Abbygayle M.

Suganob EDLIT 105

BSED-ENGL 3

Instructions: Answer only what are asked.

1. Give two descriptions to describe Catherine Earnshaw. Support your descriptions based
on her actions in the story.
- Based on the story, the first description that I can give to Catherine is her duality- her
obsession with Heathcliff, and at the same time, her desire for social position. She is being head
over heels to Heathcliff, making her love for him her greatest obsession, in a way that she
claims that they have a spiritual connection. This kind of love feeds her soul, gives meaning,
purpose, and direction to her existence. Given all of these, she still did not marry Heathcliff
because she thought his social status was too low that it would degrade her. When Catherine
and Heathcliff went to Thrushcross Grange to spy on the Lintons, their guard dog chased them,
biting Catherine. Due to that, she was taken inside Thrushcross Grange. During her stay there,
the Lintons transformed Catherine into a lady with elegance and class, awakening her desire for
social advancement. This leads us to Catherine’s other personality; she is willing to dump
Heathcliff for her social ambition. She then decided to marry Edgar Linton to fulfill this. This
mindset of Catherine was influenced by Hindley as he was the one who told Catherine that it
was best for her to marry Edgar Linton instead of Heathcliff. Catherine is foolish enough to think
that the marriage will not affect her relationship with Heathcliff. She sees marriage as a social
contract rather than the ultimate commitment between lovers. In her eyes, she and Heathcliff
are one; thus, her marriage to Edgar cannot affect her spiritual connection with Heathcliff.
Second, Catherine is selfish. In the story, it is evident that although she claims to love Edgar and
Heathcliff, she is entirely self-centered, making both men’s life miserable because of her. I can
say that because of her selfish desires, she became an opportunist. She also does not think of
the effects of her actions as long as it would benefit her.
2. Give two descriptions to describe Heathcliff based on his speech, dreams and thoughts.
- Based on his speech, dreams, and thoughts, I can describe Heathcliff as envious and a man full
of hatred and revenge. Heathcliff envies Edgar in the story because of his social class. Heathcliff
feels and thinks that he is already an outcast since Hindley made him work as a servant in his
own fostered family. The main reason why Heathcliff envies Edgar even more is because he has
everything he does not have. This envy arises even more when Catherine decides to marry
Edgar because of his wealth. Second, he is a man full of hatred. Because of everything that
happened to him, this intense hatred formed in Heathcliff's mind and heart pushes him to seek
revenge. He has always dreamed of taking revenge. Then, Heathcliff's ultimate dream came
true. He became the owner of Wuthering Heights and avenges himself on Hindley, who
degraded him to the point where Catherine couldn't imagine marrying him. Also, by marrying
Cathy to Linton, Heathcliff seeks vengeance on Edgar for marrying Catherine.