Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights, is a tragic love story depicted by an outsider
and a bystander. The story revolves around the life of two romantic heroes destined never to be
together and the influence of their experiences to those around them. Every novel tells a new
story of a unique family. Gabriel Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude underlines similar
themes as those in Bronte’s novel through the Buendia family and the tragedy occurring to each
one. The tragedy of the family influences the village where they originated from, inflicting pain
as the characters of Wuthering Heights. Although the novels vary in time periods and culture
backgrounds, both depict the influence of generation repetition and the destruction of love.
Wuthering Heights demonstrates the repeating cycle of the second and third generation
of the Earnshaws and Lintons. Through each generation, names are recycled as well as
personalities. Cathy Linton is named after her beloved mother Catherine Earnshaw Linton.
Under the supervision of her father, Edgar Linton, and later of Heathcliff, Cathy displays
different traits of her mother. A main trait shared by both is an uncontrolled temper especially
upon their suitors leading to a proposal. At the beginning Catherine loses control for the first
time around Edgar, throwing a tantrum that urges him to leave. "No . . . not yet, Edgar Linton
– sit down; you shall not leave me in that temper. I should be miserable all night, and I won't
be miserable for you!" (pg. 52). After a constant battle and scaring him away, she begins to beg
for forgiveness and urging him to leave simultaneously. Edgar soon returns to Catherine with
a proposal she is more than glad to accept. Similarly, after a fight about their parents, Cathy
physically pushes her suitor, Linton, without knowing the damage she can cause to his fragile
body. “‘I’m sorry I hurt you, Linton! ...But I couldn’t have been hurt by that little push; and I had
no idea that you could, either – you’re not much, are you, Linton? Don’t let me go home thinking
I’ve done you harm! Answer, speak to me.’… ‘I can’t speak to you, you’ve hurt me so, that I
shall lie awake all night, choking with this cough!’” (pg 176). Although Cathy apologizes, she
also blames him for what has recently occurred.
Never taking responsibility, Heathcliff blames his actions on his past. Due to the
maltreatment from Hindley, Heathcliff’s anger and hunger for revenge increases. As a repeating
cycle, he feels as if it is only right to mistreat Hindley’s son, Hareton, the same way Hindley
mistreated him. Heathcliff is a servant of his new home after his only support, Mr. Earnshaw,
dies. Hindley takes advantage of a vulnerable boy, later to be repeated on his own child. After
the death of Hindley, Heathcliff gains custody of the boy and puts him to work for his own
household to make for survival. “Now, my bonny lad, you are mine! And we’ll see if one
tree won’t grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it!” (pg. 138). Heathcliff
continues the torturous cycle of servitude at Wuthering Heights. After years of experience
without and education or a family, he still wishes the same fate to an innocent child with the only
reason being that he is the son of his abuser.
A recycled fate is introduced throughout One Hundred Years. Like Wuthering Heights,
names and personalities are the same throughout the generations. OHYS is the continuous
resemblance of six generations. In both novels, the names are recycled limiting the expansion
of the family. The eldest of the family, notices the similarities of the men in her family. There
are two traits portrayed, either a quiet solitary young man, or a free spirited man or woman. The
founder of the family and husband to the eldest holds both traits but they are separated within
his sons, leaving his only daughter to make her own. The traits are passed down to the fifth
generation. The cycle is never ending, similar to Wuthering Heights, where time is never finite,
but rather time only moves forward repeatedly. Each generation endures the same tragedies of
finding love to be followed by periods of solitude and soon death.
Both novels portray the never-ending cycle of the generations. The tragic curse of never
obtaining love is present within both, committing the similar mistakes from the past instead of
learning from them.