Dracula, the man (?) of the hour. So peculiar is his ways, so unknown are his intentions. He stands alone in his castle, observing the peasants of the town.
It seems strange he considers himself a master, even though he never leaves his castle. What makes him put himself on that level? Is it merely his wealth that gives him his high stature? Certainly he has a reputation in the land, as he describes "Here I am a noble; I am boyar, the common people know me, and I am master." (26), but it seems merely a rank bought by money. Although he continues on, "But a stranger in a strange land, he is no one, men know him not -- and to know not is to care not for. I am content if I am like the rest, so that no man stops if he see me, or pause in his speaking if he hear my words, to say "Ha ha, a stranger!"
Does Dracula simply fear being a stranger, or have some paranoid delusion that being a stranger will simply destroy him?
I also love that he fears the "new" of the world. "I myself am of an old family, and to live in a new house would kill me" and "We Translyvanian nobles love not to think that hour bones may be amongst the common dead." (29)
It all adds up to a strange conclusion. Drawing from common knowledge, Dracula is a vampire! He cannot walk about the streets in the daylight and lavish in the nobility he has. He hides away in a castle set apart from the world itself. He seems so set in leaving to London to accomplish some hidden goal, but he will lose all of his reputation by doing so.
What is Dracula's major goal? Why has he trapped Jonathan Harker in his castle ("The castle is a veritable pison, and I am a prisoner!" (32))? What does he plan to do with him in London? What will we see in the future? I can't wait to see Dracula and his progression in the story as he loses his fame and glory in Translyvania. It will be a powerful story I see already.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Catherine, The Embodiment of Self-Interest
How best to describe this powerful character? The character, who above all others, values herself as the most important, the most vital, the most influential. Every move she makes is to push herself forward, to make herself better, to give the illusion that she isn't completely insane, although sometimes that is questionable.
What made her this way? Or maybe, who? What pivotal moment struck a chord in her bosom that drove herself to such lengths? Perhaps it was Heathcliff, the little gypsy boy who became a constant companion to her? Or maybe, it was the "sound blow from her father" (30) she earned after she spat upon him after the loss of her whip, which could also be an example of her self interest far beyond the arrival of Heathcliff.
So perhaps I'm not wrong, and I can blame Amityville Heights but perhaps that could be a stretch of the imagination.
Yet we cannot let Heathcliff off so casually. Catherine's greed grew exponentially with Heathcliff's arrival, and considering Catherine and Heathcliff were "now very thick" (30), I believe he could be one of the many causes. They followed each other around, and seemed to enjoy each other for their company, so perhaps what they did in their company that aroused this growing greed.
Heathcliff's character alone matched Catherine so well. After his horrendous treatment in Wuthering Heights, his hatred combined with her greed to create a super evil being which spread between the two of them. Their love became to bound that Catherine even begant o see herself as Heathcliff! "(Catherine) I am Heathcliff -- he's always, always in my mind -- not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself --.." (64).
The line "not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself" is another thing that is important. This reminds me of the common "tactic" among people to tote along an "ugly person" to make themselves seem more beautiful. I almost think that Catherine's attraction to Heathcliff is out of self interest. She uses him as a tool to make her being seem majestic in comparison. I for one wouldn't put it past Catherine to use someone to better herself (case in point, Edgar).
This blog brings about many questions, both to myself and my potential readers. What is important about this self interest? What effect does it have on the characters, such as Edgar? What effect does she have upon him?
I see Catherine as the driving force to Edgar's insanity, just as Hindley's wife influenced his madness. Every character Catherine touches (aside from Heathcliff) is driven to madness by her presence, and the only people who could change her are the parental figures which die off so early on in her life. As much as Nelly tries, she cannot cure crazy. Maybe I should make a point to talk about Nelly and her Parental Powers in another blog...
What made her this way? Or maybe, who? What pivotal moment struck a chord in her bosom that drove herself to such lengths? Perhaps it was Heathcliff, the little gypsy boy who became a constant companion to her? Or maybe, it was the "sound blow from her father" (30) she earned after she spat upon him after the loss of her whip, which could also be an example of her self interest far beyond the arrival of Heathcliff.
So perhaps I'm not wrong, and I can blame Amityville Heights but perhaps that could be a stretch of the imagination.
Yet we cannot let Heathcliff off so casually. Catherine's greed grew exponentially with Heathcliff's arrival, and considering Catherine and Heathcliff were "now very thick" (30), I believe he could be one of the many causes. They followed each other around, and seemed to enjoy each other for their company, so perhaps what they did in their company that aroused this growing greed.
Heathcliff's character alone matched Catherine so well. After his horrendous treatment in Wuthering Heights, his hatred combined with her greed to create a super evil being which spread between the two of them. Their love became to bound that Catherine even begant o see herself as Heathcliff! "(Catherine) I am Heathcliff -- he's always, always in my mind -- not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself --.." (64).
The line "not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself" is another thing that is important. This reminds me of the common "tactic" among people to tote along an "ugly person" to make themselves seem more beautiful. I almost think that Catherine's attraction to Heathcliff is out of self interest. She uses him as a tool to make her being seem majestic in comparison. I for one wouldn't put it past Catherine to use someone to better herself (case in point, Edgar).
This blog brings about many questions, both to myself and my potential readers. What is important about this self interest? What effect does it have on the characters, such as Edgar? What effect does she have upon him?
I see Catherine as the driving force to Edgar's insanity, just as Hindley's wife influenced his madness. Every character Catherine touches (aside from Heathcliff) is driven to madness by her presence, and the only people who could change her are the parental figures which die off so early on in her life. As much as Nelly tries, she cannot cure crazy. Maybe I should make a point to talk about Nelly and her Parental Powers in another blog...
Monday, October 12, 2009
Amityville Heights
The use of a modern reference has eluded my blogs, and I feel that this novel is becoming a perfect example of such. The more I read, the more I begin to see parallels between the two stories.
For example, the characters that dwell within the house seem to be bitter or mischievous. Catherine and Mr. Heathcliff are examples as such. Mr. Heathcliff is bitter towards their guest even from the moment he enters the home. "You'd better let the dog alone," growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison checking fiercer demonstrations with a punch of his foot. (5) It seems strange that he's so fierce and "scowly". You can sense something dark about him. A mystery soon to be unraveled, a plot so thick that it might be weighing upon his sanity.
Even Mrs. Heathcliff seems to be a mix of darker forces. "I'll show you how far I've progressed in the Black Art..." (12) It seems to run in the family, or perhaps it is the house itself? I may be asking questions that could easily be answered as I read, but I find that this house has a darker nature to it that tempts the people who live within it, no matter the age.
Catherine for example is a mischief maker. She pushes the limits of her father, and pushes the limits of her boundaries. She breaks rules, and falls into the web that Heathcliff strung. The two together are fairly innocent, but when they are apart, Heathcliff grows very much distant, and even when Catherine returns he is vengeful upon everyone, going as far as to throw a cup of hot tea in the face of an innocent offspring of another family.
While apart from the house, Catherine seems changed. Cathy stayed at Thrushcross Grange five weeks, till Christmas. By that time her ankle was thoroughly cured, and her manners much improved. The mistress visited her often, in the interval and commenced her plan of reform by trying to raise her self-respect with fine clothes and flattery, which she took readily; so that instead of a wild, hatless little savage jumping into the house, and rushing to squeeze us all breathless, there alighted from a handsome black pony a very dignified person with brown ringlets falling from cover of a feathered beaver, and a long cloth habit which she was obliged to hold up with both hands that she might sail in. (41) She's been influenced (or cured) by the family, dressing in a fair manner, and being polite and courteous, and going out of her way to help her companion (Heathcliff) when he is in a situation of dire need. Even her apparel seems to affect her dignity, which is a definite parallel to Heathcliff who is quite unkempt and dirty.
Although I see the story unraveling, and clues to the past being revealed, I feel the house is a huge part of the story, so much so that it is a character in itself, and the more I read, the more I feel convinced of this fact. But onward I go...
For example, the characters that dwell within the house seem to be bitter or mischievous. Catherine and Mr. Heathcliff are examples as such. Mr. Heathcliff is bitter towards their guest even from the moment he enters the home. "You'd better let the dog alone," growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison checking fiercer demonstrations with a punch of his foot. (5) It seems strange that he's so fierce and "scowly". You can sense something dark about him. A mystery soon to be unraveled, a plot so thick that it might be weighing upon his sanity.
Even Mrs. Heathcliff seems to be a mix of darker forces. "I'll show you how far I've progressed in the Black Art..." (12) It seems to run in the family, or perhaps it is the house itself? I may be asking questions that could easily be answered as I read, but I find that this house has a darker nature to it that tempts the people who live within it, no matter the age.
Catherine for example is a mischief maker. She pushes the limits of her father, and pushes the limits of her boundaries. She breaks rules, and falls into the web that Heathcliff strung. The two together are fairly innocent, but when they are apart, Heathcliff grows very much distant, and even when Catherine returns he is vengeful upon everyone, going as far as to throw a cup of hot tea in the face of an innocent offspring of another family.
While apart from the house, Catherine seems changed. Cathy stayed at Thrushcross Grange five weeks, till Christmas. By that time her ankle was thoroughly cured, and her manners much improved. The mistress visited her often, in the interval and commenced her plan of reform by trying to raise her self-respect with fine clothes and flattery, which she took readily; so that instead of a wild, hatless little savage jumping into the house, and rushing to squeeze us all breathless, there alighted from a handsome black pony a very dignified person with brown ringlets falling from cover of a feathered beaver, and a long cloth habit which she was obliged to hold up with both hands that she might sail in. (41) She's been influenced (or cured) by the family, dressing in a fair manner, and being polite and courteous, and going out of her way to help her companion (Heathcliff) when he is in a situation of dire need. Even her apparel seems to affect her dignity, which is a definite parallel to Heathcliff who is quite unkempt and dirty.
Although I see the story unraveling, and clues to the past being revealed, I feel the house is a huge part of the story, so much so that it is a character in itself, and the more I read, the more I feel convinced of this fact. But onward I go...
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