Theme Of Love In Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights explores a variety of kinds of love, the main focus being Heathcliff and Catherine 's heated passion for each other, which is terribly destructive because of their intense connection. Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship can be viewed to consist of conventional love rather than affected love in a contemporary society because conventional love is described as genuine, caring and forgiving, which are attributes displayed by both characters. However, the novel is set in the Victorian Era where their relationship would not fit into the conventional ideas of love because relationships were based on financial security and family life.
Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship is partially displayed through the weather; in chapter …show more content…
The words Catherine and Heathcliff say to each other are often very harsh and critical: ‘Is it not sufficient for your infernal selfishness, that while you are at peace, I shall still writhe in the torments of hell.’ This idea highlights the Gothic element within the novel because Fred Botting says Gothic attitudes are “untamed by reason and unrestrained by conventional eighteenth century demands;” this is immediately linked to Heathcliff because he has no boundaries when his love for Catherine is concerned. The language he displays towards Catherine is harsh because his emotions are so intense towards her that he has “an uncontrollable and overwhelming power which threatens the loss of sanity;” this can be seen as an accurate evaluation of Wuthering Heights as a novel because in the end Heathcliff and Catherine both lose their sanity due to their connection between each other. Heathcliff’s love for Catherine can be viewed as conventional because he cares for and loves her even though their love is forbidden due to their conflicting social …show more content…
Michael Gamer states “the Gothic contains a language for philosophical and psychological inquiry;” from this statement the idea of the pairs love can be viewed on a higher level, for example spiritual, because they’re two halves of the same soul which emphasises a philosophical inquiry in Wuthering Heights. Philosophy relates to the study of, and attempts to understand existence and knowledge; in relation to this we can link Catherine’s love and passion for Heathcliff to a reason for her existence. An alternative interpretation can be