Abuse is ?

Ongoing mental, emotional, and physical abuse is some of the hardest things to overcome. Many people including myself have developed a mental illness from abuse. It is never really "Cured" as much as it is managed on a day to day basis. It is very difficult to not blame others for your condition, when it is the by product of abuse that was out of your control. Personal acceptance and responsibility are the first steps in overcoming a mental illness. You have to stop blaming the past and find ways to fix the issues that are present. It is a lack of personal responsibility along with a lack of understanding that the characters in "Wuthering Heights"perpetuate the cycle of abuse. The assumed mental conditions of the characters seem to be as much hereditary as a learned response. An abusive environment will breed abuse. Many times the only way for an abusive or abused person to break that cycle is to leave and begin associations with positive mentors and role models. Once the decision to leave is made and the abusive or abused is surrounded by a positive support system it will take many years of 2 steps forward and 1 step back struggles to find some level of "normalcy". My personal opinion on this time line from my own struggle forward from abuse is that for every year of abuse or negative environment that was lived in it will take 1-2 years to undo the Mental and emotional damage. For example I spent 15 years in abusive situations and I am in my 7th or 8th year of actively working to improve myself in regard to my mental and emotional issues. I still feel that i have 3 to 5 years ahead of me before I am at that "ok" place within myself. The love story of "Wuthering Heights" seems to be one of dysfunctional love. Not the healthiest kind of love by far. However to the "crazies" that are experiencing love it is no less real or intense than that experienced by "normal" people. If anything it feels more real and intense at the time because of the need to be loved by another. This need that stems from the abuse often over rides common sense . I wish i did not speak from first hand experience on this and did not relate to all of the characters in one way or another. Their dysfunctions and abusive environments hit a little to close to home to find any real enjoyment in the story. I do not need to read what I have already lived to appreciate their circumstances. If these characters are based off of Emily Brontes' family, then i truly feel that she lived a trouble life. These illnesses and situations are hard enough to deal with today. We have methods to deal with these things now. In her time it must have been a daily struggle to find peace and understanding. I could rant for pages on this topic I am sure. So I will stop here.