The novel Wuthering Heights may not have been the easiest novel for
me to get through, but it did succeed in changing my perception of romance and
relationships and I am glad that I could obtain something substantial from the
story. It ultimately taught me that there is no singular way to love someone
and that no two couple is exactly the same. While Heathcliff and Catherine's
relationship is not particularly appealing to me, they did undoubtedly love one
another and in their own warped way, they made each other happy. I think today,
couples are more focused on their appearance to society and how happy they seem
to make each other which overshadows their true feelings, leading to an
increase in divorce. If Heathcliff and Catherine did end up together, I certainly
do not think that they would ever be parted. The divorce rate in America is at
an all time high at around 40%-50% and I think this figure certainly supports
the idea that couples are getting married without realizing the sacrifice they
are making.
Being a seventeen year-old high school student, I am by no means insinuating
that I understand the hardships of marriage, but I feel that this divorce rate
predicts a sad future for the United States. Heathcliff and Catherine may not
have had the ideal romance but at least they were committed to each other, even
after death. I think that this kind of love is rare and should be appreciated
for its dedication. It does not matter how grotesque or unappealing a
relationship appears to the outside world, if two people find a way to hold on
to their love then they have every right to pursue it. The controversial topic
of gay marriage has been in the news a lot recently and it's upsetting to me
that we can live in a society that does not appreciate all forms of love; a
society that would allow a straight man or woman divorce and remarry five times
but not two homosexuals consecrate their love once. The government should not
have the right to dictate whose love is legal or legitimate. Love is love,
whether it is between Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Ophelia, Jayne Eyre and
Rochester, or Heathcliff and Catherine. Humans have no right to judge the
happiness of others if it does not inflict pain on anyone else.
