My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Healthcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.
In this passage from Wuthering Heights, the narrator compares her love for Linton to the changing foliage in the woods, acknowledging that time and seasons will alter her feelings. Her love for Heathcliff, however, is compared to the enduring, unchanging rocks beneath the surface, symbolizing a deep, persistent connection that is less visible but equally vital. This highlights the contrasting nature of her affections, one being transient and the other enduring.
She further reveals that Heathcliff is an inseparable part of her identity, stating that he is always in her mind not as a source of pleasure, but as a fundamental aspect of her existence. This underscores the intense and all-consuming nature of her love for him, emphasizing that his presence is integral to her being, even beyond conscious thought or emotion.
