Selfish Love in Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights is a classic soap opera-style drama of infatuation and deception. Brontë advances the plot of this story in many different ways. Perhaps the most effective and indeed the most vital part of this story are the characters. Of all the characters in this story, Catherine and Heathcliff stand out the most. There are many similarities but also many differences between these two characters. The two characteristics most commonly shared by Catherine and Heathcliff are love, although sometimes it is difficult to tell whether it is truly love, and selfishness and conceit, sometimes so extreme that it is difficult not to become irritated by the novel. The mixture of love and selfishness of these two characters proves fatal. Time and again Catherine's extreme selfishness and conceit are put on display. Whether through deception or betrayal, Catherine's selfishness plays a major role in almost every situation she is involved in. Perhaps due to the environments she was exposed to growing up, Catherine becomes very conceited and selfish as a child. Upon returning from a stay with the Lintons, Catherine is even worse. Brontë shows, “Our young woman has returned to us, saucier, more passionate, and more haughty than ever” (65). Catherine's actions were often governed by her extreme selfishness. In fact, her marriage to Edgar Linton was almost entirely about what she would get out of it. In a conversation with Nelly, Catherine demonstrates this by saying, “…He will be rich, and I should like to be the foremost woman in the neighborhood, and I will be proud to have such a husband,” she tells Nelly ( 57). She only got married m... half of paper... similar in that respect. Catherine wouldn't even be on her deathbed if she hadn't acted so selfishly with her husband and Heathcliff. This timeless novel is a novel of love and deception. The main characters of Catherine and Heathcliff never cease to amaze as their extreme selfishness ruins every situation they are involved in. While reading this book, it's easy to get lost in how bleak things are; however, in the end, the book teaches a lesson. Wuthering Heights proves many things. While the characters in this book are definitely over the top and, at times, frustrating, they teach a very specific lesson. Love doesn't have to be selfish, and if it is, it will never work. Catherine and Heathcliff's selfish love causes almost all the conflicts in this book. Work cited: Charlotte Brontë. Wuthering Heights. New York: TOR Books, 1989.