Soulmates in Wuthering Heights

For most of class today, we did not blog because we turned our chairs into the center to have a more "intimate" discussion.

The idea of "soul mates" is the idea of somebody dying because they could no longer live without you. It is the epitome of the phrase "I can't live without you", taken literally.  

Literally Heathcliffe and Catherine can not live without each other. What are the implication of dying for love?

As someone who is not overly-romantic, I cannot really understand Cathy and Heathcliffe's destructible relationship. I understand their deep connection, yet I do not think that each person has only one other soul mate. It does not make sense that there is only one other person in the world for you. Cathy and Heathcliffe seem to be sort of naive and selfish about their love. They only live for each other, and while to some that may seem as the ultimate devotion of love, I think that it is very selfish. They are not only responsible for their own feelings, but they have family, children, parents, that they should take more into consideration. It is the same thing with committing suicide. While to some it may appear as heroic and as being "a martyr for the cause", I see it as a selfish way to avoid your own responsibilities. Cathy and Heathcliffe also have their own responsibilities; they have people to take care of. After Cathy dies, Heathcliffe aborts any sort of kindness or humanity to live a loveless and bitter life, effecting all others around him. It is a little sad that he does not have the courage to face her death and move on. While many people would call this a beautiful tale of romance, I see it as very selfish and ignorant to the other elements of life. To have love and to share that love with someone else is a huge part of life, and something that everyone strives for, but to put all of that love in one person is a little naive. When that person leaves, you have literally been so reliant on them, that you no longer no how to fend for yourself. Love is not only about devotion, but learning how to equally devote yourself to all of the different aspects of your life (including yourself, your family, your lover, etc.) I really resent Heathcliffe for not being able to see past the immediate tragedy of Cathy's death. 

There are many love stories that I read that make me want to experience that type of love. I loved reading Jeanette Winterson's novel "Written on the Body". Even though I am not the romantic type, I could not stop thinking about the narrator's love for Louise. She loved her enough to leave her, and I think that is the ultimate form of respect. This book is also about loss, for Louise has cancer and is most likely going to die. Instead of selfishly hoarding Louise to herself, she gives her back to her husband so that he can treat her cancer. She is willing to lose her to make her safe. She does not seem bitter about this loss either, she is very rational in this loss. She begins to see Louise as many parts of a whole, learning about each of the systems of her body, the different parts that are slowly deteriorating from this deadly cancer. Instead of bitterness, she shows intelligence, intellect, even truth. I could never see Heathcliffe acting in this manner. While he loves Cathy to the ends of the earth, he loves himself with her more. He could not even fathom the union of Cathy and Linton, and instead of understanding social circumstances, he sets out to make everyone's lives miserable. I wish he could have loved her enough to lose her, or to do the respectable thing. His actions portray him as a selfish and bitter man who only wants one thing, and will destroy everything else around him if he does not obtain it.