This article explores the characterization of Edgar Linton in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. It attempts to debunk the negative conclusions about Edgar that have been almost taken for granted in commentary on the novel, arguing that this negativity is based on a partisan view of Brontë's aesthetic, intellectual, and ethical commitment. By vigorously engaging with entrenched ideological assumptions about Edgar, this article traces, through detailed analyses, Edgar's relationship with the two Catherines, revealing the sustained symbolic patterning that establishes Edgar as (at best) an agent of rejuvenative nature and civilized humanity. Furthermore, it is argued that the reinstatement of Edgar as the positive counterpart of Heathcliff clarifies the tragic dichotomy informing the novel's exploration of masculinity, family, and society. This dichotomy, in turn, reflects the tension generated by Brontë's conflicting Romantic sympathies.
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