Wuthering Heights

In Emily Bronte’s captivating novel Wuthering Heights there are several very important themes that come together to provide an overall theme of unrequited love. These themes are that true love is pure and seemingly unattainable, love is everlasting and profound, and that history repeats itself. The beginning of the novel lays the foundation for all of the themes that are to follow. Catherine and Heathcliff are almost immediately attached to one another. This friendship blossoms and when everyone else seems to despise Heathcliff, Catherine alone stays with him. Even at this early age one can see Heathcliff’s hateful nature starting to show itself. Catherine is the only person or thing that he truly cares about and loves. Because his sole focal point of love is directed entirely on Catherine this love becomes so pure that it is almost primitive in form. It is a wild, unruly, unshakeable love. The one thing that Heathcliff desires in life is to be with Catherine and to be Catherine. This is also her desire although it is unspoken. When she decides to marry Edgar Linton though, Heathcliff is dumbfounded and deeply hurt. He doesn’t realize that Catherine regards him as herself and therefore could never marry him and

The third love that never ends is of Edgar"tms love for both his wife Catherine and his daughter Cathy. Edgar lives simply to protect his daughter Cathy, while Heathcliff lives to destroy Edgar and all that he hates. They reconcile however and apparently fall in love with each other. After her death neither is quite the same. Catherine dies and with her Edgar and Heathcliff on all accounts die too. His love for his daughter is the same as his love for his wife"tms although perhaps not as passionate. As previously stated his love is a primitive and passionate one. At first with Cathy being forced into marrying Linton after several foolish mistakes on her part, it seems as though the vicious cycle has started all over again. He cares very deeply for her because he sees his wife in her. The first half is filled with hate, passionate love, and mass amounts of confusion. His love for his wife is the most natural form of love in the book.