Before the Time Traveller begins telling his story of traveling through time, the characters he is telling the story to are introduced.  These characters have names such as Journalist, Medical Man, and Psychologist.  The narrator also leaves out names when they should be used.  For example, on page 14, the Time Traveller says, “You have told Blank, and Dash, and Chose about the machine?”  The narrator uses “blank” in other sentences as well to purposely leave out names.  The other men themselves are called by their profession, not their names.  Why do you think the author names the characters in these ways?  Will the professions of the men play a role in the future, or is the author trying to draw contrasts in the professions of that time to the professions of other times?

Words to Watch -

vis-à-vis (French) – face to face (Mr. Lockwood was left with the dogs at the end of page 4, just in case anyone didn’t know what it meant)

impertinence – unmannerly intrusion or presumption; irrelevance, absurdity (Mr. Lockwood says, at the bottom of page 3, about Mr. Heathcliff, “He’ll love and hate equally under cover, and esteem it to a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again.”)

Summary -

Lockwood is a dweller in Thrushcross Grange, the estate which Heathcliff owns. The locals call it this Wuthering Heights, describing the fierce winds that go on there. Heathcliff seems to keep an eye on Lockwood, and leaves him alone with all the snarling watchdogs, and is saved by one of the housekeepers. Heathcliff returns, and although he is angry with him, Lockwood offers to return tomorrow.

Chapter 2 -

Words to Watch -

countenance – appearance, or the expression on one’s face (When Lockwood is greeted by the woman, he goes on to describe her looks and figure, middle of pg.8 )

vehemence – vigorous impetuosity or fury (Lockwood goes on to curse the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights after he’s attacked by the dogs, going into a whole spiel of rage, which brings on the nosebleed)

Summary –

Lockwood ends up walking the four miles to Wuthering Heights, and arrives just when it starts to snow. No one answeres when he knocks, and Joseph calls out from the barn that Heathcliff isn’t home. A male keeper lets him in, and he is greeted by who he thinks is Heathcliff’s wife. When he tries to talk to her, she respondes rudely. He notices that she is barely out of girlhood, probably in her late teens. Heathcliff shows up, and corrects Lockwood, the girl is his daughter-in-law. He assumes the man that let him in is Heathcliff’s son, which he is not, and Heathcliff corrects him again – he’s Hareton Earnshaw. The woman is the widow of Heathcliff’s late son. By the time Lockwood is ready to leave, the flurries have become a blizzard, and he insists on finding his way off the property by lantern, saying he’ll return it in the morning. Joseph sees him trekking through the snow and lets the dogs loose on him. Lockwood is forced to stay the night at Wuthering Heights as result of a nosebleed.

Chapter 3 -

Words to Watch -

vapid – lacking or completely at a loss of liveliness or spirit (When Lockwood is escorted to the room, he dully wanderes over to the bed, at a complete dead pace attitude, pg. 16 )

lachrymose – mournful (While reading, Lockwood comes across an entry where Catherine is very upset about how horribly she is being treated, and talks about how her head aches, and how Hindley is basically disowning Heathcliff)

Sunmmary -

Zillah, the housemaid, leads Lockwood to an ‘off-limits’ room, where on the bed ledge, there are three names, Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Linton, and Catherine Heathcliff. He also finds Catherine Earnshaw’s diary from about 25 years earlier. He reads some, coming across a day shortly after her father died, and describes the day at Wuthering Heights. The entry goes on about her cruel older brother that forces her and Heathcliff to endure Joseph’s lectures. During his sleep, Lockwood has two nightmares, and wakes up from the second, but is still partially asleep. He goes to break the branch that’s tapping on the window, and envisions the branch as a ghost hand, that sobs for Catherine Linton, and demands to be let in. He sreams and Heathcliff rushes in, and demands that the room is not haunted, and Lockwood storms off. Heathcliff is left crying out to Catherine to come back. Heathcliff treats his dauaghter-in-law cruelly the next morning, and later takes Lockwood home, returning to his servants, who welcome him joyfully, thinking he was dead in the storm. Lockwood retreats by his lonesome, though, and avoids human company.

Chapter 4 -

Words to Watch –

recompence – to repay as a service, or aid (While Nelly is telling about WH, she confesses and is kicked out of the house)

Summary –

Lockwood is now lonely, and when his housekeeper, Nelly, brings food, he explains the history of the people at Wuthering Heights. She tries to clear up the relationships that were present in the manor – that young Catherine (the one Lockwood met) is the daughter of the Catherine that was Nelly’s first mistress at WH, and Hareton Earnshaw is young Catherine’s cousin (and the older Catherine’s nephew). The first Catherine is the daughter of Mr. Earnshaw (she wrote about his death). Now young Catherine is the last of the Lintons, and Hareton the last Earnshaw. Nelly says she grew up alongside Catherine and Hindley, as a servant at WH. Nelly goes on to tell about Heathcliff, who was raised as a member of the family after returning with Mr. Earnshaw from Liverpool. The Earnshaw children do not like him, but Catherine falls in love with him. Hindley continues to dislike Heathcliff, and is not liked by his family. Mrs. Earnshaw doesn’t trust Heathcliff, but Mr. Earnshaw loves him more than his own son. When Mrs. Earnshaw dies, Hindley is left to be the only one that dislikes Heathcliff.

Chapter 5 -

Words to Watch -

domineer – to rule arbitrarily; tyrannize (Mr. Earnshaw dreads the day someone he dies, because he knows Hindley will rule over Catherine and Heathcliff, and would rather Heathcliff gains the power, because he favors him)

Summary -

Lockwood is still reading the diary. Mr. Earnshaw becomes very frail and weak. He sends Hindley off to college, hoping it will resolve some of the bitter conflict between him and Heathcliff. Mr. Earnshaw looks to Joseph near the end of his life, as he is so religious. Mr. Earnshaw soon dies, and Catherine and Heathcliff look to Joseph for religious comfort. They discuss heaven while awaiting for Hindley, who is the new master at Wuthering Heights, to return from studies.

What do you guys think of all the conflict that Catherine diaries about? Do you find it sort of awkward that Mr. Earnshaw basically disowned his own son for a boy he brought home from Liverpool?

“Did you see a man in the pit?” I said. But he made no answer to that. (pg 22)

This quote is a short conversation between the narrator and a neighbor of his that he meets at the crash sight of the the Martian’s cylinder. It is mentioned throughout most of the beginning that the people who lived in the town near the crash sight were arrogant; they saw, or at least heard of, the dangers the Martians posed on the humans. Yet they went on with their normal lives, thinking that they were the smarter beings. Adding to their arrogance was the military, who gave the people of the town a sense of false-protection with their presence.

This quote is a good example of that ignorance. The narrator’s neighbor, both of whoose names are not given, mocks the Martians’ appearance. However you can tell he’s afraid. The narrator says he repeats the same phrase over and over, not necessarily talking to anyone in particular. Also, when the narrator asks him the question of if someone had fallen into the pit, his neighbor doesn’t answer; he’s to engrossed with the sight of the Martians to worry about someone else.

This quote emphasizes the ignorance the humans have towards the Martians as well as their arrogance toward each other. If you were a human at the crash sight when the Martians came out, what would your reaction have been and why?

Edit-

I was about to change this question, but saw that everyone had already responded to it, and the answers made pretty much sense, so I guess I will use my next question next time.  I was going to ask how Eustacia’s relationship with Damon effect the relatinship between Damon and Thomasin.  But ’sall good, so I guess we will wait untill next time.

 On another note, for anyone who saw “V for Vendetta”, which I know that Adam and Mallory haven’t, I think the events in Reutrn of the native are being alluded to in the movie.  In the beggining of “The Return of he Native”, a “gunpowder plot” is mentioned.  While mentioned in passing, it was still mentioned.  In V for Vendetta, there was a ryhme:

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot…

Now, after some research I discovered that the 5th of November was the date of some sort of important treason perpertrated by Guy Fawkes.  It just so happens that the day Eustacia meets with Damon on the hill is the 5th of November, and that was her excuse for a bonfire.

I thought that it was pretty interesting, seeing as the movie was good, so I put it in.

Also, remember that this story is taking place in the 1800’s, and that is why the language is so much different.  Another thing I thought was *interesting* was the amount of trouble the people go through in the story for the person they love.  Do the best to answer the above question the best you can.  Not really to much  more to say I suppose….

Just a suggestion to Mr. Shank, if your reading this, it would be ridiculous if we could do some video blogs.

Brian Wawrzyniak