Wuthering Heights

The dispute of nature versus nurture is long running and both sides have strong points even solely in the novel “Wuthering Heights”. Nature is a person’s characteristics at birth and from their genetics they would know how to act around people. For an individual, one’s parents might be wealthy and selfish; therefore, the child will inherit the money and also be selfish with it according to his or her nature. This case is best related to Edgar Linton in this novel. Edgar was born rich and selfish and he died rich and selfish; however, he was also raised rich and selfish which leads one into the nurture side.
Nurture refers to how and who a person was raised by. This side is best related to Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights” because he was adopted informally by the Earnshaws. Heathcliff cleaned p and became very mannerly under watch of Mr.Earnshaw up until the time of his death when his son, Hindley, turned him into a slave more than a brother. Heathcliff changed when he was treated as a servant; he became more irritable and seemed to lose a sense of disrespect especially when he hit Catherine. Later in the novel Heathcliff goes to America and becomes a gentleman, this is another point in the book that shows that nurture and one’s drive to change can do so. However, Heathcliff returned to some of his old habits once he found out that his true love was married to Edgar Linton and so he married his sister out of pure smite. This shows that Heathcliff’s personality under the nurture of whomever he saw in America can change but can also return to his old ways once he sees a shocking truth. Bronte seems to indicate that nature is where an individual’s personality originates. I agree that nurture does change one’s personality; but, it’s only temporary. For example, Heathcliff went to America and came back a refined gentleman. Then Heathcliff found out about Catherine’s marriage, changed back to a cruel and overpowering person to Isabella, and became bitter. While Heathcliff was away, Catherine became more accustomed to being rich and having someone cater to her every need. She loved Edgar because now they had so much in common. But, when Heathcliff returned she wanted him back remembering the past of him being a noble descendant and the good times they had in the moors and at the heights. Nature seemed to always be what people returned to no matter what hardships they endured. Catherine Linton, Edgar’s daughter, changed when she was in contact with Linton Heathcliff because she thought she was in love. But as soon as Linton revealed his truly evil self she returned to wanting her father and longing to be as far away from Wuthering Heights as she possibly could be. Another Example would be Catherine Earnshaw’s dealing with her marriage to Edgar. In all her early childhood she had loved Heathcliff naturally for all the right reasons to love someone, and this natural feeling was overthrown temporally due to her false love for Edgar just because he had money and other nice things for her. But, Catherine returned to these honest feelings to Heathcliff near the middle of the book after his return form America. This is a prime example of how nature overthrows nurture in this book and in many cases today. You can’t nurture someone into true love, it just comes naturally. In all, nature versus nurture still has many strong points each in the book “Wuthering Heights”. But, through my reading I’ve chosen nature as Bronte’s choice. I believe this is always her choice while writing due to her losing her parents at such a young age. Nature is always a strong set of morals that you were just born with and into. Try to break them, and you will find you will fall back and rely on them to help you through your life.