Of all the relationships and marriages described in the novel, only one of them is in the conventional and usual manner to the time. This is described at the very beginning of the book, involving Lockwood, prior to him renting out Thrushcross Grange.

During a stay at the coast, Lockwood takes a fancy to “a fantastic creature” and begins to try and win her over in a very discrete way, casting meaningful glances in her direction. Within time, the object of his affections begins to return the glances and shows her obvious attraction to him. Lockwood, however, seemingly becomes intimidated at this and begins to neglect the poor girl, who in turn was “led to doubt her own senses and…persuaded her mama to decamp”.

This spells the first of many unsuccessful relationships in this book. Some of the relationships featured are not as wholesome as they should be, emerging from the wanting of power, property or exacting revenge as opposed to love.

As children, Catherine and Heathcliff are extremely close, since their first meeting at a young age they were almost inseparable. They would often be seen playing together and again when Hindley returned the two of them rebelled against his treatment together. Throughout their lives they were always close and it would seem that the two of them would eventually marry.

The main relationship in the novel however is the ‘Love Triangle’ between Heathcliff, Catherine and Edgar.

As time goes on, Catherine is faced with the decision of whether to marry her life-long companion Heathcliff, or a newer suitor in Edgar Linton. Upon speaking with Nelly Dean on the matter, Catherine explains that, “[She] has no more business to marry Edgar Linton than [she] does to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, [she] shouldn’t have thought of it. It would degrade [her] to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how [she] loves him; and that not because he is handsome, Nelly, but because he is more [herself] than [she] is”.

It is for this transcendent love among other things that this relationship as well as the entire book in itself is remembered, throughout the world of English Literature, as one of the greatest love stories of all time. The book broke through the boundaries set by every other writer at the time of its publication. Emily Bronte’s vision of love and marriage is obviously a cynical one to say the very least and this book brings in elements to relationships never before written about in any novel at the time.

Ultimately as a piece of writing this revolutionary and unorthodox in comparison to the typical novels of the period, Wuthering Heights was not accepted by Bronte’s peers at the time of its writing. Nevertheless as the world of English Literature has progressed through the ages, the appreciation for a book such as Wuthering Heights has grown to make it one of the most talked-about novels of all time.

Some topics in this essay:
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