Reference no: EM133365407

Question: Strengthen the essay below by providing more commentary on Catherine's emotions. Why she insists that she can see Wuthering Heights and why she wants to return to her childhood?

Case Study: Following an altercation between Heathcliff and Edgar, Catherine is shown in the chapter to be inconsolable. However, as soon as she leaves isolation, Catherine becomes insane. The author employs various rhetorical strategies, including metaphors and flashbacks, to show how fragile Catherine's mental state is and to highlight her nuanced reaction to Edgar and Heathcliff's argument.

In the aftermath of the conflict, the author metaphorically describes Catherine as being "no better than a wailing child" through Nelly Dean, the housekeeper. The analogy connects to comparing a grown lady to a kid throwing a fit, giving readers a less favorable opinion of the character. Nelly's narration includes a sense of frustration to suggest that this may not have been Catherine's first response since the author is trying to convey more than simply a negative tone. Catherine's reaction was compared to a child's sorrow since it was overdone and unnecessary. The author purposely used this analogy to highlight how Catherine's stable thinking slips away into mayhem, appearing in random bursts like a "wailing child." However, doing so may suggest an immaturity of personality.

With her actions, Catherine goes against the delicate sensitivity that is recognized in and expected of a woman's nature, which might be characterized as a hysterical symptom. She explains her confused mental state before being revived: "I thought as I lay there, with my head against that table leg, my eyes dimly discerning the grey square window...just waking, I could not recollect," she says in her memories of her "running into this room desperate." The flashback transports the audience to her childhood home as she recalls it. This reflects on their complicated history, where her "misery stemmed from separation" from Heathcliff, and symbolizes the time spent together when Heathcliff and Catherine were younger. Catherine feels upset at the argument because of her close past with Heathcliff and the confused emotions caused by the past and present. She enjoys a beautiful life yet is not entirely happy or satisfied. A well-mannered spouse but also left a mark on Catherine's heart, where she has become fond of Edgar, reminding her that once her heart was solely true to him. However, this is only when Heathcliff enters the picture. Catherine's concern about the situation is caused by her inability to understand her heart and feelings.

Catherine's memories surface in frenzied nightmares, revealing her weariness and the shell she has become. Metaphors and flashbacks used to describe Catherine's reaction and perception to the argument show how, occasionally, a single raindrop can convert a peaceful body of water into a storm. The author chose this character to highlight how inhuman one may be when experiencing a cardiac crisis.