Now that I've read to a decent point in the novel, and read summaries on SparkNotes, I've come to realize that this is not the worst book I've read. It is still confusing, though.
I found it interesting that Bronte shows the start contrast between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange in the beginning. The Linton's had the perfect family life: prim, proper, and a loving family. The Earnshaw's, however, are completely different. They are loud, obnoxious, and uncaring, except for the elder Mr. Earnshaw, who actually showed some common decency towards his family. However, this plays into the duality of the novel. Two families are being compared, revealing the dysfunction and perfection in each.
Today, I was rereading the section of the book where Catherine is ill. One of her rantings was about birds and whether they were dead or not. I thought that this was symbolic of her past life and how she was free. Charlotte Bronte's novel "Jane Eyre" also has a lot of bird imagery, which is interesting because they were sisters. (Hmm...) Anyway, the bird symbolizes a sense of freedom, and because the birds were dead, that meant they couldn't fly. I think Catherine died, figuratively of course, when she accepted Edgar and rejected Heathcliff. Maybe I'm being overly symbolic, but isn't Thrush also a type of bird? I find it interesting that the name of the house Catherine lives in is called Thrushcross Grange. No wonder she feels trapped--she's in a bird cage.
I agree that the book can be rather confusing because of the names of characters that sound alike or the way the story is being told. I really like that use of metaphor between Catherine being ill and the birds. I have not thought about it in that way, but I agree with you. Most of her Emily's passages and dialogues refer to the characters personalities, I wonder if this is supposed to be this way or it just happened. :)
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