Of all of Catherine's bad character traits or lack of good ones, there are several that would have made her a very poor parent. Although Catherine does seem to possess the positive qualities of an active mind and, to some extent, loyalty, her spitefulness is quite pronounced and her religious ethics virtually nonexistent. More importantly, however, are Catherine's extreme and often demonic passions, especially when comes to her obsessions (such as Heathcliff and herself). William A. Madden points out that Cathy may have inherited some of this from her mother: "[Nelly] describes the second Catherine as having a capacity for intense attachments 'which reminded me of her mother,' the important difference being that the younger Catherine's love is 'never fierce,' but rather 'deep and tender' (155)." This difference between Catherine and Cathy is significant--possibly the main reason that Cathy ultimately succeeds and finds happiness in her life while her mother does not. However, if Catherine had lived long enough to assist Edgar in raising their daughter, her example to Cathy would likely have taken its toll. Cathy's trait--what Madden called her "capacity for intense attachments"--has the potential to become the similar but more wild and ferocious trait of her mother's, and likely would have if Cathy had been exposed to it. Because Catherine passes away so quickly after her daughter's birth, however, Cathy never has the chance to pick up this vice, and therefore escapes much of the drama and heartache that the vice caused Catherine.
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