Love in literature

By Lee Hyon-soo

Perhaps few human emotions are as strong as love between a man and a woman. It is no wonder then that such love has been a recurrent theme in literature. Great love stories in literature are compelling, no matter how they unfold. That said, it seems that tragic love stories leave deeper impressions on readers than do happy ending ones.

There are quite a few “immortal” lovers in literature, that is, well-known protagonists of great love stories. In this regard, Paris and Helena, Jane Eyre and Rochester, Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy, and Jay Gatsby and Daisy come to mind. But the most famous lovers in literature are Romeo and Juliet.

Of all the love stories I have read, what fascinates me most is Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights.” It is an intensely passionate yet unhappy love story. Let me touch on it.

When Heathcliff, an orphan, is brought to Wuthering Heights, Catherine becomes his close friend. As they grow up together, they fall in love. Speaking of her love for Heathcliff, Catherine utters impassioned and fiery words, as quoted below.

“I love him not because he is handsome but because he is more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”

“My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath _ a source of little visible delight, but necessary. I am Heathcliff! He is always, always in my mind _ not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.”

Indeed, Heathcliff is Catherine’s soul mate. But she has no intention of degrading herself by marrying Heathcliff, a penniless man of humble origin. Instead, she chooses to marry Edgar, a well-to-do and polished young man. Upon learning that Catherine is going to marry Edgar, Heathcliff runs away and disappears without a trace, leaving Catherine distraught. Catherine marries Edgar, but it is a marriage of convenience as her true love is for Heathcliff.

Years later Heathcliff returns as a well-groomed and financially independent man. The first thing he does is to go see Catherine. When he is alone with Catherine, he pours out his unrestrained love for her. His reappearance rekindles Catherine’s love for him and causes a rift between her and her husband. Realizing that there is no way to get Catherine back, Heathcliff inflicts vengeance on Edgar by eloping with his sister, Isabella, whom he does not love at all. Catherine dies after giving birth. Her death devastates Heathcliff.

Preoccupied with revenge, Heathcliff maneuvers to wrest the ownership of Wuthering Heights from Hindley, Catherine’s brother, who treated him badly in his youth. He also forces Catherine’s daughter to marry his own son to gain control over Edgar’s estate that she has inherited after his death.

Heathcliff cannot get used to the idea that Catherine is not around. One day he has visions of her and stops eating. Four days later, he is found dead in Catherine’s old room at Wuthering Heights. In death he finally achieves union with Catherine by being buried next to her.

The love between Heathcliff and Catherine has captivated many people ever since “Wuthering Heights” was published in 1847. Why? It may be because such fervent love is a rarity in real life.

The writer is a retired international banker who lives in Toronto, Canada. His other writings are posted on https://blog.daum.net/tom_hslee.