"Wuthering Heights": Love, Loss and Social Advancement

The classic novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë is overflowing with themes and emotions that readers can still relate to today, over 200 years after the story's setting. Falling in love with a person whom society views as wrong for you is the theme of countless modern movies and books. Those feelings of anguish, heartbreak and disappointment are universal and unchanging, no matter what time period the piece is set. In "Wuthering Heights" the character Heathcliff is introduced immediately as a threat to Hindley and a probable sweetheart to Catherine. Catherine and Hindley's father, Mr. Earnshaw, brings home the dark-skinned gypsy child from a trip and announces that he is to be raised in their family. Heathcliff is constantly favored by  Mr. Earnshaw over his biological son, Hindley, which causes a deep dislike to blossom from the latter child. After Mr. Earnshaw passes away, Hindley inherits the property of Wuthering Heights and sentences his adversary, Heathcliff, to work in the fields as a common laborer. This does not discourage young Catherine's affection and love for the boy, they still spend much time adventuring together and enjoying each other's company. The change in Catherine's values and beliefs arises from one of their adventures which takes a wrong turn. When visiting the Linton house and spying on Edgar and Isabella Linton through a window, Catherine gets bitten by their dog and is forced to stay at the Linton estate until she is healed. In this period of time she is taught the importance of social classes from the respected Linton family, and upon returning home begins to view Heathcliff as a person beneath her. This change in Catherine slowly begins to break Heathcliff's heart, and when Catherine announces her engagement to Edgar Linton, Heathcliff runs away. Catherine agrees to this engagement to step up the social ladder and attempts to convince herself that she is not in love with Heathcliff anymore. However, Edgar on the other hand is completely enamored with Miss Catherine and all seems fine in their relationship until Heathcliff moves back home. At the sight of her past love Catherine's old feelings surface once again and she is torn between her husband, who society approves of, and the true love of her heart. She begins to regret selling out her feelings for the sake of social advancement and feels immense guilt for bringing sweet Edgar into this mess. She loves Edgar, but that love does not compare to her overpowering feelings for Heathcliff. Catherine falls into depression and begins to hate herself for the vain decisions she had made. She is pregnant with Edgar's child in the midst of all this turmoil and grows very weak. Catherine gives birth to her premature daughter and dies a few hours after, leaving two broken hearted men and an infant without a mother. Heathcliff spends the remainder of his life bitter, hateful and broken hearted. The sense of betrayal and disappointment Heathcliff feels because of Catherine selfishly choosing to do what society views fit, over true love, is a feeling that nearly everyone can relate to. The only feeling worse than unrequited love, is mutual love that is abandoned because of society's influence.