Obsession

Obsession is the persistent idea dominating a person’s mind. The act of obsession can have both negative and positive outcomes for the person with the obsession and those around them. In Wuthering Heights there are two main obsessions, revenge and love, both of which has negative outcome for the person with the obsession and those around them. The desire for revenge extending throughout the novel had a very destructive nature. The idea of love in the novel also had negative effects, which caused most of the relationships to end in tragedy. Similarly, in the cartoon Garfield, the obsession with food and self-assessment also have negative impacts on the characters. In a recent newspaper article, it accounted frequent obsession with fitness in the busy everyday world. Again, this obsession has a negative outcome. The film, A Knight’s Tale, talks about the life of a common peasant in search of his own identity and his obsession to change the course of his life. This obsession, unlike the others has a positive impact on the characters of the film.

Love is usually a positive emotion enjoyed and cherished by those who are involved. However the portrayal of this theme in Wuthering heights was in form of an obsession, which led to a tragic ending. In the novel, four characters submitted themselves to the obsession of love.

Firstly there was Hindley who is the eldest son of Mr Earnshaw. After the death of his father, Hindley returned home with a wife, Frances, who he is madly in love with. His obsession with her altered him physically and mentally after her death. The death of Frances left Hindley alone with their son Hareton. Unable to cope with the loss of Frances, Hindley became heartbroken and and instead of transferring his love for his wife to his son, he neglected and despise him. Hindley grief for his wife soon also became an obsession. He did so with a violence and wholeheartedness, which led him to seek other outlets for his emotion such as drinking and gambling. His actions due to his obsession were harmful to himself physically and dangerous to those around him, as it can be seen when he tried to throw Hareton over the banister in his state of drunkenness.

Catherine Earnshaw was not only obsessively in love with Heathcliff but was also in love with her self. This obsession caused her to have a false illusion about herself. As the only daughter of Mr Earnshaw, Catherine too was undeniably spoilt. She always wanted to be in the centre of attention and always thought of herself to be higher than everyone else. Her tantrums and high self-esteem cause others around her to keep their distance however she assured herself that ‘no matter how everybody despised each other, they could not avoid loving me.’

The obsessive love triangle between Catherine, Heathcliff and Isabella also caused negative outcomes for the characters. Catherine and Heathcliff were brought together when Mr Earnshaw adopted Heathcliff and made him a member of the family. However, their love developed as Catherine began to feel sympathy towards Heathcliff as a result of Hindley’s cruel treatment towards him. As the characters matured, Catherine and Heathcliff’s passion for each other dominated their lives. It can be seen that neither can live without the other when Catherine said ‘his and mine (soul) are the samel’. However as class and social status divided the couple, other emotions, such as jealousy entered the relationship and the obsession with one another negatively influenced the people around them. As the obsession manifested further, the outcome became devastating, as the couple could not be together, and as death struck Catherine, the negativity of the outcome was intensified. Years after mourning her death, Heathcliff is still madly in love with Catherine. His obsession continued growing and led to distorted behaviour to an extend that he uncovered her coffin just to see her face again and ‘bribed the sexton’ to bury him next to her when he dies. Throughout the novel, Heathcliff’s obsession consumed him slowly, stopping him from moving on.
Another victim of the destructive influence of the obsession is Isabella. Isabella was also obsessive about her love for Heathcliff. Her love however was disillusioned as she was only used as a piece in Heathcliff plan for revenge. Her obsession with him only allowed her to see what she wanted to see in Heathcliff as she ignored all his faults. This was bad for her as she was cheated into a loveless marriage and was brutally abused.

Overall the obsession of love in Wuthering Height had a destructive outcome for the characters. It consumed them and caused them pain, suffering.

Similar to the obsessions of Wuthering heights, the cartoon Garfield also has obsessions that cause negative effects to the characters.

Firstly, the effect of Garfield’s obsession with food can be seen through the appearance of the character. The well known cat is chubby and has the thought of food consistently on his mind. The length Garfield goes through to get the food he wants are very humorous but also has negative effects on the people around him as he is sometimes very annoying. In the cartoon, the obsession with food is emphasised by the repetitions of actions and the exaggerated movements of the character. The obsession is also emphasised by the use of colour. The colours are very bright which indicates the lively and excited emotions of the character. As Garfield’s action and thoughts are similar to those of a human being, the cartoon is comparing him to many people in the world. It suggests that many people in the world are also obsessed with food, and that they are often very desperate and specific and would do anything to get what they want.

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