Conflicts Collide

In the novel Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, the main conflicts so far are man vs. man and man vs. self. Heathcliff, the main character in my novel, has an undying love for Catherine who he cannot be with. Catherine, Heathcliff and her brother Hindley all grow up together. Heathcliff is adopted into the family and is not considered to be a part of it once the father of the household, Mr Earnshaw, dies. He is treated like a servant by Catherine's older brother Hindley. Heathcliff and Cathy become very fond of each other as the novel progresses and love to play together on the moors. They end up going over to Thrushcross Grange to tease the stuck up children who live there, Isabella and Edgar. Catherine is bitten by a dog there and ends up having to stay at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks. While she is there Catherine is made into a proper lady and becomes infatuated with Edgar. When she returns home it causes her relationship with Heathcliff to become even more complicated than it already is. Heathcliff becomes jealous of Edgar because he can see that Edgar is wealthy and considered to be of a much higher class than himself. He can see that Catherine is starting to become snobby and that she enjoys the attention she is getting from Edgar. But Heathcliff knows that she loves him and is not going to give up easily. I can see that throughout the novel Heathcliff and Edgar may battle it out for Catherine. This conflict of both Edgar and Heathcliff wanting to be with Catherine, is man vs. man. I think that Heathcliff having to deal with being thought of as lesser, causes him emotional pain which is man vs. self conflict. There's nothing he can do to become wealthy, he's just a servant boy of Wuthering Heights. He doesn't have the status that Edgar has. Catherine just loves the social status she is getting by being with Edgar and Heathcliff cannot give that to her. I think knowing all of this may cause Heathcliff to get away from Wuthering Heights and start a life somewhere else. I don't know if he will become successful in a new life, but I would hope that he would. I think that as the story goes on there will be much more conflict between all of the main characters.

The conflict in this novel reminds me of the conflict in the Twilight series. Edgar and Heathcliff both wanting Catherine reminds of how Jacob and Edward both want Bella. Jacob is like Heathcliff in how he's the underdog. He isn't as perfect or proper as Edward is, just how Heathcliff is rough around the edges unlike Edgar. Jacob feels emotional pain just like Heathcliff does. He knows that he would be good for Bella but that she has chosen to be with Edward instead. I think that the conflicts in these novels are very similar despite one being modern and one which is not.