The Presentation of Edgar Linton in Wuthering Heights

Abstract

Edgar Linton’s comparatively poor image among readers of Wuthering Heights is probably due mainly to his being remembered as the weakest figure in a famous love triangle. Such an image is, moreover, sustained by one’s awareness of certain failings on his part, to say nothing of the ridicule he is subjected to both as a youngster and as an adult. At the same time, there is no question that Edgar deserves to be judged primarily by his relationship with his wife Catherine; whereby, despite the common supposition that she loves Heathcliff, and Heathcliff alone, there is evidence to suggest that, because quite heavily dependent on his support, she loves Edgar, too, albeit in her own peculiar way. More important, however, is that, through demonstrations of his own love for Catherine, especially during her illnesses and convalescences, Edgar seems to show a maturity that Heathcliff scarcely displays amid his passionate attachment to her.