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This paper aims to propose and examine a conceptual relationship between emotional expressiveness (verbal and non-verbal) and the consistent need to prove one’s worth within an asymmetrical romantic relationship through a comparative textual analysis of the timeless classic love stories of Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby; Heathcliff, Catherine and Linton in Wuthering Heights; and Tess, Angel and Alec d'Urberville in Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Across the select literary texts, this research identifies a recurring pattern in which unequal emotional investment results in an asymmetrical relationship between an emotionally expressive (“loud”) lover and a comparatively emotionally restrained (“passive”) lover. Through comparative close reading of the select classical novels, the study argues that this imbalance often compels the loud lover to seek validation from their partner through continued acts of sacrifice and self-proving, ultimately contributing to tragic relational outcomes such as long-term disappointments, regrets, mental health issues and eventually, the end of relationships. The findings suggest that within these three narratives, greater emotional expressiveness is consistently associated with an intensified need to prove one’s worth in a relationship when emotional reciprocity is absent.
Ms. Sonam. “Emotional Hierarchies in Love Triangles: Loud and Passive Lovers in The Great Gatsby, Wuthering Heights, and Tess of the d’Urbervilles.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 3, June 2026, pp. 427-451. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n3.27.
Open Access · CC BY 4.0 · Crossref DOI ·
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