The second generation in
Wuthering Heights
The first generation Catherine is similar and yet less of a reconciling figure
than her daughter seen in the second generation
"That's a turkey's," she murmured to herself, "and this is a
wild duck's, and this is a pigeon's. Ah, they put pigeons'
feathers in the pillows; no wonder I couldn't die! Let me take
care to throw it on the floor when I lie down. And here is a
moor-cock's; and this -- I should know it among a thousand -it's a lapwing's. Bonny bird, wheeling over our heads in the
middle of the moor. It wanted to get to its nest, for the clouds
had touched the swells, and it felt rain coming. This feather
was picked up from the heath; the bird was not shot. We saw
its nest in the winter, full of little skeletons. Heathcliff set a
trap over it, and the old ones dare not come. I made him
promise he'd never shoot a lap-wing after that, and he didn't.
Yes, here are more! Did he shoot my lapwings, Nelly? Are they
red, any of them? Let me look."
-Chapter 12-The first Catherine’s bird motif
The first generation Catherine is similar and yet less of a reconciling figure
than her daughter seen in the second generation
• Mine was rocking in a rustling green tree, with a west wind
blowing, and bright white clouds flitting rapidly above, and
not only larks, but throstles, and blackbirds, and linnets,
and cuckoos pouring out music on every side, and the
moors seen at a distance, broken into cool, dusky dells, but
close by great swells of long grass undulating in waves to
the breeze, and woods and sounding water, and the whole
world awake and wild with joy. He wanted all to lie in an
ecstasy of peace; I wanted all to sparkle and dance in a
glorious jubilee. I said his heaven would be only half alive,
and he said mine would be drunk; I said I should fall asleep
in his, and he said he could not breathe in mine, and began
to grow very snappish.
• Vol 2 Chapter 10-The second Catherine’s bird motif
Use of motifs in both generations
• Use of window motif in both generations
• The first Catherine opens windows for the air
from WH to come to TG
• The second Catherine uses the window to escape
from WH
• Two windows with very different purposes in
both generations
• Doors unite the two generational stories.
• Locking in people in both generations but in the
second generation; its done to a woman while in
the first, its done by a woman
Is the second generation important ?
1.The second generation of the Cathy-Linton-Hareton story line are
seen as unimportant when compared to the first generation because
they are given textually less space than the first generation lovers.
 The full history of Catherine and Heathcliff are given as seen in
Nelly’s recounting of the two hundred year old history of the
Earnshaws and Heathcliff’s entry into the Earnshaw family.
 Their childhood and adulthood and even their deaths are dwelt in
detail and hence readers are given a textually rich history of the first
generation lovers.
 In contrast, Bronte quite cursorily deals with the second-generation
lovers. Linton’s history with his mother is not shown, Hareton’s love
story with the second Catherine encompass only the last few
chapters.
 Thus, structurally, the author herself does not seem to regard the
second generation as important.
2.The second-generation story line seems to be added to complete the first
generation’s love story hence pointing to their unimportance.
 The second-generation characters are a redux version of the uncompleted
love story of Catherine and Heathcliff. The first love story did not come to
fruition because of the social constraints that prevented the two lovers
from marrying as seen in the first Catherine’s heartfelt cry that ‘…it would
degrade me to marry Heathcliff....” It is left to her more perceptive
daughter to marry a similar type of character to Heathcliff, Hareton
despite his lack of education and breeding.
 The first love story was shown from infancy to death while the second love
story shows only it starting at young adulthood. The ending reinforces the
idea that this is not a love-story of Cathy and Hareton but that of
Catherine and Heathcliff as seen in the last few lines of the novel ‘I sought
and soon discovered the three head-stones…the middle one (Catherine’s)
grey …Heathcliff’s still bare.” These last lines convey the impression that
the novel’s focus is on the first generation and the second-generation love
story merely acts to complete that very first love story.
3.The second generation’s love-story is seen as distracting
because of the presence of the inactive and negating
characterisation of Linton Heathcliff.
 The space devoted to Linton’s scared and forced courtship
of the second Catherine at the terrifying behest of
Heathcliff is structurally weak because it consists of the
numerous times Catherine rides to and fro the two homes
and petting and soothing the timid and scared Linton.
 Long lines about the two of them hiding their love from
Nelly and Edgar add to a distracting and repetitive story
line.
 In contrast, the first generation’s courtship of violence and
passion and hidden motivations add to a sense of mystery
and tension, which keeps the reader addicted to the first
generation story line.
Is the second generation story important?
1.
The second generation is as important as the first generation story line
because it structurally completes the first generation’s love-story.
 Without the second generation, Bronte’s story is tragic, destructive and
incomplete.
 The second generation adds a human dimension to the first generation’s
excessively romantic and tragic story line. The first generation’s love story
is so passionate and dark that it defies believability to a certain extent
especially Heathcliff’s malevolent revenge on the Linton’s for destroying
his love with Catherine. Readers alternate between shock, awe and
disbelieve as they read the following lines “Her present countenance had
a wild vindictiveness in its white cheek and a bloodless lip and scintillating
eye…” almost as if they are reading the story of an almost vampiric and
consuming love as shown in the Heathcliff-Catherine story line.
 In contrast, the courtship of Hareton and the second Catherine is calmer
and as energetic and passionate as the first story line. This is a typical girl
hates boy and then comes to love him story line and helps to harmonise
the passionate and unbelievable angry energies of the first story line;
reinforcing the structural importance of the second generation love story.
2.
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The repetition of motifs used in the first generation and repeated in the
second generation may seem distracting but it actually helps to tighten
the structure and plot, thus making both generations important in the
novel.
This is seen in the use of the window motif in the novel. The ill Catherine
thinks she is at her old home at the Heights instead of the Grange and
begs Nelly to “Open the window wide…the wind sounding in the firs…”
Similarly, her daughter uses that open window and the fir branch to
escape from the Heights and Heathcliff. The window is used structurally to
show the similarity and differences between the generations and adds
complexity to the motifs that recur between generations.
The window at the Heights through which the second Catherine escapes is
also the window through which the first Catherine wails to be let in. The
window motif is used to show the dissimilar passions of the mother and
daughter; one who views the Heights as imprisoning while the other who
views the Heights as a place of freedom.
Without the presence of the second generation, the complexity of the
motifs and its relevance to themes would be lost.
3.The second generation
is important in showing the moral vision of the author.
 Some critics claim that Bronte glorifies savage passion and love at the expense
of morality and decent human values. This charge is valid if the novel ends
with only the first generation and their destructive love.
 The lovers Catherine and Heathcliff engage readers immediately and all
attention focuses on their passionate outbursts. Famous quotes abound on
their glorious and yet tainted love as seen in these lines “Nelly I am Heathcliff.”
“If all else remained and he were annihilated, the Universe would turn to a
mighty stranger. I would not seem a part of it.
 The immorality of Catherine’s statement “if I marry Linton, I can aid Heathcliff
to rise and place him out of my brother’s power.” shows an amoral world
vision which the writer seems to accept when she portrayed such passionate
and immortal lovers.
 However, this charge that Bronte is amoral or above our common
understanding of morality is not true.
 Bronte does have a moral vision. She is not so enamoured
of her first generation lovers that she cannot see its
destructive nature.
 Hence, she has the second-generation lovers to show that
true love requires patience and acceptance and not mere
passion. The second Catherine was at first as impatient and
materialistic as her mother in rejecting Hareton and
marrying Linton but through suffering and patience, she
learns to temper her anger and hatred of Hareton and then
marries him despite his lack of breeding and status.
 Bronte shows us that patience and acceptance are needed
if love is to survive into old age. Thus, she uses the second
generation to show the flaws of the first generation. This
generation is important in pointing to the moral vision of
the author.