Marriage is a central concept in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, serving as a lens through which themes of social class, love, revenge, and inheritance are explored. It's not portrayed romantically, but rather as a transaction or a tool for social advancement and personal gain.

Here's how marriage functions in the novel:

• Social and Economic Mobility:
  • Marriage is a key means of social mobility. Catherine Earnshaw's decision to marry Edgar Linton is driven by her desire for social status and economic security, rather than a genuine love.
  • The Linton family represents refinement and wealth, and marrying Edgar ensures Catherine a life of luxury and elevates her social standing, but also dooms her to unhappiness.
• Inheritance and Property:
  • Marriage impacts the inheritance of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The ownership of these estates shifts through marriages, highlighting how women were seen as property to facilitate these transitions.
  • For example, when Isabella Linton marries Heathcliff, she inadvertently gives him a claim to Thrushcross Grange.
• Love vs. Social Expectation:
  • The novel contrasts Catherine's passionate love for Heathcliff with her socially advantageous marriage to Edgar.
  • Catherine's choice illustrates the conflict between romantic desire and societal expectations, revealing the constraints placed upon women in that era.
• Revenge and Manipulation:
  • Heathcliff uses marriage as a tool for revenge. His marriage to Isabella Linton is purely motivated by his desire to torment Edgar and gain control over Thrushcross Grange.
  • Heathcliff later forces his son, Linton, to marry Catherine Linton (Edgar's daughter) to secure his claim to both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, demonstrating the most brutal use of marriage as a means to an end.
• Consequences of Misguided Unions:
  • The marriages in Wuthering Heights are largely unhappy and destructive. Catherine's marriage to Edgar leads to her inner turmoil and eventual death. Isabella's marriage to Heathcliff results in abuse and misery.
  • These ill-fated unions underscore the dangers of prioritizing social status or revenge over genuine affection and compatibility.

In conclusion, marriage in Wuthering Heights is depicted as a complex social institution with far-reaching consequences. It shapes the characters' destinies, influences the inheritance of property, and exposes the tensions between love, social ambition, and revenge. Brontë uses marriage to critique the social norms of her time, highlighting the limitations and constraints placed upon individuals, particularly women, within the confines of Victorian society.