Wuthering Heights – Series of Contrasts
A) Catherines 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 Ive done wrong, Im dying for it. It is enough! You left me too but I wont upbraid you! I forgive you. Forgive me! represents Catherines 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. Heathcliffs 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 wifes 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
C) Lintons childhood in an educated and civilized family reflects his actions of being civilized and showing trust in God when his wife dies. Hindely actions are a direct result of his alcoholic, carefree, and cold environment.
3.
A) After Hindley’s death, Heathcliff assumes control of Hareton. He plans to raise him as an uneducated field worker, somewhat like what Hindley had done to himself. Heathcliff plans on using Hareton to seek revenge on Hindley.
B) Linton is Heathcliffs son by Isabella. Surprisingly, Heathcliff hates his own son and treats him contemptuously, and later forces him to marry the young Catherine. He plans to use the marriage as a took of gaining complete control over Thrushcross Grange after his son dies. In fact, Linton dies soon after the marriage.
C) 1. Linton’s looks and movements were very languid, and his form extremely slight; but there was a grace in his manner that mitigated these defects, and rendered him not unpleasing.
2. Hareton is not bad-natured, though he’s rough – they’re sure to part, one swearing and the other crying. I believe the master would relish Earnshaw’s thrashing him to a mummy, if he were not his son; and I’m certain he would be fit to turn him out of doors, if he knew half the nursing he gives hisseln. But then he won’t go into danger of temptation: he never enters the parlour, and should Linton show those ways in the house where he is, he sends him up-stairs directly. Nelly shows pity for Hareton and sees the way he has been treated by Heathcliff.
3. Linton is not very kind to Hareton at all. He never enters the parlour, and should Linton show those ways in the house where he is, he sends him up-stairs directly.
4. His feelings toward Hareton ‘I’ve a pleasure in him,’ he continued, reflecting aloud. ‘He has satisfied my expectations. If he were a born fool I should not enjoy it half so much. But he’s no fool; and I can sympathise with all his feelings, having felt them myself. I know what he suffers now, for instance, exactly: it is merely a beginning of what he shall suffer, though. And he’ll never be able to emerge from his bathos of coarseness and ignorance. I’ve got him faster than his scoundrel of a father secured me, and lower; for he takes a pride in his brutishness. I’ve taught him to scorn everything as silly and weak. Heathcliff hates his son Linton. Hareton is more of a son to Heathcliff than Linton is. Hareton remains noble to the only father he ever really knew. Words
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