Comparison Of Childhood In Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights

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Throughout the world of Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Brontë in the mid-1800s, there are many similarities between the second generation, which include Hindley and Catherine Earnshaw along with Heathcliff, and the third generation, which evolves around Hareton Earnshaw, Cathy Linton, and Linton Heathcliff. The third generation inhibits some of their parent’s qualities and traits. Cathy is the daughter of Catherine and Edgar Linton and has her mother’s temperament and headstrong behaviour, but also her father’s compassion in which she shows through the care of Linton. Hareton is the son of Hindley and Frances Earnshaw. He eventually gets taken advantage of and used for Heathcliff’s revenge on his father Hindley. Hareton wants to improve …show more content…

He was returned to Thrushcross Grange by his Uncle Edgar where he would be taken by Heathcliff right away back to Wuthering Heights, as Heathcliff had plans to use Linton to obtain his rightful revenge. While there are many differences between the two generations, there are also many similarities that shape the young children at the end of the novel.
Edgar and Linton are two of the same. Linton is Edgars nephew and as a Linton, they share many characteristics. Edgar has “light hair and a fair skin, . . . dressed well and behaved as well” (50) as well as “great blue eyes and even forehead.” …show more content…

Catherine Earnshaw, now Linton, and Cathy Linton, then Heathcliff, both high inn spirits shared many similarities in appearance. Catherine’s “spirits were always at high-water mark, her tongue always going- singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do the same (36).” Catherine “had the bonniest eyes, and sweetest smile (36)” and she loved to adventure out onto the Moors and explore her inner wild child. Cathy is “a real beauty in face [with] . . . dark eyes . . . fair skin, and small features (167).” She too was also “saucy (167)” and wild wanting to “walk on the top of those hills (168).” Both had dark eyes, had a temper, were childish and both fell in love with a man who was too poor for how they wanted to be viewed. Catherine falls in love with Heathcliff while playing on the Moors, but comes to the realization that she must marry Edgar to help her be the rich wife she needs to be. Similarly, Cathy falls in love with Hareton who does not have an education and “cannot read [referring to the Hareton name on the building] (194).” After realizing that marrying Heathcliff and Hareton is not going to socially benefit them and Heathcliff forces Cathy to marry Linton they both marry the ‘other one’, Edgar and Linton. Catherine and Cathy can recognize and love the traits of a soft sensitive man, but also crave the passionate love of an unpredictable masculine man. In the end what differs in their lives is that

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