Marriage and Unity (WH Quotes)

Question 1

‘I have no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven’ - Cathy

Answer 1

Metaphorical language shows her awareness of the incompatibility between her nature and Edgar’s world
Their marriage lacks spiritual resonance, reinforcing idea that unity in marriage cannot be forged by societal expectation alone

Question 2

‘She abandoned them under a delusion…fancying that someone else could make her happy’ - Nelly

Answer 2

Nelly critiques Cathy’s decision to marry Edgar, portraying it as a self-deception
Reflects how marriage, when used to secure social comfort rather than emotional unity, becomes a site of loss and alienation

Question 3

‘I’ll try to break their hearts by breaking my own’ - Isabella (after marrying Heathcliff)

Answer 3

Her marriage to H becomes a tool of revenge rather than a union
Bronte presents this relationship as a warning: without mutual love or respect, marriage degenerates into violence, power struggles, and self-destruction

Question 4

‘You have killed me - and thriven on it, I think’ - Cathy

Answer 4

Expresses how Cathy and H’s bond is so intense that it becomes mutually destructive
Their unity goes beyond marriage and into emotional possession, suggesting that complete fusion of souls may be romantic and fatal

Question 5

‘I cannot live without my soul’ - Heathcliff

Answer 5

His grief portrays Cathy as more than a partner - she is his essence
This transcends earthly marriage, suggesting that true unity is spiritual and eternal, not defined by human laws or ceremonies

Question 6

‘They were really in possession of deep and growing happiness’ - Nelly (about young Cathy and Hareton)

Answer 6

Unlike doomed relationships of earlier generations, Cathy and Hareton’s bond is marked by mutual respect, learning and emotional growth
Bronte finally aligns love and marriage in a hopeful union that offers closure and restoration

Question 7

‘She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him’ - Nelly

Answer 7

Emphasises Cathy and H’s intense emotional connection, implying that physical separation is a greater torment than death
It reveals that true unity in Bronte’s world lies not in marriage, but in the unbreakable emotional and spiritual bonds that defy social constructs

Question 8

‘The entire world is a dreadful collection of memoranda that she did exist, and that I have lost her!’ - Heathcliff

Answer 8

His overwhelming grief suggests a bond with Cathy that not only outlasts marriage, but even mortality
He sees the world as a painful reminder of their separation, which underscores Bronte’s portrayal of love as something metaphysical - transcending life, law and time

Question 9

‘They are afraid of nothing together’ - Nelly (about young Cathy and Hareton)

Answer 9

Signifies the emotional and moral recovery embodied in Cathy and Hareton’s relationship
Unlike their parent’s tortured unions, their connection is founded on resilience, understanding, and shared strength
Bronte offers this as a hopeful resolution to earlier failed marriages

Question 10

‘She never had the power to conceal her passion. It always set her whole complexion in a blaze’ - Nelly (about Cathy)

Answer 10

Her visible intense emotions for H contrast with her restrained, socially acceptable marriage to Edgar
Bronte underscores how true unity cannot be hidden or faked, and how marriage without passion is merely a hollow performance

Question 11

‘They lifted their eyes together, half a minute’s glance, and so they separated’ - Nelly (about young Cathy and Hareton)

Answer 11

This subtle moment captures the growing, respectful connection between Cathy and Hareton
Bronte contrasts this understated affection with the violent passion of earlier generations, suggesting that unity rooted in humility and tenderness offers a more sustainable vision of love