Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

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“It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and [Edgar’s] is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.” These words are spoken by Catherine Earnshaw in Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights. The complicated love triangle that exists between Catherine Earnshaw, Edgar Linton, and Heathcliff is central to the plot of Wuthering Heights. This, and other subplots about love between other characters make love the main theme of this novel. Catherine is the daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Earnshaw, and they live at Wuthering Heights. Catherine has an older brother – Hindley, and an adopted brother – Heathcliff. Mr. Earnshaw loves Heathcliff and favors him over his own son. Catherine and Hindley despise their new brother at first, but Catherine slowly begins to love him. Hindley becomes more and more jealous of Heathcliff, so his father sends Hindley away to college. While his son is gone, Mr. Earnshaw dies. Hindley returns to the funeral married to a woman named Frances. He takes over Wuthering Heights, and forces Heathcliff to work as a common laborer. However, this does not deter Catherine and Heathcliff’s friendship, which begins to evolve into love as the two mature. Catherine and Heathcliff continue to defy their brother as they grow older, refusing to clean themselves, dress properly, or behave in a civilized manner. One day the two come to Thrushcross Grange (another house on the same land as Wuthering Heights), where they attempt to scare the two children, Edgar and Isabella Linton, who live there with their ... ... middle of paper ... ...e between Catherine, Heathcliff, and Edgar. The actions that these three took as a result of this affected each other and their children greatly. The forced “love” that existed between the relationships of Edgar and Catherine and Catherine II and Linton is one type of love to the novel. The absence of love in the marriage of Isabella and Heathcliff adds another depth to the story. The great love that caused Hindley to result to alcoholism following his wife’s death adds another form of love to Wuthering Heights. The “happy-ending” love between Catherine II and Hareton is another type of love within this novel. Finally, the love between Catherine and Heathcliff that began as a love between playmates in childhood and transformed to obsession following Catherine’s death is a powerful type of love in this story that affects all of the rest of the characters.

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