Consider the opening three chapters of "Wuthering Heights". How effective are they as an opening to the novel?

The first three chapter of "Wuthering Heights" are a strange mix of confusing names, relationships and bizarre scenery. At a glance, it seems the novel is very hard going and nothing compels the reader to continue, but Emily BrontÁ's potent writing style makes us want to persist with the book. The first three chapters, are narrated in the form of a diary, written by Thrushcross Granges' new tenant Lockwood. Lockwood's diary is very formal and direct both in structure "1801 - I have just returned from a visit to my landlord" and in its language "misanthropists heaven". The formality of the diary does not make for easy reading. At first, it creates a strong sense of distance between the narrator and reader. However, as the chapters progress, we warm slightly to Lockwood, this is intentional of BrontÁ, but unintentional of Lockwood. Through his many little blunders "unluckily it was a heap of dead rabbits." We feel as though we know him more the naiveté of his character shines through. One aspect of narration BrontÁ has made Lockwood particularly good at, is narration of external matters, such as appearances and surroundings "she was slender, and apparently scarcely past girlhood". He is however, unreliable when it comes to judging people. It is obvious to us, as an outsider, that Lockwood is not a good judge of character. He frequently makes mistakes about people. He infers that Heathcliff is a "capital fellow" yet as the reader, we can see that when Heathcliff’s "black eyes withdraw suspiciously" he is not a "capital fellow" at all. Lockwood however does not see this, and this is why the reader must remember that he is not the most reliable of narrators. By using Lockwood to introduce us to the story at Wuthering Heights, we get a good firm grounding. As Lockwood is a newcomer as are we, he sees things much as we would. The assumptions he makes "Mrs Heathcliff, your wife, I mean" we would probably make, if we had not already. By using Lockwood, we are not launched straight into life at Wuthering Heights. We are given an introduction first, so that we can learn about the characters, relationships and life at the house. Although the narration may seem off-putting at first, it does in fact draw the reader into the novel. Despite the difficulty of the language, the distance and the formality, BrontÁ uses Lockwood to convey the overall strangeness of the story and the sense of mystery. The techniques BrontÁ uses with Lockwood are effective at drawing the reader further into the story. Lockwood is a good beginning narrator, but BrontÁ makes it clear to us that he is not the most reliable of narrators. He is an outsider, new to life at Wuthering Heights and as a result, he can make assumptions that are wrong. When Lockwoods judgements are wrong, we often realise, because as an outsider, we can see certain things Lockwood cannot. Because we cannot always trust his opinions and interpretations, the reader must constantly read between the lines. The fact that Lockwood is always misjudging people and situations allows the reader to see more into his character. He manages to prove himself to be rather slow and an unreliable narrator. However, by BrontÁ making Lockwood less reliable and more flighty we being to see the real Lockwood, so his faults give the novel more depth. Lockwoods unreliability as a narrator does not affect the reader's judgements, as we can see Lockwoods faults, but it does make the narration more effective in that it adds depth and reflects his character well. Another way in which we are enticed into the novel, is by BrontÁ’s clever use of setting. Simply the name of the house "Wuthering Heights" creates an atmosphere of mystery and unrest. The word "Wuthering" is explained by Lockwood in chapter one as being "descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed to in stormy weather." The setting of Wuthering Heights is obviously very important, it is rugged, wild and desolate. The setting reflects the emotions and personalities of the characters. Heathcliff seems to be a rugged man, and he is certainly isolated in the same way that the house itself is. Lockwood's unwanted arrival at the house in chapter two, creates turmoil. Although Lockwood cannot see that he is not welcome, the reader can, and we can also see that the people in the house have a turbulent past. The "bitter whirl of wind and suffocating snow" seems to reflect this turbulence, and the impact that Lockwoods arrival has on the characters, will create upheaval and the resurfacing of emotions. The weather and the scenery also add to the gothic, mysterious feeling the novel evokes. The appearance of Cathy's ghost happens when there is a storm, intensifying the mystery surrounding the house and the characters. With the arrival of the ghost, and seeing Heathcliff’s reaction to it "Oh, my hearts darling - hear me this time!" we are introduced to the past Cathy and Heathcliff evidently had. The weather and the setting also reflect the relationships the characters have. The force of the weather is uncontrollable, as are relationships between people. In the first three chapters, we do not learn much factual information about the characters. The introductions we do get are very biased and confusing. We are introduced to characters, Lockwood, Heathcliff, Hareton, Joseph and a variety of Catherine’s. Lockwood introduces us to all of these characters, he is confused by the relationships they all have, and in turn, the reader is too. We have only a basic knowledge of who's who. The Character we learn most about is Heathcliff. We are given a very vivid description of him "a dark skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman... an erect and handsome figure... rather morose." The rest of what we learn about Heathcliff is through his actions. He seems at first to be a very hard and stony man, who is not amiable and certainly not the sort of man to show emotion in public. However, in chapter three, he changes track completely when he sees the ghost of Cathy. His outburst of "my hearts darling" is such an obvious release of passion that the reader desires to learn more about Heathcliff. BrontÁ has made it obvious he is not quite how he seems and this dramatic change of character draws us further into the story. The mere fact that there are so many people introduced to us in the first three chapters, a huge mix of names and relationships, we are motivated to read on to find out more. The characters are full of passion, mystery and resentment, giving us the desire to continue reading, and also acting as a good base of knowledge for the rest of the story. In chapter four, we are introduced to the narration of Nelly, the housekeeper. She then takes over the narration from Lockwood. BrontÁ could have started straight off with the narration of Nelly, however she chose to use Lockwood. Had BrontÁ used Nelly’s narration from the very beginning, much of the mystery, confusion and strangeness that Lockwood’s narration conveys would have been lost. Since Lockwood is new to the situation, as is the reader, we can relate far more to him. Lockwood tells us of observations he makes " I detected the date ‘1500’ and the name ‘Hareton Earnshaw’" Lockwoods narration means that there are often bits of the story left blank, to be filled in later. The mystery draws us in to the novel more than we would have been had the novel started with the narration of Nelly. Nelly has been involved in Wuthering Heights life since she was born, she knows what is going on, what has gone on and why life at the house is as it is. She has all the answers and she relays them in her narration as how she saw them. "it was the beginning of harvest - I remember." Although Nelly’s narration may be slightly biased, it is far more reliable and less assuming than Lockwoods. If the novel began with Nelly’s narration, the air of mystery, strangeness and the turbulent atmosphere would not have been picked up upon. By starting with Lockwoods narration first, we are introduced to the strangeness of the characters, the complexity of the relationships they have and the goings on in the house. The only reason we are interested in what Nelly has to say is because Lockwood has stimulated our interest. Without Lockwood, I feel the novel would be too hard to read and not compelling enough to make us continue past a few chapters. Although at first it may seem as though "Wuthering Heights" is a very difficult book to read, and that it will be very un-compelling, BrontÁ’s techniques work very well in providing a very effective opening to the novel. The sense of mystery and confusion all work well in persuading the reader the find out more and the strangeness of the characters and their relationships is cleverly told, so that we know enough, but not too much to give the story away. By the time we launch into Nelly’s narration in chapter four, BrontÁ has won over the attention of the reader, proving that the beginning of Wuthering Heights is indeed very effective.