On page 169 Isabella says to Hindley, "treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends-- they wound those who resort to them , worse than their enemies". Is this true in the context of the novel? How or how not?
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Anonymous
said...
Treachery and violence play a major role in Wuthering Heights, and just as Isabella says they often hurt both the victim and the violator. A perfect example of this is with Hindley and Heathcliff. When Hindley becomes obsessed with Heathcliff he plans on killing him with his knife/gun contraption. However, when the moment arose that Hindley had his chance his plan back fired. Not only does he fail to kill Heathcliff but Heathcliff actually counters the attack and beats the living snot out of him. This is just one example of how treachery and violence are double ended spears, but there are many more. i guess in Wuthering Heights, what goes around comes around.
This is really iteresting. I focused on this quote regarding a couple of different characters. First off Heathcliff, he comes back after 3 years of mysterious absence and resorts to avenge himself. He looks to intertwine his life within the lives of others. He marrys Isabella as a way not only to get back in with Catherine but also to futher delge himself in his plan to get back at Hindley. i agree with what matt said, it goes to show that really Heathcliff has become nothing better that Hindley.
I also see Catherine as a way to evaluate this. She hurts everyone but expects love in return. She has shuned Heathcliff so much in the beginning that he leaves her best compainion she hurt the worst.
Wuthering Heights really seems like this place where you cannot escape your sins and where everything comes back to you three times as worse.
I think this is very true in the context of the novel, especially proven by Hindley's reaction to Isabella's statement, saying that Heathcliff "will be my ruin" (169). Hindley is acknowledging that through his violent desire for Heathcliff's demise, he is ultimately being ruined. Also, the "spears pointed at both ends" are evident in the way Heathcliff decides to deal with Catherine and Linton. Instead of continuing to try to visit and speak with Catherine, who he supposedly is so in love with, he resorts to treachery and mind games, marrying Isabella simply to get to Linton. He can only focus on his need for revenge on Linton, which he views as his only way of getting back to Catherine. But this just pushes them further apart, hurting both Heathcliff and Catherine--not only Linton--in the end.
I think this is especially true in the context of the novel and it is exhibited many times. We see those who resort to violence are those who are the most miserable, with Heathcliff and Hindley as prime examples. Young Catherine also alludes to the idea Isabella presents when she tells Heathcliff, who is forcing her to come live with him, that he can try to make her and linton miserable, but they will always be happier than him because they have each other. The idea of love being the opposite of the treachery and violence that pervades the lives of so many in this book is, I think, a moral Bronte is trying to get across with the ending of the book. It is true that Heathcliff can hurt Catherine and Linton, or Catherine and Hareton, as much as he pleases, but in the end he inflicts only physical pain on them and inflicts internal anguish on himself for the solitude he causes himself and what i assume to be the anguish he causes when hes alone and thinking about Cathy. -Victoria
I think this is the true context of the novel. Whenever conflict arises more than one person always gets hurt (the elaborate web of relationships that allows this to happen is one of the interesting peices of the novel). However, I don't think that the hurt are necessarily limited to the agressor and defender. I look at the example of Heathcliff trying to get Catherine to fall for him again and trying to stick it to Edgar. In the end the conflict killed Catherine thereby wounding both Heathcliff and Edgar. It is also true in this example that the treacherous character (Heathcliff) was wounded worse than the victim (Edgar). The book makes a point of saying that Heathcliff was never whole again while Edgar was able to sort of kind of get over it after a few years.
I think that this is absolutely something that is true of the novel. The way that people who fight with each other end up getting hurt themselves. Take for instance, when Hindley tries to kill Heathcliff. In the end, Heathcliff comes out the victor of the dispute, and Hindley is nearly killed. ~Alyssa
I think everyone pretty much covered most of the relationships involving treachery and violence. I can definitely see the passage being connected to the gun/knife- a double weapon that ends up hurting the handler. Another one I think shows this theme is the relationship between Isabella and her brother. She betrays him by marrying Heathcliff, and in the end she suffers a horrible marriage.
i really think this is a very true statement. yes, i think we all know that by hurting others we only hurt ourselves, but it also sets a precedent for our own selves that if we hurt once, we can hurt again. by repeating the actions in which others do to us, we only hurt our morals more, and eventually they will diminish completely because such actions will be so nomralized that no one will have any morality left. so of course, by havine the spear pointed at both ends, you hurt yourself everytime you hurt another person, which in th elong run will only hurt more people, perhaps the ones you care about most. it changes you.
9 comments:
Treachery and violence play a major role in Wuthering Heights, and just as Isabella says they often hurt both the victim and the violator. A perfect example of this is with Hindley and Heathcliff. When Hindley becomes obsessed with Heathcliff he plans on killing him with his knife/gun contraption. However, when the moment arose that Hindley had his chance his plan back fired. Not only does he fail to kill Heathcliff but Heathcliff actually counters the attack and beats the living snot out of him. This is just one example of how treachery and violence are double ended spears, but there are many more. i guess in Wuthering Heights, what goes around comes around.
Matthew Fitch
This is really iteresting. I focused on this quote regarding a couple of different characters. First off Heathcliff, he comes back after 3 years of mysterious absence and resorts to avenge himself. He looks to intertwine his life within the lives of others. He marrys Isabella as a way not only to get back in with Catherine but also to futher delge himself in his plan to get back at Hindley. i agree with what matt said, it goes to show that really Heathcliff has become nothing better that Hindley.
I also see Catherine as a way to evaluate this. She hurts everyone but expects love in return. She has shuned Heathcliff so much in the beginning that he leaves her best compainion she hurt the worst.
Wuthering Heights really seems like this place where you cannot escape your sins and where everything comes back to you three times as worse.
Kate
I think this is very true in the context of the novel, especially proven by Hindley's reaction to Isabella's statement, saying that Heathcliff "will be my ruin" (169). Hindley is acknowledging that through his violent desire for Heathcliff's demise, he is ultimately being ruined. Also, the "spears pointed at both ends" are evident in the way Heathcliff decides to deal with Catherine and Linton. Instead of continuing to try to visit and speak with Catherine, who he supposedly is so in love with, he resorts to treachery and mind games, marrying Isabella simply to get to Linton. He can only focus on his need for revenge on Linton, which he views as his only way of getting back to Catherine. But this just pushes them further apart, hurting both Heathcliff and Catherine--not only Linton--in the end.
I think this is especially true in the context of the novel and it is exhibited many times. We see those who resort to violence are those who are the most miserable, with Heathcliff and Hindley as prime examples. Young Catherine also alludes to the idea Isabella presents when she tells Heathcliff, who is forcing her to come live with him, that he can try to make her and linton miserable, but they will always be happier than him because they have each other. The idea of love being the opposite of the treachery and violence that pervades the lives of so many in this book is, I think, a moral Bronte is trying to get across with the ending of the book. It is true that Heathcliff can hurt Catherine and Linton, or Catherine and Hareton, as much as he pleases, but in the end he inflicts only physical pain on them and inflicts internal anguish on himself for the solitude he causes himself and what i assume to be the anguish he causes when hes alone and thinking about Cathy.
-Victoria
I think this is the true context of the novel. Whenever conflict arises more than one person always gets hurt (the elaborate web of relationships that allows this to happen is one of the interesting peices of the novel). However, I don't think that the hurt are necessarily limited to the agressor and defender. I look at the example of Heathcliff trying to get Catherine to fall for him again and trying to stick it to Edgar. In the end the conflict killed Catherine thereby wounding both Heathcliff and Edgar. It is also true in this example that the treacherous character (Heathcliff) was wounded worse than the victim (Edgar). The book makes a point of saying that Heathcliff was never whole again while Edgar was able to sort of kind of get over it after a few years.
-Drew McGlincy
I think that this is absolutely something that is true of the novel. The way that people who fight with each other end up getting hurt themselves. Take for instance, when Hindley tries to kill Heathcliff. In the end, Heathcliff comes out the victor of the dispute, and Hindley is nearly killed.
~Alyssa
I think everyone pretty much covered most of the relationships involving treachery and violence. I can definitely see the passage being connected to the gun/knife- a double weapon that ends up hurting the handler.
Another one I think shows this theme is the relationship between Isabella and her brother. She betrays him by marrying Heathcliff, and in the end she suffers a horrible marriage.
i really think this is a very true statement. yes, i think we all know that by hurting others we only hurt ourselves, but it also sets a precedent for our own selves that if we hurt once, we can hurt again. by repeating the actions in which others do to us, we only hurt our morals more, and eventually they will diminish completely because such actions will be so nomralized that no one will have any morality left. so of course, by havine the spear pointed at both ends, you hurt yourself everytime you hurt another person, which in th elong run will only hurt more people, perhaps the ones you care about most. it changes you.
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