Wuthering Heights - Isabella and Sympathy

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‘’Isabella is a character who inspires little respect or sympathy from a reader.’’ Discuss. Isabella Linton derives little sympathy from the reader of ‘Wuthering Heights’ through her selfish behaviour "vain little fool’’, her negativity towards the lead character, Catherine "If Cathy died, I might begin to live" and her sheer petulance and disregard for the feelings of her brother ‘She even disgraces the name of Linton’. I will explore the traits within her personality that create the antipathy from the reader towards Isabella and the events that unfold because of this. Isabella Linton’s incapability to inspire sympathy from the reader is largely due, in my opinion, to her relationship with Heathcliff. Like Romeo and Juliet, Heathcliff and Catherine are, in the reader’s eyes, the only necessary romantic relationship within ‘Wuthering Heights’. Catherine’s relationship with Heathcliff is angst full, passionate and a rollercoaster of emotions and events ‘like the eternal rocks beneath’. Isabella feels like an interloper on this passionate relationship, by removing Heathcliff from Catherine’s grasp the anticipation of their seemingly impending relationship is severed. Isabella and Heathcliff’s relationship is immature, superficial and unremarkable, in comparison Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship is multi-faceted, built up over years of conversations, emotions, shared fears, shared joy ‘Nelly, I am Heathcliff’, so Isabella’s petulant childish behaviour forces the reader to begrudge her even further, and she becomes more of an annoyance than an intriguing component to the novel. Despite the awful way Heathcliff seems to treat Isabella it is impossible to feel sorry for her, as there is a sense of her bringing it on her self. ‘Yes! I love him and you're mad with pain and jealousy with the thought of my marrying him’ it feels as though she is simply feigning
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