Wuthering Heights: Catherine's Duality

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Throughout Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights we see a story between two families unravel with Catherine as the main character, drawing them together. Themes of duality are predominant all through the book, especially in the way Catherine acts between her two homes and her different attractions to Heathcliff and Linton. As a child Catherine was raised in Wuthering Heights, a house that "the architect had the foresight to build strong" because of the unforgiving storms going on outside, as well as inside. Wuthering Heights is described in the book as a home "guarded with large jutting stones" That "No descent person came near." With "primitive structure" and "grotesque carvings," this "infernal house" gives the reader an image of a gloomy, eerie place. Even the dogs of the house are also unpleasant, being described as "liver-colored bitch pointers surrounded by a swarm of squealing puppies." Emily Bronte definitely succeeds in going the extra mile to convey the harshness of Wuthering Heights and the opulence of Thrushcross Grange, setting them as two completely different worlds that Catherine can somehow flourish in. Thrushcross Grange is a house built for comfort; the house's features are much softer than Wuthering Heights', with well-kept grounds filled with flower beds and a manicured lawn. However different those two houses are, Catherine is able to adapt to both. Duality is suggested because she is able to live and thrive in these two completely polar places. Not only is Catherine able to live in both places, but she is comfortable in doing so. At Wuthering Heights, she loves how she can be wild and free, not having to worry about minding her manners. At Thrushcross Grange though, she is on her best behavior and acts like a lady. Another facet of Catherine's duality is revealed through the two men she loves. Bronte portrays Heathcliff as

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