In Wuthering Heights, growing up seems to be an issue. The characters in the book find it very hard to mature into independent people on their own. However, there is a difference between the first major generation and the second: the first’s childishness is negative and intrusive to their lives, to the point there it’s very damaging towards them as people and the way that they treat others. The second generation, however, is somehow able to channel that silliness into transforming them as people and allowing them to grow into adults. Finally, Nelly, the servant, is the absolute most mature out of all the characters in Wuthering Heights. Ironically, it’s because she’s a servant.
The first generation is filled to the brim with petty childishness. …show more content…
Cathy1 also desperately misses her childhood. There’s a full scene where Cathy1 is looking in the mirror and doesn’t recognize herself because she thinks that she’s young Cathy1, back at Wuthering Heights. When Nelly reminds her of reality, Cathy1 gets almost depressed over the fact that she’s away from Wuthering Heights (91). She also tells Nelly of how she wasn’t able to remember a full seven years of her life; the exact time that she remembered last was her father dying, and her resentment at being taken away from Heathcliff, showing further that she misses her childhood (92). In this same scene, she madly describes what would be happening currently if she still lived at Wuthering Heights, with Joseph and Heathcliff especially. She describes it with a euphoric sense of joy (93). When faced with the decision between Edgar or Heathcliff, she ridiculously wants both instead of making the decision. She consistently thinks that she can still have Heathcliff even if she already ahs Edgar; she’s jealous of Isabella to the point where vengefully she reveals her sister-in-law’s feelings towards Heathcliff (77). There’s a point where Cathy1 is quite ill and thinks she might die, but then thinks, “No, I’ll …show more content…
She matures quickly because she’s a servant, an example being that she has to go fetch the doctor when Father Earnshaw dies, making her unable to mourn as the other children do (31). Nelly is also a treasure trove of information, constantly knowing everything and somehow being aware of exactly what to tell people and what not to. No one seems to understand exactly how much power she actually has by being selective in this way. Only Heathcliff, close to the end of the book, sees that maybe it isn’t such a good idea to keep Nelly around. And even if, he lets her back in soon after. The reason why she’s able to take control so easily, ironically, is because she’s a servant. If she didn’t have that sudden upbringing and need for maturity, she would be in the same boat as the rest of the characters. Nelly’s the one to tell both Cathy1 and Cathy2 that they’re being silly, she’s the one be smart enough to choose her allies based on power, Nelly is the only person who seems not only unafraid of Heathcliff but also very willing to defy him, and she is the one who, at the end, ends up controlling both estates. Nelly embodies the strength acquired from growing up. If the other characters had been anywhere near the maturity level that she was at, she wouldn’t have nearly as much strength as she
The first generation is filled to the brim with petty childishness. …show more content…
Cathy1 also desperately misses her childhood. There’s a full scene where Cathy1 is looking in the mirror and doesn’t recognize herself because she thinks that she’s young Cathy1, back at Wuthering Heights. When Nelly reminds her of reality, Cathy1 gets almost depressed over the fact that she’s away from Wuthering Heights (91). She also tells Nelly of how she wasn’t able to remember a full seven years of her life; the exact time that she remembered last was her father dying, and her resentment at being taken away from Heathcliff, showing further that she misses her childhood (92). In this same scene, she madly describes what would be happening currently if she still lived at Wuthering Heights, with Joseph and Heathcliff especially. She describes it with a euphoric sense of joy (93). When faced with the decision between Edgar or Heathcliff, she ridiculously wants both instead of making the decision. She consistently thinks that she can still have Heathcliff even if she already ahs Edgar; she’s jealous of Isabella to the point where vengefully she reveals her sister-in-law’s feelings towards Heathcliff (77). There’s a point where Cathy1 is quite ill and thinks she might die, but then thinks, “No, I’ll …show more content…
She matures quickly because she’s a servant, an example being that she has to go fetch the doctor when Father Earnshaw dies, making her unable to mourn as the other children do (31). Nelly is also a treasure trove of information, constantly knowing everything and somehow being aware of exactly what to tell people and what not to. No one seems to understand exactly how much power she actually has by being selective in this way. Only Heathcliff, close to the end of the book, sees that maybe it isn’t such a good idea to keep Nelly around. And even if, he lets her back in soon after. The reason why she’s able to take control so easily, ironically, is because she’s a servant. If she didn’t have that sudden upbringing and need for maturity, she would be in the same boat as the rest of the characters. Nelly’s the one to tell both Cathy1 and Cathy2 that they’re being silly, she’s the one be smart enough to choose her allies based on power, Nelly is the only person who seems not only unafraid of Heathcliff but also very willing to defy him, and she is the one who, at the end, ends up controlling both estates. Nelly embodies the strength acquired from growing up. If the other characters had been anywhere near the maturity level that she was at, she wouldn’t have nearly as much strength as she