Alessandra Badilla
Ms. Cariati
ENG3U1-02
19 September 2018
The Significance of Love in Wuthering Heights
Love is a feeling of intense, deep affection that can immensely affect the feeling for one’s self and towards others. It is clear that in the 1800’s that love is taught to be controlled and driven to wealth and social status for one’s self gratification. In Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the interpretation of love is substantiated and portrayed within Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The theme of love in the novel is distinct through collections of Catherine Earnshaw’s relations embroiling her admiring relationship with Nelly Dean, her integral relationship with Heathcliff, and her ominous and toxic marriage with Edgar Linton.
In the novel, Catherine Earnshaw constructed a relationship with Nelly Dean that is built on love, trust, and compassion. Catherine was fostered by Nelly ever since she was a young child, therefore establishing a strong bond with each other. Nelly is known to be tangled with Catherine’s decision of marrying Edgar, who attempts to interpret and foresee what is going through Catherine’s speculations. Nelly shows genuine love and affection to Catherine by trying to advice her that her happiness with Heathcliff should be what she puts first before the expectations of society. “... she was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him: yet she got chided more than any of us on his account.” (Bronte 117) However, when Catherine chose to ignore Nelly’s advice, Nelly showed loyalty to Catherine by by sticking around in her life, and being the person Catherine trust the most.
Emily Bronte illustrated that with love comes the feeling of anguish, heartache and deception. Throughout the story, romantic love is illustrated by Catherine and Heathcliff who share an intense feeling for each other. Catherine grew up alongside Heathcliff, and they initiated the feeling of infatuation for each other. However, Catherine decided that she would willingly follow the steps of her family name, the Earnshaws, and marry a man in a higher social caste than Heathcliff. Catherine experien...
