Second generation redeems first??

[Melissa]

An interesting thought but Catherine was never abused by anyone, if anything it was Edgar who was abused by her (in that she was just crazy and he had to put up with her). Also, Edgar married Catherine because, I think, he truly loved her; whereas Linton only married Cathy because his dad told him to. To be honest I don't think he really even liked Cathy all that much Heathcliff just convinced him he did.

Linton was the victim of a combination of circumstances that he wasn't strong enough to overcome. He was not only weak physically, but mentally too. He was probably coddled by his mother who was so afraid of him turning into Heathcliff that she made him the literal opposite of him. I don't think there was any turn of events where life would have ended happily for Linton.

I also don't think Edgar was really as weak as he might seem on the surface. For me he represented the idealistic past, doing what was proper rather than what he wanted. Of course he wanted to fight everything that happened because of Heathcliff, but in his mind (and probably in the law) Heathcliff had maneuvered himself to be in the right, so what could he do to go against the conventions of the time. He was also part of a different class than Heathcliff and the Earnshaws. The Lintons had been raised as gentry, to have higher moral standards and to not do anything that might be seen to go against convention. Which was also part of the reason he disowned Isabella.

And Cathy didn't really free herself from anything, sure she wasn't totally complaisant but it wasn't like she was trying to find ways to remove herself from the situation either. She just lucked out and Heathcliff died.

Catherine wasn't really isolated from anything either. She chose to get married to Edgar and moved into his home with her Nelly who had been with her since childhood. The only thing that would have made her isolated was when she chose to lock herself in a room for days not eating because she was a spoiled brat who finally got told she couldn't have what she wanted.

That's all I've got for now, maybe I'll think of more later.