Demise of a Soulmate in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights Essay

Wuthering Heights is a novel which deviates from the standard of Victorian literature. The novels of the Victorian Era were often works of social criticism. They generally had a moral purpose and promoted ideals of love and brotherhood. Wuthering Heights is more of a Victorian Gothic novel; it contains passion, violence, and supernatural elements (Mitchell 119). The world of Wuthering Heights seems to be a world without morals. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë does not idealize love; she presents it realistically, with all its faults and merits. She shows that love is a powerful force which can be destructive or redemptive. Heathcliff has an all-consuming passion for Catherine. When she chooses to marry Edgar, his spurned love turns into a

This cold treatment only progressed and became abusive when Mr. Earnshaw, one of the few people to ever care about Heathcliff, dies and his son who loathes the protagonist becomes the master of Wuthering Heights. “He drove him from their company to the servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of doors instead; compelling him to do so as hard as any other lad on the farm” (Bronte 71).

Heathcliff cried vehemently, "I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" Emily Brontë distorts many common elements in Wuthering Heights   to enhance the quality of her book. One of the distortions is Heathcliff's undying love for Catherine Earnshaw. Also, Brontë perverts the vindictive hatred that fills and runs Heathcliff's life after he loses Catherine. Finally, she prolongs death, making it even more distressing and insufferable.

“You teach me how cruel you've been—cruel and false. Why do you despise me? Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort. You deserve this.

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights display of cultural and physical features of an environment affecting one’s character and moral traits is showcased through the first Catherine’s development throughout the novel. Catherine is forced to “adopt a double character”, as she lives as a rebellious, passionate woman on the turbulent Wuthering Heights, while behaving politely and courtly on the elegant Thrushcross Grange(Bronte, 48). Each of these environments also contains a love interest of Catherine’s, each man parallel with the characteristics of their environments: Heathcliff, the passionate and destructive, residing in Wuthering Heights, while the civilized and gentle Edgar inhabits Thrushcross Grange. Catherine’s development in character due to her setting significantly contributes to the theme that pursuing passionate love is dangerous, such as the love shared by Heathcliff and Catherine.

Dreaded till the day she died, Catherine confessed to Nelly that “[she is] Heathcliff! He’s always, always in [her] mind: not as a please, any more than [she is] always a pleasure to [herself], but as [her] own being” (87). After marrying Edgar, she has been haunted by the thoughts of Heathcliff because of his presence and torturous schemes to Edgar’s sister, Isabella. Through fear of Heathcliff’s sharp words and actions, Catherine is “cannot live apart” from Heathcliff

Heathcliff, after the death of Catherine, continues to be haunted by the ghost of Catherine, which leads him to doing very absurd things including digging up Catherine’s grave, and locking Nelly and Cathy in a room for days. In addition, Isabella is not in approval of the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff, leading to the lack of peace displayed in the relationship, as she is tries to pull the two apart, by getting closer to Heathcliff and refusing to come home. Like the unresolved book, Catherine and Heathcliff are not able to tie the loose ends to their relationship, leading to lack of peace. One does not receive closure with an unresolved book, and, similarly, neither does the couple. In addition, Heathcliff continues to do whatever he can to find answers to his questions, like we may do when we finish a book without

With such an infamous knack for the art of the scorn and slander, it’s not much of a surprise that Catherine enjoys her gossip. While telling Nelly about Edgar’s Marriage proposal, with Heathcliff eavesdropping close by, Nelly asks Cathy why she would not marry heathcliff instead. Her response, “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now” (Bronte 81), shows that she not only cares more about her social status and appearance, but that she disregards Heathcliff’s feelings almost entirely as she has, as if she were shopping, gone with the better deal. Once Heathcliff hears Cathy’s words, he becomes a changed man, and by no means for the

AP English IV Research Paper Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare share similar all consuming, infatuous relationships that negatively impact their lives. Both couples are used by the authors to express the destructive nature of obsessive relationships and how they can determine one's fate. In both stories, love drives the characters into madness and death. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s obsession with Juliet ultimately leads to his demise when he believes he will be separated from her.

Catherine’s love for Heathcliff

This passage illustrates not only the stark difference of demeanor between Nelly and Heathcliff, but the shift in Heathcliff’s conduct and mindset when Catherine was no longer around. The passage begins by Nelly describing how peaceful Catherine’s death was and how she hoped her afterlife would be just as peaceful. Immediately after, Heathcliff proclaims that Catherine should “wake in torment”; a stark difference to Nelly and Heathcliff’s attitude about her death. Nelly wishes her to be peaceful, but Heathcliff is so selfish that he wishes Catherine a tortured afterlife to comfort himself. The juxtaposition of the peaceful tone set by Nelly and the agony expressed by Heathcliff sets the stage for Heathcliff’s deranged manner that continues through the rest of the book.

This is the first time Catherine herself makes a statement in regards to Heathcliff’s true nature, and it is this final nail in the coffin that sets Heathcliff’s nature to the reader. If we were unconvinced before, we would certainly be convinced now, given Catherine’s astute analysis. Four months after Heathcliff’s return, he carries Isabella away from the Grange and marries her for the chance of attaining her brother’s land. His vengeance is taking

Heathcliff is a character from the novel “Wuthering Heights” that feels like life didn’t treat him fairly due to his lack of social status and due to his ambiguous nature. He and Catherine had both grown up together and in fact, his relationship with her provides the theme for the first volume. It was because of this relation as children that Heathcliff felt a strong connection with Catherin however, she later on didn’t feel the same way towards him. This would influence the story as a whole for their called “love” as children would be very influential in the second volume. Heathcliff feels like life was unjust to him due to the fact that later in the novel Catherine marries another man named Edgar Linton. The main reason why Catherine married

This leads to him running away from the heights entirely, leaving Catherine to marry Edgar. “He had listened till he heard Catherine say it would degrade her to marry him.” (81). Upon his return (two years later), Heathcliff marries Isabella to get back at Catherine, and her speech about how marrying him would degrade her. Isabella is also taken against her and her family’s will. Heathcliff kidnaps her and locks her away at the heights. In a letter written to Nelly, Isabella confirms that it was truly against her will for her leaving, and that she cannot return in the time of crisis in her brother’s life. “… an entreaty for kind remembrance and reconciliation, if her proceeding offended him: asserting that she could not help it then, and being done, no power to repeal it.” (140). In the act of kidnapping Isabella, Heathcliff’s intent is to hurt Catherine. Catherine would develop almost a jealous-like temper towards the whole situation, as Heathcliff knew it would. Even on Catherine’s deathbed, there is a constant push and pull (in almost a literal sense) of the cruelty that goes on between the two of them. Between the crying, the vexing, and the constant apologies, comes the brutal cruelty of the words Catherine speaks to Heathcliff. “I shall not pity you, not I. You have killed me – and thriven on it, I think.” (164)

While at Thrushcross Grange, she grows infatuated with Edgar, despite her love for Heathcliff. Edgar came from an upper class family as well and took care of her when she was in a dog accident. This leads to her acceptance of Edgar Linton’s marriage proposal despite her statements regarding her love for Heathcliff. Heathcliff overhears unfortunate passages of Catherine's discourse and disappears for a period during which he mysteriously makes his fortune and changes irrevocably from the person he was. Vengeance consumes him, and Heathcliff attempts to destroy the lives of those who wronged him, (as well as their children). Ultimately, Heathcliff’s bitterly executed vengeance is effaced by a love between Hareton and Cathy that mirrors Heathcliff’s own love for Catherine. Hareton is Catherine’s nephew and Cathy is Catherine’s daughter, which makes the two first cousins.