Wuthering Heights: The Women are to Blame?

Who is it that should be blamed for what happened between the families of Earnshaw, Linton and Heathcliff? The book has made it difficult to put any single person at blame. The fault is an entire web of connections. It is striking that some of these connections could have been avoided and the diabolical plan foiled instantly. These points are held by Catherine, Nelly, and Cathy.

Catherine's change in the beginning from tyrannical child to socially acceptable lady is what ultimately drives Heathcliff to destroy everything that revolves around her social happiness. Immediately, Catherine belittles Heathcliff for being so dirty when they are reunited. Heathcliff at first wants nothing to do with being civil, but he tries to in order to be with Catherine. She does not appreciate his attempt and this deters him from accepting himself as being able to join her in society. The blow of Catherine leaving Heathcliff for Edgar made him resent himself, for not being able to make her happy, and her, for denying that he could ever satisfy her. Catherine explains to Nelly, "It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him;" (Pg 63). If Catherine had been true to her heart and married Heathcliff for love, then the majority of Heathcliff's revenge would have been negated.

Nelly is also a major connection of the web. Her importance is spurring on this hellish cycle is allowing it to proceed. Her earlier acts of negligence were granting Heathcliff and Catherine to indulge in their sick romance. Nelly watches silently as they kiss at the Grange while Edgar is not home. Nelly knew that Edgar would not be pleased to have Heathcliff in his home and also knew that Heathcliff's presence would stress Catherine. Later on, Nelly is granted a second chance to deter the chaos of Heathcliff's wrath by influencing Cathy. However, Nelly yeilds to the child's whims instead of being firm with her. Nelly discovered the love letters between Cathy and Linton and would have shown them to Edgar, but Cathy pleaded for her to burn them instead. Nelly thought, "I esteemed it all girlish vanity, I at length relented in a measure..." (Pg. 175). Had Nelly been firm in her giving the notes to Edgar, he would have been better at stunting Cathy's pursuit of Linton.

Cathy's part in this web of blame is her disobedience and wild passion. Her instances of defiance, issued at her father and Nelly, had undoubtably secured Heathcliffs plan of ultimate revenge. The first defiance that started the snowball effect was inspired by Cathy's thurst for adventure and she came across Wuthering Heights by accident. Had she simply regarded Edgar's and Nelly's wishes for her to remain on Thrushcross grounds she would have never allowed Heathcliff to initiate his scheme to use her. Cathy's wild passion for Linton drives her to disobey even further. She takes full advantage of her guardian's illnesses to go and see Linton in secret. These visits allowed for her to become more and more attached and, simultaneously, succeptible to Heathcliff's powers of manipulation.

Had any one of these points been severed in the process, the web of Heathcliff's revenge should have failed. These women could have stopped his evil rampage at any point, but instead they seemed to have no choice but to play along in his scheme. Should Heathcliff be blamed, then it is the fault of everyone who created him. The women of the story had the power to end the reign of this bitter creation, so then it is their own fault that he succeded.