A Split Between Chaos and Order Henry Adams once said Chaos often breeds life, while order

breeds habit (Gaia Community). In truth Adams was correct. Individuality and pleasure do not prosper in a place ruled by order. Order makes life rigid and vapid; it takes away many of the things that are considered enjoyable. However, some find it impossible to live solely in a world of chaos. They choose to keep a certain amount of order in their lives; unfortunately, trying to maintain a balance between the two can prove to be an arduous jobsometimes completely overwhelming. Such is the case of Catherine Earnshaw from Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights. Catherine is cast in the middle of two men, causing many turbulent relationships to surface. Ultimately, the choice between the two leads Catherine to her death. This contrast between the two men and the difficulty of making her choice highlights the conflict between two major opposing forces: chaos and order. Heathcliff was the main source of chaos in Catherines life. He plays a type of outcast and causes trouble as soon as he enters the novel. Before he entered Catherines life, she led a relatively calm existence. But upon his arrival, many of the relationships around her were scrambled. For example, her father favored Heathcliff instead of Hindleyhis son by birth, and thus Hindley disdained Heathcliff greatly. This aversion turned Hindley sour and became the source of future calamities at Wuthering Heights. Hindleys ill-treatment of him is a key point both in the novel and in the development of the character of Heathcliff, and it is the trigger to everything that goes so wrong in the end (Wuthering Heights: Heathcliffa character analysis). Hindleys bitterness and daunting attitude turns Heathcliff into a Scrooge or Houselike person. This individualistic character serves as a catalyst for much of the later disorder caused by Heathcliff. His goals reflect his ambitions for himself and thus he cares little about the

consequences on those around him. He's not a rough diamond--a pearl-containing oyster of a rustic: he's a fierce, pitiless, wolfish man (Bront 103). This metaphor explains Catherine view of Heathcliff as she explains him to Isabella. She elucidates how he is not the type of man to marry by comparing him to a wolf. Again, this reemphasizes Heathcliffs destructive nature and how he serves as a source of chaos. In contrast to the chaos and disorder caused by Heathcliff, Edgar Linton acts more as a source of order. This makes Edgar a perfect foil for Heathcliff. He plays a more heroic lover opposed to Heathcliffs more gothic hero. His love is not overwhelming or superfluous, yet his love is still very ardent. He is protective of her and would do anything to appease her. Another feature of Edgar's character is his willingness to cater to her [Catherines] every whim (The Character of Edgar Linton). He is also the one who thinks logically and thinks of others before himself making him a Good Samaritan. Thus, unlike Heathcliff, Edgar is the one to take more care of his child. In terms of order, Edgar is the one to give the ultimatum. Will you give up Heathcliff or hereafter, or will you give up me? It is impossible for you to be my friend, and his at the same time; and I absolutely require to know which you choose (Bront 117). His entreaty to settle the dispute, along with Heathcliffs persistence, is what really pushes Catherine over the threshold. The juxtaposition of the two characters really parallels the juxtaposition of chaos and order. Heathcliff, being nearly identical to Cathy, shows that Cathy cannot live without her chaos, yet it is one of the forces that ultimately destroys her. Similarly, she cannot live without Linton because he is her financial support. He is the one that has actually taken care and supported her for the duration of Heathcliffs absence. She also made the commitment to Edgar and she feels obligated to follow itprobably the reason she did not leave Edgar for Heathcliff.

The necessity of both chaos and order in Catherines life shows how it is necessary in almost every life. The chaos that Heathcliff provides is satisfying, but it is also destructive. The order that Linton provides is dull, yet it is constructive. Thus the ideal situation is a chaotic order. Still that is not possible, because it tears apart a person from the insideas it did to Catherine. There is a fine line for the perfect balance. Any small deviation causes the balance to crumble. In essence, chaos and order behave in the classic Harry Potter prophetic way. Chaos cannot survive where order is maintained, and order cannot be maintained where chaos rules. However, both are necessary to continue living. When the balance is broken, people crumble from the inside, usually with no hope of return.

Works Cited Bront, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York, New York. Penguin Classics, 1995. "The Character of Edgar Linton." The Leaving Cert. 10 June 1997. LC English. 26 Mar. 2009 <http://homepage.eircom.net/~splash/Edgar_L.html>. Quotes about Chaos. Gaia Community. 22 March 2009. Gaiam Inc. 22 March 2009. <http://www.gaia.com />. Wuthering Heights: Heathcliff - a character analysis. 12 December 2006. Violent Dreams. 25 March 2009. < http://violentdream.wordpress.com/2006/12/31/wuthering-heightsheathcliff-a-character-analysis/>