Wuthering Heights By Emily Bronte - 1337 Words

Wuthering Heights Essay Edgar Linton is a character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontà «. From early life to death, he resides at the cultivated Thrushcross Grange with his family. He becomes entangled with the affairs of the Earnshaws and eventually a target of Heathcliff. His spoiled and comfortable childhood allows his cowardice to continue to adulthood, proving him an ineffective character whose passiveness warrants Heathcliff’s vengeance. As an adolescent, Edgar displays traces of weakness and incapability. He is first introduced when Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff are at Thrushcross Grange spying on the Lintons. In an argument over holding a small dog, he is characterized as fragile, as he is seen â€Å"weeping silently†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Even though Edgar has no control over his appearance, it does not excuse his powerless behavior. His daughter, despite her resemblance to Edgar, grows to be headstrong, even challenging Heathcliff. Thr ough the motif of cats, Edgar’s feebleness is further explored. Nelly compares his strength to leave Catherine to that of a cat who â€Å"possesses the power to leave a mouse half killed† (71). Unlike the dog motif reserved for more substantial characters, his is a cat to emphasize weakness. To Nelly, his debility burns deeper to that of an incompetent cat and will cause his ill fate and demise. Edgar is also discerned superficially by other characters. Catherine wishes to marry him not out of intense love but because he will make her the â€Å"greatest woman of the neighborhood† (78). He is appealing to Catherine and society because he is the superego part of the Freud’s human psyche theory, meaning he follows societal standards and morals. Since outwardly he has it all, he has no drive to improve himself internally as an adolescent. Hence, he is only valued by others for his appearance and wealth, not his courage or passion. Edgar handles conflicts poo rly, often leaving his power to other characters’ hands. Brontà « characterizes him as malleable when after Catherine’s fit of rage, he still returns after seeing her beauty. His extreme passiveness is demonstrated in the ease it took Edgar to overlook such a major flaw for symmetricality of Catherine’s face. Like Nelly said,