Edgar Linton

Edgar Linton is a character in Emily Bronte's novel "Wuthering Heights." His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw's husband. He resides at Thrushcross Grange in the story, and falls prey to Heathcliff's schemes revenge towards the Linton family. Edgar is the father of he and Catherine's daughter, Catherine Linton, and the brother of Isabella Linton.

tory

Edgar Linton was born and raised at Thrushcross Grange, with his parents and his sister Isabella. Brought up in a comfortable, safe environment, Edgar is to be wealthy when he grows into man. When Catherine Earnshaw, who lives at Wuthering Heights, and her foster brother-and soulmate- Hathcliff, sneak out to spy on the Grange, Catherine suffers an accident and is wounded by one of the Lintons's watchdogs. As a result, she stays at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks, which allows she and Edgar to grow close. Edgar thus develops an attraction to Catherine and her beauty, an attraction which the jealous Heathcliff describes as "stupid admiration," insisting that Catherine is "immeasurably superior to them." Nevertheless, Catherine grows into a lady because of the elegance and proper matter of the Linton household, which enables Heathcliff to see Edgar as a rival because of his intimacy with Catherine.

After Hindley Earnshaw, Catherine's elder brother, plunges into a life of alcohol, anguish, misery, and ravings because of his wife's death in childbirth, Edgar begins to secretly make visits to Wuthering Heights to spend time with Catherine. This only causes more friction between Catherine, Edgar, and Heathcliff, and the reader then sees the difference between Edgar and Heathcliff. Eventually, Edgar proposes to Catherine, which forms the basis for Catherine's most famous scene in the novel, of which she confesses her eternal, passionate love for Heathcliff, and her tender love for Edgar, which she insists will surely be altered over the years. Catherine compares she and Edgar to "frost from fire," and "a moonbeam from lightning," declaring them to be entirely different, and she and Heathcliff joined together in one soul. Still, Catherine decides that she will marry Edgar because he is "rich," "handsome," "pleasant to be with," and that because of that she will be "the greatest woman in the neighborhood," and because of her wealth can "aid Heathcliff," because he is of a poor servant-boy status at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff, hearing her heart-breaking decision, angirly disappears for three years.

In the three years of Heathcliff's disappeance, Edgar and Catherine marry, Catherine being described by Nelly Dean as "over-fond" of her husband. Edgar seeks to please Catherine at any chance he gets, spoiling her and doing whatever is in his power to make he happy. Nelly even says that the two are in the wake of "growing happiness," which ends when Heathcliff returns to the neighborhood. He, still bitter about his true love's decision, comes back to seek revenge on Hindley and the Linton family, both of which threatened he and Catherine's romance. As a result, Heathcliff seduces Isabella Linton, forcing her into a terrifying marriage with him, and then sets out to "provoke Edgar to desperation," as Isabella says. Heathcliff and Edgar's constant encounters with one another make Catherine grow crazy and eventually she goes mad, insisting that Heathcliff and her husband "have broken her heart," and been the cause of her sickness.

After a final meeting with Heathcliff, Catherine dies a few hours after giving birth to she and Edgar's only child, Catherine Linton. Edgar, holding high hopes for having a son to call an heir, cares only for his deceased wife when she dies, and is deeply affected by it, acting nervous, scared, and saddened. The novel then skips sixteen years, in which Edgar has developed the most tender love in the world for his mischevious daughter, whom he calls Cathy, and the sixteen years of which this blooming relationship occurs are said to be years of entire peace for the Linton family, as Heathcliff lives a brooding existence at Wuthering Heights, which has now becomes his home as a result of his revenge against Hindley, who dies shortly after the elder Catherine's funeral.

Despite Edgar and Nelly's desperate attempts to keep Cathy away from Wuthering Heights and away from the villian Heathcliff, her curiosity brings her to the home, where Heathcliff begins his next scheme of revenge on the Lintons. Isabella, his wife, left the marriage years ago, but died leaving she and Heathcliff's child, named Linton, into Edgar's care. Nevertheless, Heathcliff gains control of his son, and his next plan is to force him into marriage with Cathy, which will enable him to inherit Thrushcross Grange at Edgar's death.

When Nelly discovers that Cathy has visited Wuthering Heights and that Heathcliff has seen her, she insists that Cathy must never go to the house again. Cathy continues the intimacy, however, and begins to writer love letters to Linton. Nelly, after discovering this as well, threatens to tell Edgar of his daughter's association with Heathcliff, but the relationship still does not disolve. Eventually, Heathcliff succeeds in marrying Cathy and Linton against her will, and Edgar becomes greatly distressed at the knowledge of Heathcliff's triumph. Edgar's story ends when he dies "blissfully," kissing his daughter on the cheek, despite the fact that his house now belongs to his enemy. He is buried next to Catherine Earnshaw, as is Heathcliff when he dies at the very close of the novel.

Description

Edgar Linton is known as the complete opposite of his wife, Catherine Earnshaw, and her foster brother Heathcliff. With his fair long hair, his pale skin, and his blue eyes, he seems to have stumbled out of a Jane Austen novel because of the quiet, gentle life he at first leads at Thrushcross Grange, which is a home of peace and good-will until Heathcliff's presence fills it. Edgar is said to be slightly weak, as is the case throughout the Linton family, and very distressed when knowing that he cannot match the fire and passion of his wayward wife and her soulmate. He loves Catherine dearly, despite her passion for Heathcliff, and adores their daughter, Cathy. When Isabella, his sister, marries Heathcliff, he insists that he will no longer have a relationship with her, and that they are brother and sister only in name.