Wuthering Heights was written by Emily Bronte. The story is centered on hatred, jealousy, and revenge that spans two generations. Social class plays a significant role in the story, as it the factor that ultimately divides two loves from being together. The futures of Cathy, Hareton, and Linton are shaped by the vengeful decisions made by Heathcliff. Each character chooses to use Heathcliff’s manipulation in a different way.
Cathy is the daughter of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw. Shorty upon her birth, her mother Catherine passed away. Like her mother was, Cathy is very beautiful with curly blonde hair and a very strong personality. She was raised at Thrushcross Grange. Catherine is very sheltered as a child. Nelly regarded her as:
The most winning thing that ever brought sunshine into a desolate house: a real beauty in face, with the Earnshaws' handsome dark eyes, but the Lintons' fair skin and small features, and yellow curling hair. Her spirit was high, though not rough, and qualified by a heart sensitive and lively to excess in its affections. That capacity for intense attachments reminded me of her mother: still she did not resemble her: for she could be soft and mild as a dove, and she had a gentle voice and pensive expression: her anger was never furious; her love never fierce: it was deep and tender. However, it must be acknowledged, she had faults to foil her gifts. A propensity to be saucy was one; and a perverse will, that indulged children invariably acquire, whether they be good tempered or cross … Fortunately, curiosity and a quick intellect made her an apt scholar: she learned rapidly and eagerly, and did honour to his teaching.
One day while out exploring against her father’s wishes, Catherine comes across ...
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...areton had been born into. Linton spent much of his time trying his best to please his father so that he might not be angry at him. Linton expressed his fears to his father. Ultimately, his character was much like Heathcliff’s. Hareton was born to a good family; however he became introverted after becoming orphaned and going to live with Heathcliff.
In conclusion, Heathcliff is ultimately to blame for the unhappiness and distress of Cathy, Hareton, and Linton. The children grew up in different homes, with different family structures, social statuses and personalities. Linton chooses to take on a stronger personality, influenced by his father. Hareton chooses to develop a relationship with Cathy, whom had previously been unkind and mocking and together they grow.
Works Cited
Bronte, E. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/768/768-h/768-h.htm
Although Heathcliff creates a divide within the family due to his arrival, Cathy is seen to gain a friend with whom she feels she has an affinity both physically, spiritually and mentally, which will become increasingly evident as the novel progresses. However, this alliance throughout the novel is frequently thrown into turmoil by outside influences or factors. As we are informed from the onset, the "greatest punishment" that could be bestowed upon Cathy was separation from Heathcliff. & nbsp; Cathy and Heathcliff's separation only therefore ensues as a result of their initial outing to Thrushcross Grange. Their promise to grow up together as 'rude as savages,' is destroyed when Cathy and Heathcliff are separated physically by many factors resulting from this visitation. Just as the Linton's dog 'holds' Cathy, so too is the Linton's house symbolically presented as separating her from Heathcliff, when Heathcliff resorts to peering in through their 'great glass panes' to see Cathy, after being physically 'dragged' out of Thrushcross Grange. & nbsp;
We see his pride, his passion and sensitivity; we see that he is very close to nature: all of these things are genetic character traits, visible in Hareton's father and aunt, Hindley and Catherine Earnshaw. With Heathcliff, his nurture enhances parts of his personality, whereas in Hareton's nurture, his nature is dulled and moulded so it is less extreme. This is done by denying Hareton of experience. At the end of the novel, Hareton is very much a product of his nature; Cathy's nurturing allows this to change.
The initial downward spiral of Heathcliff’s life was predominantly caused by harsh influences in the environment in which he was raised. Heathcliff, an adopted child, grew up in Wuthering Heights, a desolate and dystopian estate when compared to the beauty of the neighboring Thrushcross Grange. In childhood, Heathcliff displayed evidence of a sympathetic personality through his emotional attachment to Catherine and kind attitude towards Nelly. At the time of Mr. Earnshaw’s death, Nelly describes a scene where, “Miss Cathy had been sick, and that made her still; she
Linton Heathcliff is only interested in himself. He is a sickly and scared young man. Like his mother Isabella Linton who accused Catherine Earnshaw of selfishly wanting Heathcliff for herself – in which she didn't- Linton enjoys inflicting and watching people suffer. As Heathcliff threatened to kill Linton, Linton only thought about his own life and, decided to betray Cathy, tricking her into staying at Wuthering Heights and getting married to him, instead of returning to Thurshcross Grange to where her father lies on his deathbed.
The sympathetic part of Heathcliff shows through when he sees Catherine in the beginning stages of her sickness after childbirth. “He neither spoke, nor loosed his hold, for some five minutes, during which period he bestowed more kisses than ever he gave in his life before, I dare say…” (159). The sympathetic part of Heathcliff kicks in when he sees the woman he loves dying right before him. Heathcliff began to ask Catherine the questions he had not been able to ask her before, whether it had been due to his pride or to his absence - was insignificant., “‘...You loved me - then what right had you to leave me? What right - answer me - for the poor fancy you felt for Linton?” (162). When the novel begins, it is mentioned that Heathcliff is shouting, “‘Come in! Come in!’ he sobbed. ‘Cathy, do come. Oh do - once more! Oh! My heart’s darling, hear me this time - Catherine, at last!’” (28). Heathcliff attempts to get Catherine’s ghost to speak to him, because his main goal is to be united with her in death. Heathcliff’s character changes relatively fast when he sees Catherine dying in her bed. There is a sympathetic side shown that has not been quite expressed before, and also the feelings that Heathcliff kept bottled
With Catherine married to Edgar, the Linton family heritage will carry on. After few years, Heathcliff returns as a proper gentleman when he was trained by Isabella. As he became more and more mature, Isabella fell in loves with him. As the two couples fall in loves, the story continues to tell its
Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a novel about lives that cross paths and are intertwined with one another. Healthcliff, an orphan, is taken in by Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of Wuthering Heights. Mr. Earnshaw has two children named Catherine and Hindley. Jealousy between Hindley and Healthcliff was always a problem. Catherine loves Healthcliff, but Hindley hates the stranger for stealing his fathers affection away. Catherine meets Edgar Linton, a young gentleman who lives at Thrushcross Grange. Despite being in love with Healthcliff she marries Edgar elevating her social standing. The characters in this novel are commingled in their relationships with Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.
Emily Brontë, in her novel, Wuthering Heights, suggests that children, in their very nature, exhibit traits from their parental influences. However, these traits are not always represented at the same time and can come out in different situations. For instance, as Cathy Linton grows up, her personality is a mixture of her calmer father, Edgar, and her more fiery mother, Catherine. She shows both these personalities, but she limits each to the correct time and circumstance. Also, the same goes for Linton Heathcliff, who has become a mixture of both his mother, Isabella, and his father, Heathcliff. Lastly, this is shown in Hareton Earnshaw, who, because he has little to no relationship with his biological parents, has turned into a man more like Heathcliff, his surrogate father, instead of Hindley, his genetic father. In this way, parental influence can shape a child into becoming more like them.
Cathy was a good child, but she was very spoiled and overprotected, since Edgar didn’t trust anyone with her. She wasn’t allowed to wander outside the house, unless she was going to the park nearby and was accompanied by either Nelly or Edgar himself. Before Isabella’s death, she wanted Edgar to visit her so that she could give Linton over to him. He goes on a trip to claim Linton for himself, so Nelly is instructed to take care of Cathy. While Edgar is away, Nelly takes Cathy to Wuthering Heights to meet her cousin, Hareton, which was strictly forbidden to her, especially because there was to be no communication between the houses. Edgar returns to the Grange with Linton; Catherine and Linton get along easily and become good friends almost immediately. That same night, Joseph comes to the Grange, demanding that Linton go to Wuthering Heights to be with his dad, Heathcliff. When they arrive at the Heights, Linton is appalled by the ugly outside appearance of his new home and becomes frightened of his father, screaming that he refuses to stay there. Cathy turns sixteen years old, sharing her birthday with the anniversary of her mother’s death. Edgar goes to visit Catherine’s grave, so Nelly takes Cathy out to play. They run into Heathcliff, and he tells Nelly that he wishes Cathy and Linton to marry each other. When Cathy learns that Linton is actually Heathcliff’s son, she returns home and blames Edgar for keeping her and Linton away from each other for so long. Catherine and Linton begin to write love letters to each other behind their parent’s backs. Nelly finds out about this, and threatens to tell Edgar about the letters unless Catherine lets her burn them all.
For Hareton, he was stripped of his education, so he doesn’t know all the potential that resides within him. He was raised by a man who had no love for him because of what his father did to him. Hareton will become a product of his environment, being mean and malicious, as well as, not having a true definition of what love is. Linton can’t be comfortable with who he is because of his father exploiting his current state. He is naturally sickly, frail, and weak, and his father is using that to play on Catherine emotions as apart of his plan. He is talking to Nelly and says, “My design is as honest as possible. Ill informs you of its whole scope. That the two cousins may fall in love, and get married. I’m acting generously toy our master; his young chit has no expectations, and should she second my wishes, she'll be provided for, at once, as joint successor with Linton.” Nelly then goes to say, “If Linton died as his life is quite uncertain, Catherine would be the heir.” Heathcliff responds, “No she would not, there is no clause in the will to secure it so; his property would go to me; but, to prevent disputes, I desire their union, and am resolved to bring it about.” (Chapter 7: Volume 2) He has the potential to be nice and kind without having any other intentions attached to it. Lastly, you have Cathy, who is a lot like her mother, who constantly requires the
Heathcliff allowed himself to be engulfed in all of the rejection and hatred he was surrounded by and gave into the way he was nurtured as a boy instead of what he could have become if he had listened to himself and not all the other aspects of his outside life. Hareton, on the other hand, listened to himself and did not get consumed by all the hatred and darkness he was raised in; he learned to be kind and loving towards Cathy without hurting everyone around her. Heathcliff also hated Hindley, the man who brought all of the emotional and physical abuse in his life, while Hareton loved Heathcliff, even though Heathcliff was Hareton’s “Hindley”. Hareton also felt sorrow for Heathcliff when he died, “weeping in bitter earnest,” while Heathcliff felt no remorse or sadness whatsoever, even for the people he had wronged (Bronte 324). Hareton and Heathcliff were majorly different as Hareton embraced his good side and Heathcliff got wrapped up in his damaged
Young Cathy’s love for Hareton is a redemptive force. It is her love that brings an end to the reign of Heathcliff. Heathcliff and Catherine have loved each other since their childhood. Initially, Catherine scorned the little gypsy boy; she showed her distaste by “spitting” at him (Brontë 27). However, it was not long before Heathcliff and Catherine became “very think” (Brontë 27).
Admittedly, Catherine, Heathcliff, and Hindley, aren't the soccer moms of today. Heathcliff does not even meet his son Linton until grown, only then because his mother Isabella dies. Because of paternal rights, Heathcliff gains custody of Linton. When Linton prepares to meet his father for the first time, he questions Nelly: "'And what is my father like? Is he as young and handsome as uncle?' 'He's as young,' she replies, 'but he has black hair and eyes, and looks sterner, and he is taller and bigger altogether.'…'Black hair and eyes!' mused Linton. 'I can't fancy him. Then I am not much like him, am I?'"(Bronte 152). Upon meeting his son, Heathcliff observes him as weak, sickly, and high strung, which strongly contrasts with ursine Heathcliff. Their contradictory personalities ultimate...
During the first half of the book, Catherine showed different types of love for two different people. Her love for Heathcliff was her everything, it was her identity to love and live for Heathcliff but as soon as she found out how society views Heathcliff, she sacrificed their love and married Edgar Linton in the hopes of saving Heathcliff from Hindley and protecting him from the eyes of society. In her conversation with Nelly, Cathy who professed her love for Heathcliff quoted “My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself.” Catherine proved Nelly Dean that the only person who can make her feel pain and sorrow is Heathcliff. The extent of her love was uncovered when she sang her praise of “I am Heathcliff” because this was the turning point in the book that allowed the readers to truly understand and see the depth of Cathy's love for Heathcliff. On the other hand, Catherine's love for Edgar wasn't natural because it was a love that she taught herself to feel. It might have come unknowingly to Cathy but she did love Edgar as she said “My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees.” Cathy knew that it was not impossible to love Edgar for he was a sweet and kind gentleman who showed her the world but unlike ...
...his is impossible to prevent. This leads to Mr. Heathcliff self destruction, because all of his life he has been looking for strategies to get revenge on those he hates. He does not want Wuthering Heights to be a haven, rather a purgatory. To his dismay he realizes his years of revenge, will not last all generations. Seeing how both families, the Linton and the Earnshaw's stand up for one another, Heathcliff understands that the one thing that kept him alive has now been defeated. Therefore his life has no purpose, and he has lost.