Catherine Earnshaw is a main character in Wuthering Heights. She seems sweet but only causes pain through her impoliteness, being an unkind woman. Due to the fact that she had no respect for the servants or anyone within the household, her own father could not love her. Throughout her childhood, she builds an unusual strong bond with Heathcliff, but as her friendship with Isabella and Edgar Linton grows, she develops into a conceited and arrogant girl. Regardless of her fondness to Heathcliff, she rejects him in fear that marrying him would degrade her. In chapter 8, she is out of control, turning out to be two faced. At home she is rude but at the Linton's she is polite and sweet. One day, Edgar Linton wishes to visit Catherine at her house. Hindley orders the maid, Nelly Dean, to watch the two lovebirds. This ends up angering Catherine. Filled with rage, she pinches and slaps Mrs. Dean. As Edgar attempts to reason with her, she ends up hitting him as well. During the book, she is just worried about herself and her social status.
Catherine believes money and social class should be chosen over love. Catherine recognizes that she cannot marry Heathcliff because that would lower her social stance. Therefore, she decides that she must marry Edgar, not because she is in love with him, but because she feels the need to follow the social norms of the Victorian Era. While Catherine understands that she needs to marry Edgar, she knows that deep down she is truly in love with Heathcliff. Her and Edgar do not share any sort of passion in their relationship the way that Heathcliff’s relationship does. She knows that she will never feel for Edgar the way that she loves Heathcliff because her and Linton are complete opposites while her and Heathcliff are the same.