decision to marry Edgar (Landers 5). Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship does not work out, despite their strong love for one another, because they would be poor and live an unsuccessful life together. Edgar and Catherine’s relationship ends with her death because she was not truly happy, despite their financial stability (“The Romantic Novel, Romanticism, and Wuthering Heights” 3). In the second triangle, Cathy is forced to marry Linton, but eventually marries Hareton after Linton’s death. Cathy and Linton’s relationship can be seen as Victorian because, although Cathy was emotionally invested in the relationship, Linton was not. Their marriage did not succeed due to their lack of a true connection. Feminist writer, Mona Caird, described the perfect marriage as, “…an association that could and ought to be reinvented to promote freedom and equality for both partners” (Caird qtd. in Greenblatt 1582). In this quote, Caird states that marriage should benefit both the husband and wife. Cathy and Hareton’s relationship is considered Victorian because it exemplifies the value of women in marriage. Through Cathy’s tutoring, Hareton is able to become a more civilized person. Their relationship is successful because they both love each other and work together towards the same goal of happiness. In chapter thirty-two, their relationship is defined as beneficial to both parties, “Earnshaw was not to be civilized with a wish; and my young lady was no philosopher, and no paragon of patience; but both their minds tending to the same point—one loving and desiring to esteem, and the other loving and desiring to be esteemed—they contrived in the end to reach it” (Bronte 158). In this quote, the central goal of love in Cathy and Hareton’s relationship is made known. Cathy and Hareton’s relationship depicts the equality in marriages that Victorian feminists were working towards.

In conclusion, Great Britain’s shift from Romantic to Victorian can be seen through the actions and attitudes of both Catherine Earnshaw Linton and Cathy Linton Heathcliff, as well as their marriages. The two exude both Romantic and Victorian attitudes throughout the novel. While Catherine Linton Earnshaw transitions from Romantic to Victorian, Cathy Linton Heathcliff transitions from Victorian to Romantic. Each failed marriage represents the marital values of the Victorian era; however, the final marriage represents a successful marriage in which a woman is valued.