Is Heathcliff Black? Why is everybody Horrible?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ย. 2020
- This is a book review of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. In this review I discuss some of the literary technics used by Emily Bronte, and what these add to the novel; then I discuss 2 questions regarding the novel; Is it a love novel and is Heathcliff black.
An interesting note for anybody reading the description, when I was creating the thumbnail, I found a photo of a book cover with an alternative title 'a case study of obsession', I don't know where it came from or if it has anything to do with Emily Bronte (I suspect probably not), but I wish I knew the alternative name exists, so I could have looked it up.
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Central to the novel is the idea that thwarted love destroys all. I don't think Heathcliff was black. I think he was a gypsy. It fits with 19th century perceptions of gypsies. But mostly I think Emily wrote herself into Heathcliff. That she saw herself as dark and twisted, as an outsider. She didn't like or trust people. She was a wanderer who loved the moors, the isolation, and the freedom they gave her from society.
That's an interesting idea, you could also argue that Emily was present in Catherine too, which makes their attachment interesting too.
Heathcliff's race is fascinating; whether you argue that he is Black, Indian, Chinese, a Gypsy, mixed or something else, simply by considering him as a POC, it changes your views on the narrators and adds another layer of meaning. While reading the novel I thought he was black, but afterwards when I analysed everything, I just don't know what race he is, if I had to guess, I'd agree with you. 🙂
I like the review about this book calling it out for not being a love story, but falsifying history? This makes me think of the 1984 book where "history" kept being rewritten.
'He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the future controls the past.'
George Orwell 1984
Gypsy was a big insult and still is in England, Heathcliff was probably from the working class or the Welsh, Italian. (Remember where the Welsh get their coloured skin from Spanish is in too)
Read The Legacy of Arab-Islam in Africa Dr John Alembillah Azumah. (An African man who looked up the history and he says no one wants to talk about it.)
This book talks about slaves taken by the Muslims tribes in Africa, they would get the male slaves and castrate them.
In Saudi Arabia, they abolished slavery in 1961 or about that time, thanks to outside pressure and activist groups. In Mauretania, it was abolished in 1981 on paper, meaning this is still happening.
Find the Slave markets found on Instagram and other apps by the BBC Arabic news. In Kuwaiti have what they call a domestic worker they came from the poorest parts of the world.
Read The Forgotten Slave Trade by Simon Webb.
Most slave ports in England were for capturing the poor English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish to sell and don’t forget that St Patrick was a slave taken from England.
I fake vomited hearing that quotation that begins "If all else perishes..." That's not a loving relationship, that's codependency!
The "You teach me now..." quotation is just straight-up emotional abuse, right there.
Sounds like Cathy and Heathcliff both need some therapy to work on themselves.
I lol'ed when you said that you "like suffering and misery" in your books. 🤣
Misery and suffering are the best. 🤔
Yes, they needed therapy! 🤣 This isn't even anywhere near the worst thing to happen in this novel, for something written almost 200 years ago, it's scandalous.
It has been years since I've read the story. I do think of it often and still feel vexed when so many people consider this a love story. People easily confuse obsession with love. Which Emily portrays quite well with many instances in the story.
Having listened to your thoughts on the book, I definitely want to re-read it and finally write a review.
Thank you, it's a very interesting book.
Do you have a blog? If so I would love to check it out.
I really enjoyed this video and hearing your thoughts on this book. Both these topics are among the most fascinating to discuss too 😊
Thank you, there's so many topics which could be discussed in this book too, I'm glad you enjoyed my picks. 🙂
I just finished this book today! I often wondered throughout the book if Nelly liked Heathcliff or not. I could never decide. I've never read a book like this before and I loved it, even though it made me suffer. I find it so complex because I don't like the characters, but I kept trying to find redeeming qualities in them. You bring up an interesting point: that this book is about love and obsession. It's definitely a toxic relationship that permeates and infects those around them.
Or I mean confusing love and obsession! I don't know, still trying to process the whole thing, haha.
It's such a wonderfully complex novel isn't it?
Because Lockwood is giving you Nelly's voice and Mr Lockwood doesn't like Heathcliff, you never can be sure of Nelly's bias.
I think it would be an interesting deep dive to see if Heathcliff and Catherine loved one another, beneath their obsession, toxicity, hatred of others, possession and anger. Its one very complex relationship they had.
I'm upset that Emily Bronte died so young and didn't finish another novel.
An often overlooked aspect of Wuthering Heights is the CENTRAL part that Nelly plays in causing trouble - though she has a fairly benevolent view of self - and how her interference and/or failure to act at pivotal moments has led to devastating consequences in the lives of the characters. Which raises an obvious question. Is she the real villain of the novel? Is much of the tragedy due to her?
She refused to leave the room when Edgar Linton called, and the subsequent falling out over her presence led directly to his proposal. Later that evening, when a very troubled Catherine came to confide in Nelly about the wisdom of her getting married, though Nelly saw Heathcliff getting up - when Catherine had only partially revealed her true feelings - she FAILED to go after him when Cathy had just stated to her "so he shall never know HOW I love him". After this one omission, Heathcliff leaves, Catherine's heart is broken almost to the point of madness, and though she finally recovers, she eventually marries Edgar having NO way of knowing if Heathcliff will ever return.
When he does finally come back, after three years absence, Catherine tells Nelly of the "very bitter misery" she endured, and the agony that she frequently felt after his disappearance. Having Heathcliff in her life now, even just as a friend, is preferable to not seeing him at all. In spite of this, when the incident later occurs in the garden where Heathcliff embraces Isabella, Nelly again interferes by informing Edgar of the argument between Catherine and Heathcliff - without asking Cathy if its necessary - a row quickly ensues, Heathcliff is banished, and Nelly then lets Edgar go after Catherine KNOWING that she is not in a fit state of mind to deal with it. Catherine is dealt a near fatal blow by this second separation from Heathcliff, and falls into a state of prolonged despair where she yearns for her former life and home, and her true love.
Nelly also facilitates the final meeting between Catherine and Heathcliff the following March, though she knows that Cathy will be barely able to take it, and though their TRUE feelings are finally fully expressed, Cathy is soon dead. And Heathcliff's goal of taking vengeance becomes iron clad. Would it ever have come to this if Nelly had decided to go after Heathcliff that first fateful evening more than three years prior.
I love this book and you have described it sooo well. This is a great analogy 😀
Thank you. It's so good isn't it, very complex. ☺️
@@GunpowderFictionPlot I think its complexity that makes it so amazing and easy to read multiple times
I have not read this yet but it is a high priority! Great review!
Thanks. ☺️
I suspect you'll love it, but it's a real love-hate novel, you'll not give it 3 stars.
I definitely thought Heathcliff was Black. I don't have exact quotes to pull out right now, but I remember him being described as darker than the other characters and having thick, closely-curled hair. I looked it up as soon as I started to suspect and discovered the whole discussion going on about it in the literary world. I really enjoyed your textual analysis. This video was great.
Yes! I had that exact experience, it was such a weird thing to notice in literature so old and I had to see what other people thought too. 🙂
He isnt black, he has blue eyes. countless white groups have dark curly hair and darker skin than some kids from a bleak Yorkshire moor lol.
I think you two are both influenced by the movie in this opinion. Heathcliff was definitely not black, but part Roma (Gypsy), if anything, which would also account for closely curled hair and darker skin. At several points, he's described as turning white (in shock, say), too, which you would never say about a black person.
@@lisellesloan3191 You're right that he is described as turning a white, but I always took that as a staple of the genre, rather than an indicator of race, especially given how he is described elsewhere as being dark. I've never seen the movie adaptation. Is Heathcliff Black in the movie? Thanks.