Catherine Earnshaw, who later becomes Catherine Linton, is the main character of the 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Brontë. She is one of two children who survived to adulthood, born to Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, the first people to live in the Wuthering Heights estate. The troubled relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff is a major part of the story. Catherine is often called "Cathy" by Heathcliff.

Biography

Cathy Earnshaw is the younger sister of Hindley Earnshaw. Cathy and Hindley are born and raised at Wuthering Heights. Later, their family adopts a child found in Liverpool by Mr. Earnshaw, who names him Heathcliff after a son he and Mrs. Earnshaw lost during childbirth. Heathcliff and Hindley become rivals, while Cathy and Heathcliff form a close friendship because they both enjoy being outdoors and are not easily controlled. After Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley treats Heathcliff as a servant and, with the help of his wife, tries to keep Cathy and Heathcliff from spending time together.

Despite this, Cathy and Heathcliff still find ways to be together. While spying on the Linton family’s home, Thrushcross Grange, Cathy is bitten by one of the Lintons’ dogs. The Lintons care for Cathy and heal her wounds, but Heathcliff is forced to leave and return to Wuthering Heights. After living with the Lintons, Cathy becomes more polite and makes friends with Edgar and Isabella Linton. She becomes spoiled and often treats her servant and foster sister, Nelly, poorly.

Edgar Linton begins to court Cathy, and Heathcliff watches with jealousy. Cathy’s most famous moment in the story happens when she tells Nelly Dean, the housekeeper and main storyteller, how she feels about Heathcliff and Edgar:

Unaware that Heathcliff is listening, Cathy only shares part of her speech. Thinking Cathy will never marry him, Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights for three years, a period not explained in the book. During his absence, Cathy marries Edgar Linton and moves to Thrushcross Grange, where she lives comfortably with all her wishes met.

When Heathcliff returns, he visits Thrushcross Grange, exciting Cathy and frightening Edgar. Over time, Heathcliff seeks revenge by marrying Isabella Linton to gain control of the estate. Cathy becomes mentally unstable, partly pretending to upset her husband and hurt Heathcliff’s feelings after being separated from him. She stops eating, avoids leaving her room, and experiences many strange beliefs and claims of madness. It is later discovered that she is pregnant. She never fully recovers from this illness and remains weak for the rest of her life.

— Cathy Earnshaw, during a moment of confusion (while Heathcliff is not present), in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

Cathy and Heathcliff meet one last time, with Nelly’s help, after Edgar banishes Heathcliff from the Grange. They express their deep emotions: Cathy accuses Heathcliff of causing her suffering, and Heathcliff says he cannot live if "his soul is in the grave." When Edgar unexpectedly enters the room, Cathy collapses in shock and faints. She dies hours later, giving birth to a daughter also named Catherine (called Cathy in the story). The next generation of characters becomes the focus of the story’s second half.

Cathy’s spirit remains a powerful presence throughout the novel. Her ghost haunts Heathcliff until his mysterious death. A famous scene shows Lockwood, the story’s first narrator, visited by Cathy’s ghost as a young girl wandering the moors. In this vision, she tries to enter his house through a window. At the end of the story, Heathcliff is found dead near an open window, symbolizing Cathy’s lasting influence and her reunion with Heathcliff in death. This moment also raises questions about the nature of their connection.

After Heathcliff dies, he is buried next to Cathy, uniting them in death.

Description

Cathy is described as pretty, with, as Nelly says, "the most beautiful eye" and "the sweetest smile." She has long, beautiful brown hair, as Heathcliff describes it.

Cathy is willful, wild, passionate, mischievous, and, as a child, spoiled by others. During Cathy's fatal illness, Nelly notes that Catherine is very frail, with "pale lips," an image that adds to the dark and dramatic feel of her final days. However, Nelly describes her in death as divine, saying, "no angel in heaven looked as beautiful as her," and her face looked peaceful and calm.

In modern society and popular culture

Cathy speaks many lines that are closely linked to the story, including her famous statement about loving Heathcliff. One well-known line, "Let me in your window – I'm so cold!", was later used in Kate Bush's 1978 song "Wuthering Heights." Several movies based on the novel have been made, including the 1939 version with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. This film shows only part of the story, ending with Catherine's death instead of showing the lives of the younger characters, Cathy, Hareton, and Linton Heathcliff. The choices made by Catherine, especially her decision to marry Edgar instead of Heathcliff, are important in exploring themes such as nature versus nurture, personal desires versus societal expectations, class differences, and violence. These themes also include the contrast between good and evil, and between physical life and spiritual life, which are found throughout the novel.