However, Catherine’s marries Edgar not only for her benefit but because ‘If I marry Linton, I can aid Heathcliff and place him out of my brother’s power’
It is here that Catherine has unrealistic expectations although her altruistic nature is surprising considering her selfish character, it is more surprising to note that she could be so naïve as Nelly points out ‘With your husband’s money, Miss Catherine?’
In conventional relationship during that time, by this point it would be absurd for Catherine to suggest such ideas, as she should be forgetting the significance of her relationship with Heathcliff. Furthermore, when Heathcliff returns, Catherine should take no interest in trying to rekindle her feelings for him as Edgar had been putting in effort to make their marriage work ‘Mr. Edgar had a deep-rooted fear of ruffling her humour’ Up until this scene the couples were getting along and if Catherine had concealed her zealous behaviour towards Heathcliff then the calm atmosphere would have remained.
Catherine rudely ignores her husband’s presence to the extent that he demands the disrespectful behaviour to be stopped and a decision made ‘Will you give up Heathcliff hereafter, or will you giver up me? It is impossible for you to be my friend and his at the same time…’
Indeed, Edgar is right to put Catherine’s in this difficult situation because any other typical husband at the time would have been less patient with Catherine or banned Heathcliff from the house at an earlier stage.
Catherine struggles because the two men in her life represent two types if world and she cannot have both at the same time. Heathcliff represents the spiritual and natural side of life ‘Nelly, I am Heathcliff-he’s always in my mind…as my own being’ whereas Edgar stands for materialistic development and therefore an artificial way of life ‘he will be rich, and I shall like to be the greatest women of the neighbourhood’.
Catherine attempts to balance the two demands but both characters reject the other and ultimately, for the novel, Catherine has to die.
Contrastingly, Catherine’s daughter Cathy is successful in her desires. Unlike Catherine, Cathy is bought up in a civilised, over-protected environment where she has little knowledge of the outside world ‘Till she reached the age of thirteen, she had not once been beyond the grange of the park by herself’.
Cathy, therefore had an excuse in her naïve expectations with Linton, as she had had little human contact. Cathy romanticises about Linton before he arrives because she has been leading a dull life and wants excitement ‘How delightful it will be to have him for a play fellow’. Her expectations are fulfilled as she has many days of playing with him but when she discovers Heathcliff’s treatment to Linton she believes that she can save him and make ‘a pet of him’. This is why she suffers but by being a prisoner at the Heights she realises that Linton is not the ‘sweet pretty darling’, she was disillusioned.
Cathy finds Linton repulsive when he uses the feeble excuse (during the kidnapping incident) that he was threatened by his father to keep Cathy away from her father as long as possible. Eventually she manages to find common grounds with Hareton and they develop a love that does not involve avariciousness or unrealistic fantasises.
Lastly, Isabella suffers to a large extent because of her unrealistic expectation. Isabella eventually escapes from Heathcliff and writes a letter to Nelly revealing all ‘Is Mr Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil…I have been a fool!’
Isabella is blinded by Heathcliff’s enigmatic behaviour ‘a sudden and irresistible attraction towards the tolerated guest’ that she fails to notice his ulterior motives for taking interest.
Catherine warns Isabella about Heathcliff ‘he’s a fierce, pitiless, wolfish man’ but it is in vain as Isabella accuses Catherine of being jealous and selfish ‘You are a dog in a manger, Cathy, and desire no one to be loved but yourself!’
Unlike Catherine and Cathy, it is difficult to find sympathy for Isabella because even Heathcliff warns her to some extent ‘he stared hard at the object of discourse (Isabella), as one might do at a strange repulsive animal’. It seems that Isabella wilfully misreads the signals because she has a romantic illusion that she can tame the broody character into a loving one ‘It is deplorable ignorance of his character…which makes that dream enter your head. Pray, don’ imagine that he conceals depths of benevolence and affection beneath a stern exterior!’ as Catherine says from experience.
Moreover, Isabella gave birth to Linton, who is another character that is tended to be disliked. Linton represents the weak and feeble characteristics that are apparent in his mother and Edgar, which lead to further suffering especially under comparison with the strong and cunning characteristics in Heathcliff and Cathy.
