Cathy’s Impact on Hareton and Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,8 ©, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Anglistics), course: Studying the Novel, language: English, abstract: Wuthering Heights from Emily Bront is one of the most popular English novels. It is about an orphan named Heathcliff, who wants to take revenge for being mistreated. Two of the most fascinating characters in the novel are Hareton Earnshaw, the son of Hindley and Frances, and Cathy Linton. The development of their characters and their relationship is one of the most interesting aspects of the novel. Especially the influence that Cathy gains over Hareton is remarkably shown in the course of the novel. Is Cathy’s powerful character the trigger, which, with Hareton’s support, finally leads to Heathcliff’s resignation? In this paper Hareton and Cathy will be introduced and their behaviour will be explained due to their upbringing. Then Heathcliff’s influence on both characters and the development of the relationship between Cathy and Hareton will be explained.