Catherine Earnshaw Essay

776 Words4 Pages

because he has an erect and handsome figure, and rather morose” (3). As a child, he is treated harshly by Hindley while becoming a favorite of Mr. Earnshaw and earning the affection of Catherine. He lets his rage and desire for revenge against Hindley consume him, however, and pursues his plans with steadfast determination. Heathcliff loves Catherine with a burning passion. He says that while she had basically broken his heart with love, he still “loves [his] murderer” (119). Although Heathcliff is portrayed as a cruel and brutal man, it is also important to remember the motives and reasons behind his planning. Catherine Earnshaw grows up with Hindley and Heathcliff but falls in love with the latter. Catherine is also bold and adventurous, having bursts of emotions at times, as exemplified when slapping Edgar as he tries to calm her down, which upon “the astonished young man felt [a slap] applied over his own ear in a way that could not be mistaken for jest” (66). Catherine's passionate and undying love for Heathcliff becomes epitomized in her dialogue with Nelly, in which she claims that “My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning; my great …show more content…

His mannerisms and eloquence are reflected in Thrushcross Grange itself, which is ornately built. Edgar serves as a foil to Heathcliff; while the latter is hateful and vehement towards others, Edgar is weak and compassionate. Edgar concentrates on “his studies . . . more than he ought [to]” while Heathcliff never had a chance to receive an education due to Hindley's oppression (89). Edgar treats Catherine more as his child than his wife, and even Nelly says that “no mother could have nursed an only child more devotedly than Edgar,” insinuating that he had more of a protective nature than that of a passionate lover (98). Edgar acts more civilized and orderly than much of the Earnshaw family in