The complex and furious creation of Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights is a powerful novel that fiercely combines many of the greatest themes in literature, such as love and its intricacies, revenge and the its terrible effects, and the contrasts between nature and society. One of the most prevalent themes in this celebrated work is that of crime and punishment, or sin and retribution. One character in particular, Heathcliff, stands apart as a conduit for both …showed first 75 words of 487 total…

…showed last 75 words of 487 total…to place himself between Cathy and Edgar. It could be supposed that Heathcliff dies a wretched soul, convicted of his crimes and having carried out his sentences. There is a glimmer of hope in his character, however, in light of his final temperament. In the end, the love of Catherine and Hareton – the reconciliation of the families – serves as this flicker of redemption: Heathcliff, instead of conquering by hate, has been ultimately defeated by love.