Catherine Earnshaw was an intensely emotional character. From the time she was a child, she made choices based on her urges and feelings, and would become irritated if her will was not maintained. One time she became violently abusive when Nelly insisted on supervising her visit with Edgar. She pinched and slapped Nelly, shook Hareton when he began to cry and then slapped Edgar when he attempted to intervene.
This sort of unstable emotional state made Catherine very frail she often became ill after an outburst. Following an argument she had with Heathcliff and Edgar, she became very ill and eventually died. It could be argued that her tendency for passionate outbursts drained the life from her.
Cathy Linton was much more sensible than her mother was. She was able to effectively control her emotions at all times, even during confrontations with her tormentor Heathcliff, and remained strong and grounded throughout the novel. At no point was she abusive, except perhaps in her initial treatment of Hareton. The differences in the emotional character of Catherine and Cathy could be explained in the fact that Cathy did not experience a relationship like the torrential love affair Catherine had with Heathcliff. It was this relationship that was the root for all the tragedy in Catherine’s life. In this way, she could be seen as a victim of her own love for Heathcliff, as it made her mentally unstable.
Heathcliff played a dominant role in both halves of Wuthering Heights and he interacted with both Catherine and Cathy. However, they had very different relationships with him. Catherine and Heathcliff were deeply in love with each other and had been soul mates ever since childhood. Heathcliff often evoked powerful emotions from Catherine, and their encounters often left Catherine in emotional chaos.
Cathy did not like Heathcliff and he did not like her. Edgar and Nelly informed Cathy of Heathcliff’s terrible history and negative impact on her family. Once she moved into Wuthering Heights and lived with Heathcliff, Cathy was transformed from a bright, cheerful young girl into the sullen, foul-tempered person Lockwood meets during his first visit to the Heights. Heathcliff saw Cathy as the cause of her mother’s death and she represented Catherine’s betrayal of their love.
Cathy inspired many feelings of rage from Heathcliff. For instance, when she accused him of stealing her property he burst out “Damnable witch! Off with her! Do you hear? Fling her into the kitchen! I’ll kill her, Ellen Dean, if you let her come into my sight again!”
The mother and her daughter had contrasting views and experiences when it came to love and marriage. Catherine was desperately attached to Heathcliff and the love they shared was the most powerful force in the novel. Catherine did not want to marry Heathcliff, though, because she felt it would degrade her.
“My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff!” Catherine has just told her housekeeper that she has made up her mind to marry Edgar Linton, although she is well aware that her love for him is bound to change as time passes, and that she hopes to learn to love him. She still is obsessed by her love for Heathcliff and she confirms it in the above quotation, and by saying that she will never ever be separated from him.
This displays Catherine’s pride and ego, which led to her choice of Edgar for a husband. This union was not built on true love, but on Catherine’s desire to have money, power and respect.
In comparison, Cathy was forced into marrying Linton, with whom she would have rather had a brothersister bond. Heathcliff forced this marriage because he wanted the property and assets that she was heir to. Cathy eventually fell in love with Hareton, despite the fact that he was a dirty, illiterate farm labourer. Unlike her mother, Cathy wanted to marry for love, not money or power. This is obvious because Hareton is poor and could offer neither. This once again shows Catherine to be a villain because despite being in love with Heathcliff, she marries Edgar for his money. It also shows Cathy to be a heroine because she falls in love with Hareton who has no power or wealth. In a sense, she is rescuing him from depression. Heathcliff became annoyed when his son was not attentive enough to Catherine, and when Catherine wanted a walk, it was Hareton who wanted to escort her. Heathcliff told Nelly that he actually liked Hareton, and compared him to his son: “But there's this difference: one is gold put to the use of paving-stones, and the other is tin polished to ape a service of silver.” Heathcliff is referring to Hareton when he says “gold to the use of paving-stones” because
Nelly Dean was another character who played an important role throughout the entire novel and had close relationships with both Catherine Earnshaw and her daughter Cathy.
Catherine grew up with Nelly and since Nelly was several years older, Catherine treated her rather like a big sister. She often came to Nelly with problems, but Nelly did not show a great deal of concern for them because she had developed a dislike for Catherine because of her cruel, selfish actions. Nelly could be perceived as a victim because the characters take advantage of her, and she has to put up with everything they do.
When Catherine came to her looking for advice about marrying
Edgar, Nelly questioned her motives and put her down for being materialistic. Nelly had a huge impact on the lives of both girls. She would have altered the unfortunate path of Catherine’s life if she had told her that Heathcliff had overheard her say that it would degrade her to marry him.
Cathy Linton had a better relationship with Nelly and the two were very fond of each other. Nelly was like a mother to Cathy and was her constant companion during her childhood. Cathy trusted Nelly and told her many personal things. On several occasions, though, Nelly revealed these secrets to Edgar, who was reasonably upset about his daughter’s deceits, like when he learned of Cathy’s frequent, unpermitted visits to see Linton at Wuthering Heights. It could be argued that Nelly betrayed Cathy’s trust in order to protect her from Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights.
Another major theme in the novel is revenge. Many of the characters seek revenge on each other at some stage.
From the beginning, Heathcliff is unloved. His biological parents abandon him. When Mr. Earnshaw first brings Heathcliff home, the household rejects the dark little boy. Heathcliff grows up suffering abuse at the hands of Hindley and sometimes, the whims of Catherine. The poor orphan is teased and looked down on by the wealthy, civilized Lintons. Edgar Linton looks down upon the wild Heathcliff and treats him like he is a peasant "the whole household need not witness the sight of you welcoming a runaway servant as a brother.”
Heathcliff builds up great resentment for his treatment by the Earnshaws and Lintons, especially against Hindley, his abuser, and Edgar, who stole from him the woman he loved. Heathcliff can be perceived as a victim because of his treatment during his unhappy childhood. He becomes so hostile that he vows revenge, and he accomplishes it with breathtaking cruelty.
However, Heathcliff never finds peace through his revenge. He has an immature need to propagate agony in those who have offended him. Heathcliff’s plan for revenge on Edgar and Catherine is to marry Isabella, who is ignorant of love and of men, because she has never experienced either. On returning to Wuthering Heights after three years, Heathcliff warns Catherine of his plan of revenge. "I heard of your marriage, Cathy, not long since; and, while waiting in the yard below, I meditated this plan: just to have one glimpse of your face, a stare of surprise, perhaps, and pretended pleasure; afterwards settle my score with Hindley; and then prevent the law by doing execution on myself. Your welcome has put these ideas out of my mind; but beware of meeting me with another aspect next time."
Heathcliff wants to hurt Edgar because of his marriage to Catherine, and he wants to take revenge on Catherine by making her jealous. Catherine’s death proves that this flawed plan of repayment helps nothing. Heathcliff, haunted by the ghost of Catherine because he is her ‘murderer,’ is still motivated by the need for revenge and tries to get young Cathy away from Edgar by having her marry his son, Linton.
Heathcliff had been mistreated by his foster brother Hindley, and is now obsessed by his thoughts of revenge: "I’m trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don’t care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last. I hope he will not die before I do!"
Hareton is also a victim of Heathcliff’s revenge. Though Heathcliff is secretly fond of the boy, who resembles the person he could have been, Heathcliff is determined to treat him as a servant to get revenge on Hareton’s father.
Heathcliff never finds peace until he gives up his plan for revenge just before he dies. When Heathcliff gives up his plan for revenge, he meets Catherine in death and truly becomes happy once more.
Catherine’s revenge does not make things better for her. Just before she dies, she ascribes Heathcliff for her ‘murder.’ “You have killed me, and thriven on it, I think.” Catherine’s death is caused by her lack of emotional control and her dual personalities. She and Heathcliff “are” each other, but her craving of social status and popularity draw her toward Edgar. She does not love Edgar, but her selfish character traits control her. Catherine’s revenge on Heathcliff does not assist her in finding happiness. She looks forward to dying and is “wearying to escape into that glorious world.”
Just as Heathcliff and Catherine’s revenge make them miserable, Hindley’s revenge on Heathcliff causes him to go bankrupt and eventually die. Hindley’s attempt to kill Heathcliff only hurts himself in the process; it proves the point Isabella makes, “Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies.” The fact that Hindley is mistreated as a child reflects the built up anger and resentment inside him and towards others. In this way, he could be viewed as a victim of his childhood. The hurt that Hindley feels is clearly understood, but sympathy for Hindley is only temporary because the fault it still his own for his predicaments. Hindley’s loss of Wuthering Heights to Heathcliff and his mysterious death reflect how revenge does not make anything better, only worse. All of the characters who seek revenge on each other are villains because they are just provoking more anger and rivalry amongst themselves.
Emily Bronte corroborates that revenge is not only a harsh and rash way to live life, but is counter-productive and hurtful. The self-hurt involved with vengeance shows that there are better ways to solve conflicts. Bronte sends a great message across by showing how negative revenge can be.
Wuthering Heights is not just a straightforward story of villains and victims. As the plot unwinds, the reader becomes captivated by the inconsistent love shared by Catherine and Heathcliff. Many of the characters and events are reflections of Emily Bronte’s own life, such as the omission of a mother figure anywhere in the novel. Emily Bronte never had a mother figure at home, so perhaps she left them out in order to express her own feelings through her work. All of the themes represented by the characters are designed to teach a moral lesson in life, and they all link together to form a passionate but tragic work of art.