Catherine Linton

Catherine Linton, or Cathy Linton, is a character in Emily Bronte's novel, "Wuthering Heights." She is the daughter of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw, and despite Heathcliff's attempts to seek revenge on her, she marries her true love,Hareton Earnshaw, at the close of the novel, thus creating peace in the story.

tory

Cathy is the only child of Catherine Earnshaw and Edgar Linton. Her mother dies a few hours after giving birth to her, which is about half-way through the novel. Her father, Edgar, calls her "Cathy" for the most part, while Heathcliff refers to her as "Catherine" because he called her mother "Cathy" as a form of his immense affection and love for her. Cathy is a very curious and mischevious girl, and at sixteen years of age, she seeks Wuthering Heights, the house which she is not allowed to travel to because Heathcliff, Edgar's enemy, resides there. At first she meets Hareton Earnshaw, the nephew of her mother, and therefore her cousin. Nelly, who travels with her, insists that he is, while Cathy, amazed at Hareton's coarse, uneducated language, his dirty clothes, and his savage manner, insists that there is no way that the boy could be her cousin. On her second venture to Wuthering Heights, which Nelly desperately tries to keep from happening, Heathcliff meets her for the first time, and greets her with a warm, kindly matter, although it is known that he despises her and blames her for the death of his soulmate, Catherine. He tells Nelly, however, that he means no harm, and simply wants Cathy and his own son, named Linton, to fall in love and be married. As a result, Cathy and Linton grow close, and write love letters to oneanother when Nelly forbids Cathy to visit the vengeful Wuthering Heights and the bitter tyrant Heathcliff.

It soon becomes apparent that Heathcliff's plan is to seek revenge on Edgar and his daughter by "forcing" her into marriage with Linton, whether it be against her will or not. Nelly burns the childish love letters between Cathy and Linton- the letters, it is implied, are so beautiful that they were most likely written by Heathcliff, not Linton, as a plot to draw Cathy to Wuthering Heights and give her her fate. As the relationship thus sinks becuase of Nelly's disscoveries, it is revealed that Cathy has been making more visits to Wuthering Heights, much to Nelly's horror. Eventually, Edgar falls ill with distress, and Heathcliff traps Cathy and Nelly at Wuthering Heights until Cathy marries Linton. Wishing desperately to see her dying father once more, Cathy consents, and her fate at Wuthering Heights is therefore sealed. Edgar dies, kissing his daughter on the cheek and knowing that Thrushcross Grange, the Linton household, now belongs to his greatest enemy.

Linton, who does not resemble his father, but his mother, Isabella Linton, in every way, falls ill as well, and dies shortly after marrying Cathy. Heathcliff forces him in his dying moments to leave everything to Heathcliff, and nothing to Cathy. As a result, it seems that Cathy, who is now cold and distant because of her misery at Wuthering Heights, has becomes yet another character who does not get a happy ending.However, she and Hareton form an unlikely romance, with Cathy aiding him with his reading and education. Heathcliff sees the love between the two, and no longer takes any pleasure in degrading them. After he dies at the close of the novel, and is buried next to the elder Catherine, Cathy and Hareton make plans to marry on New Year's Day of the following year, planning to reside at Thrushcross Grange.

Description

Although she is Catherine Earnshaw's daughter, she resembles her father more in looks, with golden ringlets and fair skin. The only qualities she inherits from her mother are the beautiful "Earnshaw eyes," which also belong to her future husband, Hareton Earnshaw, and her wayward, mischevious spirit. At first, Cathy is gentle, kind, yet a bit snobbish because of her safe, wealthy upbringing at the Grange, but when she is reduced to a life of misery at Wuthering Heights, she grows cold, distant, and dismissive of everyone around her. At her happy marriage with Hareton, she regains her giddy personality.