Cathy was the name of two characters in Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights. One of them is Catherine Earnshaw. She is a female protagonist of the story. The second is Catherine Linton, her daughter.
Detailed answer:
Cathy is the nickname used to refer to two females of Wuthering Heights. The novel was written in 1847 by Emily Brontë. It is considered to be one of the most influential works of English literature. The plot revolves around an intense love story between two protagonists – Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff.
Catherine Earnshaw is the first character that is called Cathy in the novel. She was born and raised at Wuthering Heights. At some point, she falls in love with Heathcliff, who was adopted into her family. They share passionate love. But it was impossible for her to marry someone of low social status. That’s why Catherine marries Edgar Linton.
Catherine dies while giving birth to her daughter who receives the same name. Heathcliff blames her for her mother’s death. Young Cathy becomes manipulated by him to fall in love with his son Linton. She gets engaged and marries him. Despite this revenging scheme, after the death of her husband and Heathcliff’s mental torture, in the end, she finds happiness with Hareton Earnshaw.
Both characters, named Cathy, share similar traits. They are both free-spirited, strong, and hot-tempered. The young Cathy manages to do what her mother could not: become truly happy.
In multiple screen adaptations, two of them were played by famous actresses. Merle Oberon and Juliette Binoche created the most prominent portrayals of Catherine Earnshaw. The latter also played the role of young Cathy in the 1992 film. It became the first adaptation to include the second generation of characters.
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