Legal Aspects of Wuthering Heights

            I felt that C P Sanger’s idea about how Heathcliff getting Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights was very confusing, because I believe that he over examined the situation. I don’t believe that Emily Bronte thought of this when she was writing the novel Wuthering Heights, I think she was thinking of something darker and evil that Heathcliff had done to get both these lands, Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. But I still enjoyed C P Sanger’s very accurate and interesting research on the legal aspects of Heathcliff getting the lands and how he inherited. Especially when he used the evidence that there wasn’t the Inheritance Act of 1834, and the Wills Act of 1837 during the time Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights. C P Sanger explains that the Inheritance act was when a family member dies and the belongings go to the son first and than any male who is blood related to that person. According to the inheritance act none of the land goes to the woman. This shows how women were not as important as men and looked upon as a minority. But I don’t agree it is fair and equal to look at women the way they did during those times at Wuthering Heights. C P Sanger says that Isabella couldn’t inherit the land, Thrushcross Grange, left by her brother Edgar Linton, instead her son Linton Heathcliff owned the land because Linton Heathcliff was a male. But he was too young to own the land. This is when I found the article very fascinating and amazing because the only person that can own the land is Heathcliff himself because he is the father of Linton Heathcliff and Heathcliff is old enough to own the land. This showed C P Sanger’s sharp observations and it made me keep my eyes open throughout the whole book for observations that lead to other ideas like this. The way the article showed how Heathcliff could get Thrushcross was very scary and frightening because so far in the book Heathcliff just owns Wuthering Heights through his money, but he hasn’t gotten Thrushcross Grange. I don’t want to think how Heathcliff will run Thrushcross because my senses say that it will be a nightmare and a big dreadful mess. I enjoyed how Sanger explained how Heathcliff got richer than ever before, and this time it was through Edgar’s will. Edgar Linton had saved out of his rents to make a provision for his daughter, Catherine. When Edgar was about to die, he wanted to alter his will to settle his money on Catherine for life and then for her children. I believe that can be true because Edgar didn’t want any of the money to get into Heathcliff’s hands. Heathcliff with more power would causes catastrophe and disaster on both manors. According to Sanger’s observations Edgar wanted an attorney to alter his will, but Edgar dies before his will is altered, so the money passes to Catherine and then to her husband, Linton. Linton was forced to leave it all to Heathcliff, probably because Heathcliff pressured or even threatened Linton. I went crazy when all the money ended up to Heathcliff because now Heathcliff has the ability to control anyone he wants because he has all the power. That really scares me because Heathcliff is a very evil and malicious man. After all, I can tell that Sanger had put a lot of work and analysis on Wuthering Heights to tie up all these loose ends about how Heathcliff got rich and got Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange legally. This article was fun to read and unique because it may be the answer to all Heathcliff’s hidden mysteries!