Wuthering Heights

The novel's narrator tells the story in the winter months of 1801 in a moor country in England. The actual tale and events contained in Wuthering Heights, however, spans across the time period of approximately 1778 through 1801 and is set in the same aforementioned moor country near a village called Gimmerton.

The setting is important to the plot, characters, and conflicts of the novel as it is set in the Georgian era of British history and society differed greatly when held in comparison to the moral codes and laws of today. Marrying one's cousin was not considered 'wrong,' and this is critical in that Catherine Linton marries two of her cousins in the novel. Analyzing the book from an even more modern perspective, Heathcliff and Catherine are technically brother and sister, yet they love as lovers do. This too, is deemed as unnatural in today's age, however, it was not so for the time period in which Wuthering Heights is set.

The setting is crucial, for as many things that are deemed unacceptable in today's world were extremely commonplace in that era. One must remember that as times change, literature changes as well; in reading a book such as Wuthering Heights, one must think as a reader from those times would.

Complicated and Dynamic.

Heathclif has always loved Catherine since childhood. As a playmate, friend. It is presented that Heathclif's and Catherine's love is spiritual, unlike any love someone has ever had.

Edgar truly loves Catherine. He proposes, and she accepts. They have one child named Cathy (after her mother). It suggested their love is shallow, and he doesn't receive much love back from Catherine.

Catherine loves Heathclif as herself, but marries Edgar for his social economic status. She claims to love Edgar as well, but it isn't very likely.

Heathclif hates Edgar for marrying Catherine, and seeks revenge by marrying Edgar's sister, Isabella.

Edgar hates Heathclif for causing both Catherine and Isabella pain.

Catherine is naive. She believed that she could marry Edgar and still love Heathclif.

It turns out:

Edgar bans Catherine from seeing Heathclif, but she still tries to make it work. She throws a fit and gets herself very sick.

Catherine dies in Heathclif arms after childbirth.

Edgar names their child Cathy, after Catherine.

Heathclif blames Edgar and Cathy for Catherine's death, and becomes even more Hellish.

Isabella leaves Heathclif. She goes to London and has their baby, Linton.

Isabella dies, and Linton lives with Heathclif.

Linton and Cathy are forced to marry.

Edgar dies.

The rest of the story is about the new generations of children and their complex relationships.