Catherine, early into Bronte’s novel, is established as the “madwoman.
” Her love for Heathcliff is one of
unlimited passion. Their wild passion consumes the both of them to a point where she brings him misery
as the two grow up. When the two are young, they are wild and play games. As Heathcliff ages, he’s
forced to work as a servant. In contrast, Catherine is “cultured” by the Lintons. With her change as a
young woman in higher society, Catherine worries about advancement and means of rising through the
classes, specifically through marriage. As a result, she causes misery to Heathcliff when he overhears a
portion of a conversation between her and Nelly where she states she can’t marry Heathcliff because he is
“beneath her” and must marry a man of her new status, Edgar Linton (77, 80). What makes Heathcliff’s
experience more heart breaking is how he doesn’t overhear Catherine confessing to Nelly about her love
for Heathcliff in a flowery and dramatic fashion; stating their souls are the same. Rather than say outright
she loves him, she states, “I am Heathcliff” in the ninth chapter. Following the doomed relationship
through to its end, the novel ultimately attests to the destructiveness of a love denying difference.
Beautiful, smart, and temperamental are all words that can be used to describe both Catherine and
Cathy. In this lesson, we will compare Cathy Linton Earnshaw to her mother, Catherine Earnshaw
Linton from ''Wuthering Heights'' by Emily Bronte.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Who in your family are you most like? Catherine_, the wife of Edgar Linton, but loved by Heathcliff,
dies as a teenager while giving birth to Cathy. Although Catherine had no hand in raising her, Cathy
is similar to her mother in a variety of ways. Let's examine the commonalities and differences
between Catherine and Cathy in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
Headstrong and Temperamental
When Lockwood first visits Wuthering Heights, he notes an exchange between the young girl, Cathy,
that lives there and Heathcliff. Cathy says, 'I'll put my trash away, because you can make me if I
refuse,…But I'll not do anything, though you should swear your tongue out, except what I please!'
Even though Cathy does not know her mother, their stubbornness, even at their own expense, is
marked. Nelly remembers Catherine saying, 'At fifteen she was the queen of the country-side; she
had no peer; and she did turn out a haughty, headstrong creature!'
It is evident to Lockwood as Cathy flinches that Heathcliff beats her, just like Joseph, the self-
righteous servant, once punished Heathcliff and Catherine as children, but neither child's behavior is
changed in any way from the harsh punishments. Just as Cathy taunted Heathcliff, Catherine
thought the '…punishment…a mere thing to laugh at.'
Both women can be described as passionate, inspiring deep responses from the men who love
them; however, Cathy is more sensitive than her mother, perhaps because of the influence of her
more sensitive father. When comparing the two, Nelly says, 'That capacity for intense attachments
reminded me of her mother: still she did not resemble her: for she could be soft and mild as a dove,
and she had a gentle voice and pensive expression: her anger was never furious; her love never
fierce: it was deep and tender.'
Beautiful
Although their appearance is somewhat different, Cathy inherits a few of her mother's attributes.
Nelly describes Cathy as 'a real beauty in face, with the Earnshaws' handsome dark eyes, but the
Lintons' fair skin and small features, and yellow curling hair.'
When Heathcliff recognizes the similarities between Cathy and her mother it softens him. Heathcliff
no longer finds joy from the torture he has, up until this point, enjoyed bestowing on his rival,
Edgar's, offspring. Nelly notes that 'perhaps you have never remarked that their eyes are precisely
similar, and they are those of Catherine Earnshaw.'
However, according to Nelly, 'The present Catherine has no other likeness to her, except a breadth
of forehead, and a certain arch of the nostril that makes her appear rather haughty, whether she will
or not.' Physically, both women are beautiful and have intriguing, dark eyes. They also share facial
expressions, but their coloring is so different that no one would confuse the two
