Catherine Earnshaw, a major character in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, faced a conflict between living for false ideals and pursuing the practical ends of a true, loving relationship. The betrayal of her true feelings for Heathcliff caused suffering and destruction among many other characters. Such betrayal led firstly to her self-inflicted death. After her marriage to Edgar, Cathy felt trapped; the environment at Thrushcross Grange was much too confined for her adventurous nature (which Heathcliff also possessed). Once Heathcliff returns, she realized her awful mistake and felt her only way out was suicide. Secondly, Heathcliff's evil plot of revenge resulted in the pain and suffering of others. The only reason Heathcliff existed was to destroy others by inflicting his power upon them. Hareton had a deprived childhood. The sole purpose in Heathcliff's life, after Cathy's death was to destroy Cathy Jr. and Hareton's future. Throughout Linton's stay at Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff made Linton so weak, he could not survive in his harsh environment; as a result, Linton died far too early. Lastly, Cathy's betrayal causes Heathcliff's suffering and eventual death. As Cathy Jr. and Hareton show ultimate strength from within, their happiness was too much for Heathcliff to cope with. After Heathcliff comprehended his own failure, he began to neglect his health and brought on his own death. The false ideal Cathy Sr. had was to marry an individual who was handsome and rich. Cathy's conflict was central to the theme that betrayal of your soul and thoughts lead to the destruction of others as well as yourself. This betrayal ended in her own self-destruction, and that of those she loved.

Firstly, Cathy's betrayal of her true feelings led to her eventual destruction. When asked about her feelings for Edgar, the reader observed that they were void and repetitive. "You love Mr. Edgar, because he is handsome, and young, and cheerful, and rich, and loves you." This ideal was a false one, and caused Cathy to abandon her ultimate feelings of love for Mr. Heathcliff. The unwise choice Cathy made ultimately led to her unhappiness with Edgar. Being trapped at Thrushcross Grange brought out frustration and anger upon Cathy, for she was used to the freedom of wandering the moors with Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights. This feeling was reinforced when Heathcliff came back to visit Cathy. His return caused a personal conflict between Cathy and Edgar. Knowing full well that Cathy was excited about Heathcliff's return, Edgar became extremely jealous, angry and rude; "What, the gypsy - the plough-boy?" Catherine's first declaration of disloyalty was shown when, being of lower orders, she offered to set one table for Edgar and Isabella, and the other for herself and Heathcliff. At that point, Cathy began to realize she had pursued a false ideal. The conflicting environments and social class distinctions represented the beginning of her inner struggle. "I will try to break their hearts by breaking my own." Another cause for Cathy's anger involved Isabella's feelings for Heathcliff. Cathy continually warned Isabella that Heathcliff was an uncaring, brutal and ferocious man. In Cathy's eyes, this was the only way she was able to excuse herself for her awful mistake of marrying Edgar using false ideals. Isabella's words, "I love him more than ever you loved Edgar; and he might love me if you would let him," penetrated into Cathy's soul. Cathy now knew her feelings of love for Edgar were false. Since she could no longer have Heathcliff's love, Cathy realized it would destroy her for Isabella to be with him. Finally, Cathy's selfishness had begun, "If I were only sure it would kill him, I'd kill myself directly!" Vengeance and anger now filled Cathy's soul, as she wanted Edgar to suffer, and would go to any means to do it. She lay awake at night, refrained from eating and worsened her condition only to punish others for her mistakes. Since these recent acts were carried out as a revenge plan for Edgar, Cathy grew even more enraged when she found Nelly had not told Edgar of her condition. This irrational conduct was a direct result of her pursuit of false ideals. These examples make it obvious that Cathy's death was self-inflicted. Her false ideals stood in the way of her dreams, and in the end she defeated herself. "You teach me how cruel you've been -- cruel and false. Why did you despise me? Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort. You deserve this. You have killed yourself."

Heathcliff's anger from Cathy's betrayal led to the destruction and suffering of others. After Cathy Sr.'s death, Heathcliff's only objective in life was to destroy others with his power and manipulation. For Heathcliff, those around him served only as a tool to get the things he wanted. Heathcliff took pride and pleasure in controlling Hareton. He denied Hareton an education, resulting in his unsociable and withdrawn manner. Heathcliff had reproduced the pattern of control Hindley had inflicted on him; because Hareton is bright, and loves Heathcliff, his revenge was even more powerful since he had stunted the growth of a smart boy. Hareton began to acquire some of Heathcliff's brutal characteristics; one afternoon, he hung a litter of puppies on the back of a chair. The childhood of Cathy's nephew was destroyed as a result of Heathcliff's plan of revenge. The lives around Heathcliff were bound to suffer because Cathy's pursuit of false ideals destroyed him. Catherine's pursuit of false ideals destroyed Heathcliff, and in turn, the lives of those around him were bound to suffer. Secondly, Heathcliff's harsh environment destroyed Linton. Heathcliff took revenge on Edgar by marrying Isabella. Together, they had a child and in Heathcliff's "care", this child became very weak. Upon his arrival, Linton instantly could not survive under the harsh conditions at Wuthering Heights. After having lost his Mother, Linton became very ill; a boy his age cannot proceed without special attention from those who love him. Heathcliff made the worst of the situation, by refusing to "spend a farthing on him". After several weeks, Linton had spent so much time in bed that the reader was under the impression that he was afraid to come out of his protected room into the brutal surroundings of Wuthering Heights. "...and I never knew such a faint hearted creature." Cathy's betrayal turned Heathcliff into an uncaring beast, which led eventually to Linton's suffering and early death. Lastly, Heathcliff used the power of manipulation to get what he wanted. When Edgar was deathly ill, he kidnapped Nelly and Cathy Jr. and locked them up in Wuthering Heights. He presented the ultimatum that she marry Linton in the early morning or she would be locked up until Edgar is dead. This presented the enormous threat of Edgar dying alone, and brought out Cathy Jr.'s true feelings of hatred and bitterness toward Heathcliff. She fought Heathcliff's power and would suffer any consequence to reach her Father, before he died. When Cathy and Linton are married, Heathcliff did not care for Linton, he cared only for Cathy Jr.'s suffering. Heathcliff's drive for power and manipulation transformed him to "...a lying fiend! A monster and not a human being!", and was the direct result of Cathy Sr.'s betrayal of her true feelings of love for him. Had she followed her heart, and married Heathcliff, others would not have suffered so greatly.

The misery of Catherine's betrayal ended finally with Heathcliff's suffering and self-inflicted death. Cathy Jr. was the only character accountable for the destruction of Heathcliff's plan. She stopped him before he could ruin anyone else's lives. "Mr. Heathcliff, you have nobody to love you; and , however miserable you make us, we shall still have the revenge of thinking that your cruelty arises from your greater misery! ... Lonely, like the devil, and envious like him? Nobody loves you - nobody will cry for you when you die! I wouldn't be you!" At this moment, Cathy sees Heathcliff and Linton clearly, and courageously set up tactics to defeat them. From this point on, Cathy Jr. became the strongest character of Wuthering Heights, and was able to set apart the evil characters from the rest. Hareton and herself finally had a chance to make up for the misery Heathcliff caused them both. Cathy's strength demeans Heathcliff, and from this point on in the novel, Heathcliff became disinclined to society. Had Cathy Sr. followed her heart from the beginning, Heathcliff would never have suffered so greatly. Another cause of Heathcliff's deterioration was the happiness that Hareton and Cathy found within each other. Together, they noticed that the environment at Wuthering Heights was very cold and unhappy. The current bushes that had been planted for decades were removed by Cathy and Hareton and replaced with their own "happy" plants. Heathcliff despised the two, only because they had each other. When Cathy admits her friendship with Hareton to Heathcliff, "...when you have taken all my land...and my money...And Hareton's land, and his money...Hareton and I are friends now; and I shall tell him all about you!" he knew he had lost the battle. Cathy Jr. was not a naive character. Had she not stood up for what she wanted in life, she would have destroyed the following generation, as Cathy Sr. had. Heathcliff could no longer make Cathy and Hareton miserable, so there was no reason for him to live. Heathcliff's destruction would not have been an issue, had Cathy Sr. not chosen to follow her false ideals. The last segment of Heathcliff's destruction is his ultimate suffering within. Once Cathy stood up to Heathcliff, he ordered her not to ever make eye contact with him again, for her eyes were, "precisely similar and they are those of Cathy Earnshaw." To see Cathy Jr.'s eyes reminded him only of the past. Heathcliff was soon within site of his heaven, for he communicated frequently to the other world, he had to remind himself to breathe, he lived outside and refrained from eating - a similar pre-death pattern Cathy Sr. had followed. By this point, Heathcliff looked like a goblin and the whole world became "...a dreadful collection of memoranda that she did not exist, and that I have lost her." One night the rain finally washed away the life from Heathcliff, where now he lived in another world with his true love. Heathcliff sought revenge on those he should love, resulting in constant associations he made between Cathy Jr. and Cathy Sr.'s characteristics. If Cathy Jr. had not stood up for her and Hareton's life, Heathcliff would have conquered all. If Cathy Sr. followed her heart from the beginning, Heathcliff would not have been so hurt and ravaged his whole life; he may have even prospered.

Catherine Earnshaw's conflicts between living for false ideals and pursuing the practical ends of a true loving relationship are central to the theme in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The betrayal of her soul and thoughts led to the destruction and even death of many innocent characters. Cathy's unfaithfulness to her true feelings of love for Heathcliff resulted in her self-induced death, Heathcliff's plot of revenge and ultimately Heathcliff's wasted life. Through Heathcliff's return, her jealousy toward Isabella, and her own selfishness, Cathy was physically and emotionally destroyed. Secondly, everyone was a tool to get the things Heathcliff wanted. Hareton's childhood was destroyed, Linton was so weak and Heathcliff's manipulation resulted in Cathy Jr.'s hatred and bitterness toward him. Lastly, because Cathy Jr. was able to stand up to Heathcliff, he was no longer able to face her again. At last, Hareton and Cathy Jr. were able to fully enjoy a life together. When you deceive your soul, the consequences are not short-term. When Cathy said: "I will try to break their hearts by breaking my own", she didn't comprehend the outcome would be so fatal and unjust.