The Relation of Evil and Love in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte This study will examine Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights, focusing on how evil is related to love. The study will explore the main relationship in the book, the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. That relationship is full of both love and evil and will show us what happens when evil and love become tied to one another. The first thing we need to do is define evil. It is perhaps impossible to define love in a way, which will satisfy all of us. We will probably all agree that love is usually an attraction between two people, which makes them feel good about themselves and the other person and about life in general. On the other hand, the love that is powerful and romantic goes way beyond such a feel-good experience. For the sake of this study, we must agree that Catherine and Heathcliff love one another, but the question is whether that love is healthy. Just because it is unhealthy does not mean that it is not love. However, if it is so unhealthy that it becomes destructive to both of them, and then we can start to see it as evil. To this reader, their love is tied up with evil because their love has become more important than anything else in their lives and because it is destroying both of them. It is evil to expect another human being to do for you what it is impossible for another human being to do. Heathclif and Catherine see each other as gods, or as God, and expect to be saved by the other as God would save one. They see love as something, which they can throw themselves into and disappear, and at that point love becomes destructive and evil. The love which Catherine and Heathcliff share is a love which many people would like ... ... middle of paper ... ...lationship was destructive. Even if we see them as hopeless as junkies in their addiction to one another, at some point they had to have realized they were destroying each other. If it were truly love which they felt, they would have done whatever they could to stop themselves and separate because of that love. As it is in the book, however, author Bronte has painted Heathcliff and Catherine as two people who never really had such a free choice. From the beginning, even in childhood, there were powerful and dark connections, which bound these two, together against the world. Certainly we can say that Heath cliff was by far the more evil of the two, but Catherine willingly stayed in the relationship, and/or allowed herself to be brought back into it by Heathcliff. Evil or not, she is as much responsible for the misery and destruction of their "love" as Heathcliff.
In Wuthering Heights, it described vividly the goal of Heathcliff and Catherine, who wanted to be with one and another. However, when Catherine rejected Heathcliff, he turned his potential of dream of good into evil. It also reflected the Heathcliff was prejudged by Mrs. Earnshaw, Hindley, Edgar, Mr. and Mrs. Linton. It also showed that love and hate between Heathcliff and Catherine made their relationships quite intense.
In a failed attempt to discourage Isabella Linton’s budding desire for Heathcliff in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Nelly Dean does not hesitate in standing behind Catherine’s assertion that he would destroy Isabella if she were to pursue him romantically: “She is better acquainted with his heart than I, or any one besides,” Nelly warns, “and she would never represent him as worse than he is” (103). While Nelly’s plea falls upon deaf ears, her admission rings true—if there is anyone in Wuthering Heights with more insight on Heathcliff’s actions and motives, it is Catherine Earnshaw. Had Brontë aimed to interrogate Heathcliff’s individual growth and regression in Wuthering Heights, Catherine may have narrated the tale, but as the original
Catherine thought love was about being rich and having good looks, both of which Edgar Linton had. “You love Mr. Edgar because he is handsome, and young, and cheerful, and rich, and loves you. The last, however, goes for nothing: you would love him without that, probably; and with it you wouldn’t, unless he possessed the four former attractions” (76). This proves Catherine’s immaturity; she couldn’t tell the difference between love and infatuation. When he couldn’t have Catherine, Heathcliff reverted to Isabella, Edgar Linton’s sister. “Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?” (132). Heathcliff was troublesome
Although, Heathcliff may have seemed vicious towards Hindley, Hindley was just as or even more monstrous. Hindley constantly told Isabella of his plans to kill Heathcliff and Hindley was resentful of Heathcliff becoming part of his family. Also, Heathcliff and Catherine are the true definition of a whirlwind romance and they may seemed insane at times, but he is so cruel because he simply cannot control his love for Catherine. Of course readers feel sorry for Hareton and for the cold-hearted treatment he endured from Heathcliff, but it is disclosed that Hareton’s eyes reminded Heathcliff so much of Catherine and the loss he feels. He is mad at the world that she ended up with Edgar rather than him. Despite Heathcliff’s thoughtless intentions for marrying Isabella, readers feel sorry that he didn’t end up with the woman he really loves, Catherine.
Catherine is the first woman that Heathcliff is introduced to. He treats her well; Heathcliff has never struck her or curse her. Throughout their childhood and adolescence, the pair are inseparable. When Catherine is injured at the Linton’s he refuses to leave her side,
In the novel Wuthering Heights, author Emily Brontë portrays the morally ambiguous character of Heathcliff through his neglected upbringing, cruel motives, and vengeful actions.
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.
Through self-centered and narcissistic characters, Emily Bronte’s classic novel, “Wuthering Heights” illustrates a deliberate and poetic understanding of what greed is. Encouraged by love, fear, and revenge, Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff, and Linton Heathcliff all commit a sin called selfishness.
Heathcliff and Cathy have a sadistic relationship. They are only truly in love when they are hurting each other. As Catherine lay dying, she wants Heathcliff, her love, to join her in death. She pleads to him:
On the face of it, it would seem that the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff is self-destructive to an extreme. Due to the lovers’ precarious circumstances, passionate personalities and class divisions, it seems that fate transpires to keep them apart and therefore the hopelessness of their situation drives them to self destruction. However, although the relationship is undeniably self-destructive, there are elements within it that suggest the pain Heathcliff and Catherine put each other through is atoned for to an extent when they share their brief moments of harmony.
...e characters and made them act based on their passion. However, it was also love that destroyed and created cruelty. Happiness is a choice and so is love. The purest kind of love can inflict the greatest pain in the world just like how Heathcliff and Catherine's love was, so close yet so far.
Everyone knows about romance, whether it comes from films like The Notebook, songs like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”, or innocent stories told like those of Disney Princesses. Generally, romance is about two people falling in love and overcoming obstacles to make that love happen for them. Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” doesn’t exactly follow that for Heathcliff and Catherine. An interesting twist for these two characters is that instead of breaking down obstacles to be with one another, they instead create obstacles for each other because of how much they love and want to be with each other. They recognize and measure the love they share for each other in life with souls and in death with spirits.
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). They became very close friends; they were practically brother and sister (Mitchell 122). Heathcliff is intent upon pleasing Catherine. He would “do her bidding in anything” (Brontë 30). He is afraid of “grieving” her (Brontë 40). Heathcliff finds solace and comfort in Catherine’s company. When Catherine is compelled to stay at Thrushcross Grange to recover from her injury, she returns as “a very dignified person” (Brontë 37). Her association with the gente...
Wuthering Heights is not just a love story, it is a window into the human soul, where one sees the loss, suffering, self discovery, and triumph of the characters in this novel. Both the Image of the Book by Robert McKibben, and Control of Sympathy in Wuthering Heights by John Hagan, strive to prove that neither Catherine nor Heathcliff are to blame for their wrong doings. Catherine and Heathcliff’s passionate nature, intolerable frustration, and overwhelming loss have ruined them, and thus stripped them of their humanities.
The scene above truly grasps the idea of Romanticism because Heathcliff is showing his emotions and individuality. His desire to be with Catherine is so powerful that he allows himself to disturb the peace and have enough space available for him to occupy after he has passed. This is very unusual because there are not any characters similar to Heathcliff in this text. This scene makes Heathcliff even more difficult to analyze but at the end we learn that the only thing he sincerely wanted throughout the text was to...