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Wuthering Heights

by Emily Brontë

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Reading for the 3rd time

read in 2012

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Raquel said: " ⚠️ Some CW for it are abandonment; self-harm; chronic illness; death and gravedigging; child, animal, emotional and physical abuse.

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My first edition of Wuthering Heights (O Monte dos Vendavais, Editorial Presenç ⚠️ Some CW for it are abandonment; self-harm; chronic illness; death and gravedigging; child, animal, emotional and physical abuse.

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My first edition of Wuthering Heights (O Monte dos Vendavais, Editorial Presença, 2009, translated by Fernanda Pinto Rodrigues) came into my hands in 2012, as a prize for winning first place in a high school literary competition. I had never read it before, and I remember that, although I found it strange at first, I devoured it very quickly. The gothic atmosphere, the stormy romance, the prejudice and intergenerational abuse all deeply unsettled me.

As for what truly matters—the story itself—it probably makes sense to start by saying that, during the turmoil of adolescence, the novel’s heavy—oppressive, even—atmosphere, filled with a sense of isolation and looming tragedy, struck a deep chord with me. It mirrored so much of the emotional intensity I didn’t yet know how to name. Over the years, though, my take on the romance between Heathcliff and Catherine has changed completely—and gotten a lot more critical.

When I first read Wuthering Heights, I was taken in by what seemed like a wildly passionate love. Now, as an adult, I understand why this love provokes both fascination and discomfort: driven by possession and revenge, by a warped desire for mutual destruction, it’s a projection of Heathcliff and Catherine’s wounds and frustrations, a desperate attempt to grasp something the world around them doesn’t offer. It’s a love born of rebellion against what’s imposed—by society, by class, by family expectations—but one that, rather than freeing them, traps them even more.

Catherine, in particular, plays elaborate intergenerational mind games on everyone around her. Her manipulation and cruelty ripple through generations, inflicting emotional harm on those who come into contact with her. Heathcliff, too, is far from a tragic hero—he’s guilty of blackmail, kidnapping, grave robbing, abuse, and animal cruelty. His descent into monstrousness has a clear cause—he was abused by Hindley, whom he considered a brother for most of his childhood, and who forced him to live and work as a servant for the family as soon as he inherited the family home. Heathcliff’s torment is rooted in a deep, emotional betrayal, and his desire for vengeance against Hindley and the entire Earnshaw family becomes an all-consuming force.

The story is obviously much more about the struggle to break a cycle of violence and suffering than about the so-called romance. As the plot unfolds, we begin to understand how the wounds of the past—especially those born of neglect, abuse, and hatred—are perpetuated and passed down, with victims stepping into the role of their oppressors. But there is also, particularly toward the end, a glimmer of hope. The relationship between Hareton Earnshaw and Catherine Linton suggests it is possible to break that cycle.

If there’s a moral to Wuthering Heights, it’s that we must recognise the patterns we inherit and dare to disrupt them. Suffering doesn’t have to be inevitable, and repeating the mistakes of the past isn’t a fate we’re doomed to follow. However deeply rooted the ghosts of what we’ve been given might be, there’s always a way to choose differently. And now that I’m a mother, that’s something I think about more than ever.

But, if you haven’t read it yet, let me be upfront: Wuthering Heights is not the easiest classic to dive into. It’s a complex, intense, and unforgiving narrative. The relationships are toxic, and the structure itself can be a real puzzle to follow, especially with the alternating perspectives of Lockwood and Nelly. On top of that, the characters all seem to have multiple names, which can be downright infuriating. Seriously, who can keep track of who’s who when everyone is constantly switching between five different forms of saying their names? That said, Nelly’s role as the storyteller is one of the novel’s most genius elements. After all, the whole plot revolves around a servant spinning tales to the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange about the bizarre, dysfunctional characters at Wuthering Heights. Iconic. ...more "

Jan 25, 2026 04:53PM · see review

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