I cannot live without my life! Indeed, considering how the rest of this novel turns out, this egoless passion might be something Brontë wants to warn readers about rather than champion. Despite his physical weakness, he has a cruel streak, and he acts out of self-preservation because he is terrified of his father. Biographers believe Brontë partially based Hindley on her own brother Branwell. We also know from previous quotes that Catherine has a deep awareness of the all-pervading power of nature, which are best represented by Heathcliff and the moors. If we get overly pessimistic and cynical, then it could lead to excessive self-loathing and self-harm. Thankfully, it’s physically impossible to forget to breathe or beat our hearts because they are a part of the autonomic nervous system. Despite the critical poor reception (which unfortunately continued past Emily’s own death), Emily Brontë’s only-published work has clearly found its way into readers’ hearts and minds. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). Heathcliff’s passion is so great that it’s no wonder some readers don’t even view him as a human being. She is a contrast both physically and spiritually to Catherine. Linton is Heathcliff's son with his wife, Isabella Linton, Edgar's sister. “It is hard to forgive, and to look at those eyes, and feel those wasted hands,’ he answered. People feel with their hearts, Ellen, and since he has destroyed mine, I have not power to feel for him.”. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! After all, this novel is set in the remotest area of England where society’s laws don’t really apply. This is similar to the cautionary effect Goethe hoped his first novel The Sorrows of Young Werther would have. Goethe’s story of the lovesick Werther was meant to serve as a warning against the potentially destructive nature of human emotions. Isabella Linton Quotes. As Isabella realizes the full calamity of her decision, she writes to her former servant, Nelly. Read in this way, Brontë’s “romantic” novel serves a very un-romantic purpose. So, is love portrayed as a kind of sickness in Wuthering Heights? Indeed, psychological studies have shown that people who are “depressed” often see the world more objectively than their optimistic counterparts. So, while Heathcliff might be overzealous in expressing his passions, Lockwood’s passions are, well, all locked up! I believe she was the first wife to ditch her husband and begin a new anonymous life in Victorian literature. How often have we heard of or seen honest people with good intentions hiding their deeds? We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below. Weak and spoilt as a child, she becomes infatuated by Heathcliff, seeing him as a romantic hero. The murdered do haunt their murderers. Thomas Cautley Newby, a London publisher, wrote to “Ellis Bell” in 1847: “I am much obliged by your kind note & shall have great pleasure in making arrangements for your next novel.” Sadly, we don’t know any of the details of what this second work might’ve been about. “I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. Rather than simply declare she “loves Heathcliff,” Catherine feels the need to say Heathcliff is “more myself than I am.” For Catherine, where “I” ends and “Heathcliff” begins seems to be blurred…and that might not be such a good thing. Emily Brontë. He does not reply. This just goes to show you can’t trust everything you read on the Internet! As well a dark house and a whip as madmen do; and  Remember that Lockwood admits to shrinking “icily into [himself], like a snail” when he receives advances from a young woman in a seaside town. Heathcliff probably has more experience with true solitude than Lockwood has ever experienced. These are Lockwood’s final observations after he passes by the graves of Catherine, Heathcliff, and Edgar. As with everything else in life, of course, balance is key. Edgar Linton is a fictional character in Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights. “He shall never know I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, but because he’s more myself than I am. “I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas: they’ve gone through and through me, like wine … Like it or not, these questions remain unanswered in the text, which has led to many uncomfortable discussions in English literature classes. Impressively, a recent poll published by The Guardian found that most readers believe Wuthering Heights is the “Greatest Romance Novel in English Literature.”. Catherine speaks to Isabella Linton about Heathcliff’s real character after Isabella declares an interest in Heathcliff. Shockingly, Catherine admits that if the entire universe were destroyed, yet Heathcliff remained alive, she would still live through him…yeah, that seems to be taking the whole “soul mate” thing to another level! Charlotte and the Rock. It might seem curious at first why Brontë chose to frame her narrative in such a way, but one theory is that Brontë uses Lockwood as a foil to Heathcliff. Readers are understandably put off by the idea that Catherine and Heathcliff grow up like brother and sister and later want to become lovers. To her, Heathcliff is a romantic figure, so she marries him but discovers her mistake. Falls for Heathcliff during the novel, and naively marries him. Indeed, it’s just a description of Catherine as a young girl. Like Branwell, Hindley descends into alcoholism later in the novel. Wuthering Heights: Betrayal Betrayal is a violation of trust or commitment that creates conflict within a relationship between individuals. Since the moors play such a critical role in the mood of Wuthering Heights, it’s a good idea to look up a few images of the moors in Haworth, Yorkshire, before reading this text. Although we often focus on Heathcliff and Catherine when discussing Wuthering Heights, it’s important to keep in mind that Emily Brontë’s main narrator is Lockwood. ), “Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. Although Elizabeth Brontë didn’t have access to ancient Buddhist texts like the Dharmapada, the above quote bears a striking resemblance to the famous verse 125: Who offends the inoffensive, Emily Brontë spent most of her life in Haworth, so it’s highly likely this area served as inspiration for the setting in Wuthering Heights. Of course, if you happen to be in the UK, you could always stop by this incredible area for a Wuthering Heights field trip. Heathcliff [s … Is that the lunacy is so ordinary that the whippers I love my murderer—but yours! … Join our Weekly Literary Roundup to receive the most popular and relevant literary news every Tuesday at 10 am. She has the strength of spirit to defy her brother and his wife, and later to escape from the brutality of her husband, yet her very choices spring from a … The world is surely not worth living in now, is it? Appreciation for solitude is what separates the people who live at Wuthering Heights from the civilized, quiet world of the Lintons and Thrushcross Grange. “A person who has not done one half his day’s work by ten o’clock, runs a chance of leaving the other half undone.”. While they may appear relatively true on the surface, they ignore a great deal of nuance. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself.”. Welcome back. It’s critical for readers to keep in mind that the whole Earnshaw-Linton story is filtered through Nelly Dean’s value system. Perhaps the most famous of all Wuthering Heights quotes, this snippet from Chapter 9 has Catherine expressing her deepest feelings for Heathcliff to the housekeeper Nelly Dean. So, instead of writing “I love” or “I hate,” Emily Brontë’s main characters are really directing their quotes to “the whole human race” or “the eternal powers,” Woolf argues. You see, after Catherine’s death, Heathcliff becomes obsessed with her dead body. Perhaps taking a peek at Virginia Woolf’s essay might help us understand what Brontë is getting at here. Edgar Linton, towards Catherine has the type of love that entraps. Nelly describes what she sees and hears during her visit to see Isabella and Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights after their marriage. Even though Catherine has a passionate love for Heathcliff, she clearly warns Isabella of Heathcliff’s dark and harsh character. Up until now, Isabella has been a somewhat passive character; she rarely thought for herself and was always under the influence of Edgar or Heathcliff. The Character of Edgar Linton Edgar is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Linton, the heir to the estate of Thrushcross Grange and most importantly a foil to Heathcliff, everything about the two boys/men is different and their one common denominator, being their love for Catherine Earnshaw. You said I killed you – haunt me then. The best quotes from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - organized by theme, including book location and character - with an explanation to help you understand! A question that often comes up when reading Wuthering Heights for the first time is why Catherine would be at all concerned with societal expectations and deny herself a life with Heathcliff. “I have dreamt in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind. Brontë seems to be posing complicated questions here on the ever-present conflict between our desire for the civilizing influence of culture (the Lintons/Thrushcross Grange) versus our uncontrollable and, oftentimes, self-destructive passions (Heathcliff/the moors)…or, if you want to get Freudian, the superego vs. the id. Instead, some literary critics argue Heathcliff represents the power of the untamed, natural world. - Emily Brontë On the one hand, we admire their sense of freedom and high ideals; on the flipside, we can clearly see what these characters perceive as a “justifiable quest” leads to great disharmony and destruction. Wuthering Quotes is a new digital retelling of Wuthering Heights. "If he loved you with all the power of his soul for a whole lifetime, he couldn't love you as much as I do in a single day." It may be dark, tragic, and indeed “strange,” but characters, stories, and quotes from Wuthering Heights still resonate with readers around the world today. Isabella’s brief infatuation and her intense unhappiness following her marriage encourages aspects of brutality in her personality. Isabella Linton was raised in the safe, elegant environment of Thrushcross Grange with her brother, Edgar. A question readers often have when reading Wuthering Heights is why Mr. Earnshaw decided to bring Heathcliff from Liverpool to the moors. fail to heed these words and instead cause great suffering for themselves and those they love. Perhaps a question Brontë is asking here how far we should go in analyzing our dreams. I believe – I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. “I'm not going to act the lady among you, for fear I should starve .”. “I have not broken your heart – you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.”. With this redemptive ending, Brontë suggests that our actions define our destiny rather than the decisions made by our ancestors. This project has been created by Rosie Maynard, a third year Publishing and English Literature Student at Bath Spa University. Isabella Linton Quotes. Unfortunately, we’re still struggling to accurately answer these questions hundreds of years after Wuthering Heights‘ publication. It is unutterable! Some critics believe Heathcliff could be Mr. Earnshaw’s child from an affair. Although on the surface we are repulsed by many of Heathcliff’s actions, we also feel that he expresses a primal truth we all have bitter experience with: frustrated desire. Six weeks after she runs away, Isabella sends a letter to Edgar, announcing her marriage and begging forgiveness. Isabella Linton. Nelly Dean chastises Lockwood with this quote at the end of Chapter 7. Linton Heathcliff . Isabella Linton is a fictional character in Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights.She is the sister of Edgar Linton and the wife of Heathcliff.. Story. I have no pity! Very sensitive “petted- [thing]”. People feel with their hearts, Ellen: and since he has destroyed mine, I have not power to feel for him.‘”. Whether Catherine’s ghost is real or not, however, is something every reader of Wuthering Heights has to decide for him/herself. In this quote from Chapter 10, the “thorn” refers to Catherine and the “honeysuckle” to the civilizing influence of Thrushcross Grange. I cannot live without my life! Although Lockwood is not a central character in the novel's main plot, his need to be alone reflects Emily Brontë's preoccupation with solitude. “Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies.”. Remorse and Strength. as fine dust flung against the wind. I believe–I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. “Time brought resignation, and a melancholy sweeter than common joy.”. Send us an email at hello@booksonthewall.com or reach out through our contact form. Her explanation for refusing to do so, is one of the best quotes in the novel: "Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends - they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies." She ends up giving birth to a son, Linton. #1. ″‘He’s not a human being,’ she retorted; ‘and he has no claim on my charity. Was it just out of Christian charity? On the flipside, we can’t come to grips with reality if we wear rose-tinted glasses all the time. Or, perhaps, is there something more sinister going on here? Shortly before her death, Catherine confides in Nelly her hope to transcend into a “glorious world.” So, does this “glorious world” refer to salvation in heaven? He resides at Thrushcross Grange and falls prey to Heathcliff's schemes for revenge against his family.. Edgar is the father of his and Catherine's daughter, Catherine Linton, and the brother of Isabella Linton. “Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. Author Virginia Woolf’s essay on Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights might help explain this “fused identity” of Catherine and Heathcliff that keeps appearing in this novel. Hindley seeks consolation in booze after his wife Frances passes away, but Branwell seems to have been involved a steamy relationship with a married woman. If you’ve gone onto popular websites looking for quotes from Wuthering Heights, then you’ve probably run across the phrase, “She burned too bright for this world.” People often attribute this quote to Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, but scholars cannot find this sentence in the text. fail to heed these words and instead cause great suffering for themselves and those they love. If Heathcliff loves Catherine as much as he does, however, wouldn’t it be nobler to let her go? Indeed, after witnessing all the suffering this “love” causes Heathcliff and those around him, readers might reasonably consider love to be a negative force in Brontë’s novel. upon that fool does evil fall It should be obvious by now that Catherine is a pretty conflicted character. Isabella Linton makes this moral proclamation in Chapter 17 when arguing with Hindley. Lockwood wants to hear more about Wuthering Heights’ past, but Nelly advises the new guest to get a good night’s rest so he can complete a full day of work tomorrow. After the elopement she undergoes a radical change. Although we often consider Wuthering Heights a romance, it’s impossible to ignore the many Gothic features Emily Brontë employs. Isabella Linton makes this moral proclamation in Chapter 17 when arguing with Hindley. When we experience chronic or acute stress, however, it’s likely we will feel as if we’ve lost control of our breathing, digestion, and heart rate. Isabella Linton was a delicate, elegant, intelligent (in literary sense) and beautiful young woman, who had no experience of men outside the precincts of Thrushcross Grange. Some critics have gone so far as to call Nelly Dean the “villain” of Wuthering Heights. ii. Both of these children bear certain physical and psychological traits of their parents, but they are able to transcend their past. Catherine seems to be wondering whether the civilizing influence of Thrushcross Grange prevented her from living a more “authentic” life with Heathcliff. I forgive what you have done to me. In the end, she left Heathcliff with their child but he didn't even care. For instance, think of people who donate anonymously to charity. If you’re here to dive into the best Wuthering Heights quotes, you may be surprised to learn that this now-classic novel was far from successful when it was first released. All of Wuthering Heights‘ most memorable characters seem to have been born out of Brontë’s fecund imagination. The next morning Isabella accuses Heathcliff of being responsible for everyone's misery and tells Hindley how Heathcliff beat him. He wishes to provoke Edgar to desperation. Forgiveness is rather difficult to find in Wuthering Heights. Sure, Heathcliff says he forgives Catherine in this quote, but his actions throughout the novel tell quite a different story. If Heathcliff can’t be Catherine’s husband, then he’d rather be her murderer and allow Catherine’s ghost to haunt him for eternity. How can I?”. Unfortunately, many impressionable young men were so moved by Goethe’s novel that the ended up committing suicide in imitation of Werther. Oh, God! His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw's husband. “I'm not going to act the lady among you, for fear I should starve .”, “Heathcliff, if I were you, I’d go stretch myself over her grave and die like a faithful dog. This website presents the popular classic in a variety of short, visual quotes. Of course, this also brings up the icky issue many readers would rather avoid: the intimations of incest. The only reason why this phrase deserves extra attention is because it’s one of the most frequently misattributed quotes in Wuthering Heights. Are dreams really the gateway to the subconscious? Just like the start of the novel, these closing words have a kind of nightmarish quality that begs the question: how much of what we’ve heard was reality and how much fantasy? This quotation best reveals Catherine’s unique vision of love. Warning, though, spoilers ahead! (1797, aged 12) 'Aunt Isabella sent papa a beautiful lock of his hair; it was lighter than mine [Cathy's] —more flaxen, and quite as fine.' Heathcliff and Isabella Linton Isabella: Edgar’s younger sister. Want to get in touch? The reasons for Hindley’s descent into drink, however, differs from Branwell’s. It is also noticeable that Isabella and Cathy Linton resemble Gothic heroines. Since 2012, Books on the Wall has offered minimalist book posters that display readable text from your favorite works of classic literature. That certainly would explain why Mrs. Earnshaw has such a violent reaction to Heathcliff! The murdered do haunt their murderers. The reason why they are not so punish’d and cured (1784, aged 18) '[Isabella] abandoned them under a delusion,' [Heathcliff] answered; 'picturing in me a hero of romance, and expecting unlimited indulgences from my chivalrous devotion. The only character in Wuthering Heights that might be based on a real person is Catherine’s brother Hindley. You'd hear of odd things if I lived alone with that mawkish, waxen face: the most ordinary would be painting on its white the colours of the rainbow, and turning the blue eyes black, every day or two: they detestably resemble Linton's. Want the top bookish content from across the internet? The only phrase that comes close to this description of Catherine is the quote from Chapter 5 listed above. At first glance, it seems like this sentence is nonsensical; melancholy and joy are polar opposites, right? Yes, it makes sense people up to no good would want to hide their deeds, but that doesn’t mean honest people don’t hide good deeds every now and again.