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phstrainer
phstrainer
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Chapter 14 of "Wuthering Heights", What are the different perspectives of Nelly and Heathcliff about Catherine's thoughts and feelings.

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Posted by phstrainer on Thursday August 21, 2008 at 9:55 AM and tagged with catherine, chapter 14, characters, heathcliff, nelly, thoughts, wuthering heights.

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  1. lit24
    lit24 Teacher
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    In Ch.14 Heathcliff makes enquiries regarding Catherine who has fallen ill after the turbulent incidents in Ch.11 when both Edgar her husband and Heathcliff quarrelled. Nelly blames Catherine for her illness and advises against Heathcliff visiting her again saying that Catherine is a much altered person: "Her appearance is changed greatly, her character much more so."

    But Heathcliff refuses to listen to Nelly and insists that she arrange another meeting. He asserts that he will be able to take better care of her than her husband. He states that he could easily kill Edgar but that he will not do it because "she would suffer greatly from his loss." He asserts that if he were in Edgar's place   he would do anything to please her and keep her happy and would even go to the extent of not preventing her from meeting her regularly.

    The difference between Edgar and Heathcliff is that Heathcliff loves her so much and is confident that Catherine loves him as much although she is Edgar's wife, with the result  that he cannot be jealous.

    Nelly pleads with Heathcliff to completely forget Catherine because she is now another man's legally wedded wife.  But Heathcliff refuses saying, "you know as well as I do, that for every thought  she spends  on Linton, she spends a thousand on me!"

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    Posted by lit24 on Thursday August 21, 2008 at 10:40 AM