Wuthering Heights - Series of Contrasts

854 Words2 Pages

A) Catherine’s love for Heathcliff is torn between both Heathcliff and Edgar Linton – conflicting loyalties. Her love for Heathcliff is prompted by impulses to disregard social conventions. Her love for Heathcliff causes her to throw tantrums and to run around the moor. She considers Heathcliff her soul mate: their life growing up together, their enjoyable times on the moor, and her freedom and innocence of her childhood. “If I’ve done wrong, I’m dying for it. It is enough! You left me too – but I won’t upbraid you! I forgive you. Forgive me!” represents Catherine’s love and yet her cruel treatment of Heathcliff for marrying Edgar to attain material and social gains. B) In chapter 17 Isabelle returns to the Grange in physical disarray. She saw Heathcliff as a romantic figure, like a character one would find in a novel. Yet, her decision to go with Heathcliff ruins her life. He never returns her feelings and treats her as a tool in his perusal of revenge on the Linton family. C) Both women have an initial desire to be with Heathcliff, while only Isabella ends up marrying Heathcliff. Heathcliff’s love for Isabella is a mere tool to achieve his ultimate goal of revenge. He marries her as a mean of revenge. On the other hand, Heathcliff and Catherine would complete each other, they are soul-mates. Neither of their experiences are successful and they both do not get what they originally desired (the love of their life). 2. A) When Hindley's wife Frances dies shortly after giving birth to their son Hareton, Hindley lapses into alcoholism and dissipation. Nelly expected Hindley to become sober and attend his wife’s funeral. “'Yesterday, you know, Mr. Earnshaw should have been at the funeral. He kept himself sober for the purpose - tolerably sober: not going to bed mad at six o'clock and getting up drunk at twelve. Consequently, he rose, in suicidal low spirits, as fit for the church as for a dance; and instead, he sat down by the fire and swallowed gin or brandy by tumblerfuls.” B) “But, I thought in my mind, Hindley, with apparently the stronger head, has shown himself sadly the worse and the weaker man. When his ship struck, the captain abandoned his post; and the crew, instead of trying to save her, rushed into riot and confusion, leaving no hope for their luckless vessel. Linton, on the contrary, displayed the true courage of a loyal and faithful soul: he trusted God; and God comforted him”

Open Document