about him again anytime soon.
And why did Ellen/Nelly/Mrs. Dean even allow Cathy to get so close to WH? There is 4 miles between the two properties for goodness sakes!
I wouldn't put it past Heathcliff to do in Linton!
ReplyDeleteSome of your quotes were some of the ones that stuck out to me as well--Heathcliff sure is a quotable fellow!
ReplyDeleteViolence abounds in this book! I couldn't believe the little slap Cathy gave Nelly. It's a wonder Nelly hasn't just picked up and left yet. What's in it for her!?
I have really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this one as you go!!
ReplyDeleteSoftdrink - Oh, that Heathcliff...
ReplyDeleteTi - It was definitely a slow week. Linton just drives me crazy - I kind of want to slap him! Still thinking there may be more to Ellen than we know..
Rhapsodyinbooks - Now there's a possibility I hadn't considered - LOL!
Okay -- since I haven't read this book, I can't read any more of these posts. Don't want to know how it ends. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is about the point where I started pacing the floors wailing 'oh the despair!'.
ReplyDeleteHeathcliff is an absolute horror! I really don't like him at all anymore.
ReplyDeleteTRISH - Isn't that funny we chose some of the same quotes! Heathcliff has had some great lines. I'm still wondering if there' more to Nellie than meets the eye...
ReplyDeleteSTACI - I'm glad. This read-along has been so much fun!
KIM - OK... you're excused :-)
DARLENE - I'm just about there myself!
VIVIENNE - I've never liked Heathcliff at all... just don't see what the attraction is or why this is considered a romantic novel!