Three Aspects of Destructive Relationships in Wuthering Heights
Many people in the world are trying to find a perfect companion. Some of these
may marry and not know what their new husband or wife is like. This kind of situation
often leads to separation or hostility. Other situations may develop between two friends
that stem from jealousy, desire for revenge, uncaring parents, etc. Emily Brontë's
Wuthering Heights displays several characteristics of destructive relationships. Three of
these are uncaring parents, marriage without knowing the person, and jealousy.
Uncaring or unsympathizing parents are shown throughout this story to be an
element of destructive relationships. Because Heathcliff gained all the attention from Mr.
Earnshaw, Hindley became disassociated from his father. This separation continued until
after Mr. Earnshaw had died. Another example is between Hindley and Hareton. Hindley
became such a drunk and a gambler that he could not properly care for young Hareton.
This led to a separation between Hareton and his father as well. One primary example of
an uncaring parent is shown between Heathcliff and his son Linton. Heathcliff did not
even want his son for anything except enacting a part of his revenge. This is shown by
Linton's fear of Heathcliff and Heathcliff's enmity toward his son. Linton even says "...
my father threatened me, and I dread him - I dread him!"(244) to express his feeling
about Heathcliff . The hostility and separation between father and son in this book shows
that uncaring parents can cause serious damage in relationships with their children.
This element of destructive behavior may stem from an unhappy marriage in
which the husbands or wives don't know each other. This had happened between Isabella
and Heathcliff. Isabella did not really know Heathcliff when she married him, but after
she had married him she...