Scribbles & Munch

      Last month I decided to re-read two books: "Wuthering Heights" but Emily Bronte, and "Here On Earth" by Alice Hoffman. Doubtless, you've heard of the first. In fact, if you attended public high school in the U.S.A. you may have been required to read it at one point (whether or not you did is between you, your Cliff Notes collection, and your conscience). The second book was an attempt by one of my favorite authors to revisit Heathcliff and Catherine in a contemporary "what-if" scenario.
      What if...Catherine didn't die?
      In fact, what if she and Heathcliff met up again, years later? What would happen?

      The first time I read "Wuthering Heights," I was not impressed. Keep in mind I read it independently as an adult, not as part of a class or a group to talk it through. I was primarily struck by how little I liked any of the characters. The primary male "narrator" was mostly a non-entity, and the housekeeper Nelly Dean who was the true narrator through most of the story was changeable and narrow-minded. Then the famous star-crossed lovers, Catherine and Heathcliff, were both obnoxious. And their siblings and neighbors were no better--they were short-sighted, self-pitying, or flat-out dumb. I tend to have trouble with books about characters I don't like. By the end I was just happy to have it over with.
      For this second read-through, I was much more mindful. I read more slowly and stopped to think. I still wound up not really liking most of the characters, but I was able to empathize with them, and I could appreciate their individual struggles. I liked how they grow. Considering the brief life-span and limited life experiences of the author, the novel was deeply impressive. But what probably stood out to me the most was Heathcliff: as a student of psychology, I can tell you that he is a marvelous study in Nature vs. Nurture.
      I could write an entire blog post just about the author's arguments for and against these two primary personality influences. Heck, if I had the nerve, I could write an article for a scientific journal! But I shall do neither at this time, only encourage you to keep this perspective in mind the next time you read "Wuthering Heights," and see how it prompts your brain.
   

      In "Here On Earth," circumstance in the form of Nelly Dean's death (or rather, the death of Judith, as she is named in Hoffman's novel) bring Catherine (re-christened March) and Heathcliff (called Hollis) back together. The history of the two characters up to that point is essentially the same: Hollis' spontaneous adoption by March's father, the harshness between her brother (under the contemporary name of Alan) and their adopted brother, and entrance of the wealthy neighbor children and the unexpected marriages therewith. The primary differences lie in who remains alive: Alan becomes a hopeless bum living on the outskirts of town. Also, in Hoffman's version, Hollis' biological son dies in childhood, never meeting his cousin.
      The other change is that March hasn't died, and neither has her husband, Richard. Instead, they move to the other side of the country while Hollis is seeking his fortune. Once Hollis returns to the town where he so passionately loved his adopted sister, he finds her gone. Her marriage and pregnancy prevent her from returning to him. Until...
      ...until she goes back home for Judith's funeral, and comes face to face with the man her first love has become. Their all-devouring passion then over-comes all reason, just as it did in W.H., and March leaves her husband to stay with Hollis, even as her daughter - Gwen - begins to fall for her own cousin (this is also in keeping with the original Bronte tale, only given contemporary social norms is has a dramatically different flavor).
      So what happens when that kind of intense love is given a second chance? A romantic soul would like to see such devoted individuals live happily-ever-after...but that kind of idyllic love was never Bronte's intention, and Hoffman did not attempt to change the original author's vision. I will confess myself to be what I call a Fictional Romantic. This means that while I am resigned to their nonexistence in the real world, I am a sucker for a happy ending in the stories I read.* The first time I read "Here On Earth," I expected some element of Happy-Ever-After, and wow, I was in for disappointment. But Hoffman's exquisite writing and rich characters still left me with a liking for the novel, so going back and re-reading it was hardly a chore. And on the heels of "Wuthering Heights," it was apparent to me just how raw, how blind, and how dangerous is the "love" between Catherine/March and Heathcliff/Hollis. It now seems to me there could be no other ending--at least, none that didn't turn even darker. Still, it gives me a bittersweet satisfaction that some author, somewhere, gave Catherine and Heathcliff a chance, even if it must inevitably end in heart break.
      So if you're looking for a comfortable literary stretch, I recommend reading these books back-to-back. They're both well-written, thought-provoking, and highly enjoyable.


*Although, not in the form of romance novels. I like my characters to have...well...character. Romance means more to me if it belongs to people and challenges that COULD exist real life.