A Comparison of Wuthering Heights and One Hundred Years of Solitude

Comparison: Wuthering Heights & One Hundred Years of Solitude

Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights, is a tragic love story depicted by an outsider

and a bystander. The story revolves around the life of two romantic heroes destined never to be

together and the influence of their experiences to those around them. Every novel tells a new

story of a unique family. Gabriel Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude underlines similar

themes as those in Bronte’s novel through the Buendia family and the tragedy occurring to each

one. The tragedy of the family influences the village where they originated from, inflicting pain

as the characters of Wuthering Heights. Although the novels vary in time periods and culture

backgrounds, both depict the influence of generation repetition and the destruction of love.

Wuthering Heights demonstrates the repeating cycle of the second and third generation

of the Earnshaws and Lintons. Through each generation, names are recycled as well as

personalities. Cathy Linton is named after her beloved mother Catherine Earnshaw Linton.

Under the supervision of her father, Edgar Linton, and later of Heathcliff, Cathy displays

different traits of her mother. A main trait shared by both is an uncontrolled temper especially

upon their suitors leading to a proposal. At the beginning Catherine loses control for the first

time around Edgar, throwing a tantrum that urges him to leave. "No . . . not yet, Edgar Linton

– sit down; you shall not leave me in that temper. I should be miserable all night, and I won't

be miserable for you!" (pg. 52). After a constant battle and scaring him away, she begins to beg

for forgiveness and urging him to leave simultaneously. Edgar soon returns to Catherine with

a proposal she is more than glad to accept. Similarly, after a fight about their parents, Cathy

physically pushes her suitor, Linton, without knowing the damage she can cause to his fragile

body. “‘I’m sorry I hurt you, Linton! ...But I couldn’t have been hurt by that little push; and I had

no idea that you could, either – you’re not much, are you, Linton? Don’t let me go home thinking

I’ve done you harm! Answer, speak to me.’… ‘I can’t speak to you, you’ve hurt me so, that I

shall lie awake all night, choking with this cough!’” (pg 176). Although Cathy apologizes, she

also blames him for what has recently occurred.

Never taking responsibility, Heathcliff blames his actions on his past. Due to the

maltreatment from Hindley, Heathcliff’s anger and hunger for revenge increases. As a repeating

cycle, he feels as if it is only right to mistreat Hindley’s son, Hareton, the same way Hindley

mistreated him. Heathcliff is a servant of his new home after his only support, Mr. Earnshaw,

dies. Hindley takes advantage of a vulnerable boy, later to be repeated on his own child. After

the death of Hindley, Heathcliff gains custody of the boy and puts him to work for his own

household to make for survival. “Now, my bonny lad, you are mine! And we’ll see if one

tree won’t grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it!” (pg. 138). Heathcliff

continues the torturous cycle of servitude at Wuthering Heights. After years of experience

without and education or a family, he still wishes the same fate to an innocent child with the only

reason being that he is the son of his abuser.

A recycled fate is introduced throughout One Hundred Years. Like Wuthering Heights,

names and personalities are the same throughout the generations. OHYS is the continuous

resemblance of six generations. In both novels, the names are recycled limiting the expansion

of the family. The eldest of the family, notices the similarities of the men in her family. There

are two traits portrayed, either a quiet solitary young man, or a free spirited man or woman. The

founder of the family and husband to the eldest holds both traits but they are separated within

his sons, leaving his only daughter to make her own. The traits are passed down to the fifth

generation. The cycle is never ending, similar to Wuthering Heights, where time is never finite,

but rather time only moves forward repeatedly. Each generation endures the same tragedies of

finding love to be followed by periods of solitude and soon death.

Both novels portray the never-ending cycle of the generations. The tragic curse of never

obtaining love is present within both, committing the similar mistakes from the past instead of

learning from them.