Who is catherine earnshaw

Catherine's marriage to Edgar and her rejection of Heathcliff is a rejection of herself. In going to the Grange, she has turned her back, not only on Heathcliff, but on the carefree lifestyle she enjoyed at the Heights. In comparing their souls, she said of Heathcliff-: "his and mine are the same and Linton's is as different as is moon from lightning or frost from fire.

The error committed by Catherine in marring Edgar is one of which she was fully aware-: "I'm convinced I'm wrong - I've no more business to marry Edgar than I have to be in heaven" She also recognises that her heaven is not a traditional one but rather one out on the moors with Heathcliff.

In the delirium she suffered before death, she longs for that freedom-: "I wish I were a girl again, half savage, hardy and free" However, it is then too late. The return of Heathcliff after a three year absence is a catalyst which arouses her true nature. On his visits to the Grange, it is noticeable that a table was set for he a Catherine, and another for Isabella and Edgar, symbolising the gulf between them and the fact that Catherine occupied an unnatural position in this civilised world.

A significant feature of Catherine's character is her wish to dominate both situations and people. When she wants to be alone with Edgar on one of his visits to the Heights, she pinches Nelly in exasperation and then delivers her a stinging blow when Nelly refuses to leave the room. When Heraton cries put in fear of Catherine, her response was to shake him-: "'till the poor child waxed livid" She refuses to allow Edgar to leave after witnessing this event-: "I should be miserable all night, and I won't be miserable for you" Nelly recalled that Edgar-: "possessed the power to depart as much as a cat possesses the power to leave a mouse half killed" Later on, she orchestrates a fight between Edgar and Heathcliff and throws the key into the fire when Edgar attempts to leave.

It signifies the transition from an active to a passive character, from a Catherine who is running wildly over the moors and a Catherine who stays indoors so she does not dirty her dress.

Her stay at the Grange marks the beginning of an inner division: from now on, there are two Catherines: Catherine when she is with Edgar and Catherine when she is with Heathcliff.

What has been whole before, is split in two now, with disastrous consequences for everybody. As Chitham points out, the visit to the Grange is also the starting point of a division between Catherine and Heathcliff. At first, Heathcliff tries to accept this as this is obviously what Catherine wants, but then jealousy begins to stir in him.

It is in this mood that she encounters Edgar. Catherine, angry and confused, loses control over herself, she confuses both her worlds and shows Edgar her Heathcliff self. She lies in his presence and beats him. She threatens Edgar that she will cry herself sick if he should leave p. This her standard way of dealing with a crisis works well enough for the youthful Catherine, it will fail and kill her as an adult. He stays and and seals his fate by asking Catherine to be his wife.

Wuthering Heights. She responds by locking herself in her room and doesn't come out for 3 days. Catherine finally unlocks the door and lets Nelly come in and offer her some food, since she hadn't eaten while she confined herself.

She thinks that she is dying and worries why Edgar didn't come for her. She feels delirious and as she stares at her reflection in the mirror, becomes obsessed with death and rants about her childhood memories with Heathcliff on the moors. She wants her window opened and when Nelly doesn't do it, Catherine opens it wide herself. Her health begins to worsen and a doctor is called to have a look at her.

She would never fully recover from her illness. For the next two months, she was confined in bed and treated by Nelly and Edgar. She also finds out she is pregnant with her first child. She continues to feel worse when a letter from Heathcliff was delivered to her a few days later. She is so weak she could barely hold the letter in her hand.

Heathcliff arrives as soon as she receives it, and she tells him that both he and Edgar had broken her heart. She cannot bear the thought of her dying while her first love is still living and begs for forgiveness. He does, but tells her that he cannot forgive the pain and heartbreak she allegedly caused herself, and he cannot forgive her "murderer". As Heathcliff prepares to leave, Catherine begs him to stay with her, and he does until Edgar arrives.

She falls from her bed but Heathcliff catches her and places her in her husband's arms before he retreats. Later that evening, at around midnight, Catherine goes into premature labor and gives birth to daughter Catherine Linton. The mother Catherine falls unconscious and dies two hours later. Catherine's body was put on display for Edgar and Heathcliff to pay their final respects to the woman they both loved.

Catherine had a locket with a lock of her and Edgar's hair in it, until Heathcliff replaces Edgar's with his own. Both locks were twined together by Nelly and Catherine's funeral was held shortly afterwards. Hindley was supposed to attend but didn't show up and Isabella wasn't invited. Instead of being interred in the Linton family crypt, Catherine is instead buried in a small churchyard in the moors.

After her death, Catherine returns as a spirit to haunt the Heights and her soulmate. After he finds out she died, Heathcliff demands her to haunt him and drive him insane, and that she won't ever truly leave him. While this may be uncertain, Catherine may have heard Heathcliff's cries of anguish and accepts it by taking any form in his body.

Her possession causes him to act restless and makes him rant about her often. Her body surprisingly has stayed the same since she died and didn't show any signs of decay. He gazes down at her and bribes the sexton to have him buried next to her.

Heathcliff originally tried to dig her grave shortly after her death but stops when he hears her sighing in his ear. A gentleman named Mr. Lockwood arrives at the Heights as a tenant. He stays inside Catherine's old room during a snowstorm, which has become a dedicated shrine to her.

Her name was scribbled all over the headboard of the bed and even a couple of diaries written by her describing her relationship with Heathcliff and the conflict between Hindley and Heathcliff. Her ghost may have roamed around the Heights and wanted to come inside. Such as when Lockwood approaches the window to close it in a dream, Catherine's ghostly hand grabs him and she cries " Let me in! Let me in! She disappears after Lockwood wakes up from the nightmare, and Heathcliff begs for Catherine to come back to him.

Catherine is seen by Heathcliff in his visions and presence, and even speaks to her later on. Her spirit continues to haunt him until his mysterious death. After Heathcliff is buried in the same graveyard with Catherine, the two intense lovers are finally reunited in death and some of the villagers report seeing their spirits walking around the moors, just like how much they loved it when they lived.

Why is Lockwood initially interested in Cathy Linton? Why does Isabella Linton leave Heathcliff? How do Cathy and Linton get to know each other? Characters Character List. Heathcliff An orphan brought to live at Wuthering Heights by Mr. Read an in-depth analysis of Heathcliff. Catherine The daughter of Mr. Read an in-depth analysis of Catherine. Edgar Linton Well-bred but rather spoiled as a boy, Edgar Linton grows into a tender, constant, but cowardly man. Read an in-depth analysis of Edgar.

Read an in-depth analysis of Lockwood. Joseph A long-winded, fanatically religious, elderly servant at Wuthering Heights. Linton Mr. Zillah The housekeeper at Wuthering Heights during the latter stages of the narrative.

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