Wuthering Heights

Author
Emily Brontë
Year Published
1847
Type
Novel
Genre
Romance
Perspective and Narrator
There are two central narrators in Wuthering Heights. One is framed, or nested, inside the other. Mr.
Lockwood initially narrates the novel, and Mrs. Dean relates a large portion of the story to him within
Lockwood's narration. Both narrators use a first-person point of view.
Tense
Wuthering Heights is told in past tense.
About the Title
Wuthering Heights is the name of the Yorkshire estate on which much of the novel's action takes
place. Wuthering is an adjective that refers to turbulent weather created by strong winds that accompany
storms. Wuthering Heights signifies the symbolic winds that batter and twist characters in the novel as they vie
to maintain their privilege, wealth, and ancient family estates, or endure suffering at the hands of other
characters.
                     

Context
The Victorian Era
The Victorian era began with Queen Victoria's coronation in 1837 when Emily Brontë was 15 years old.
Those who lived in the Victorian age had a strong sense of social responsibility toward the poor and lower
classes, and artists and innovative thinkers often believed it was their duty to be a good example, which in
some ways caused the Victorian age to later be described as "prudish," "repressed," and "old-fashioned." Since
the period lasted until 1901, many innovations and historical changes took place philosophically and politically
throughout. For example, workers' unions bloomed, and later in the period, Darwinism and Freud's theories
revolutionized beliefs about the individual. Emily Brontë, however, came of age in the earlier part of the
Victorian era. Although institutional Christianity was beginning to be called into question on a large scale,
mass society still abided by religious sentiments and strict social codes. Women were expected to obey their
husbands; respectability and sexual propriety were the goals, and anyone who did not follow the implicit rules
was criticized or ostracized. The oppressive morality of the time affected Emily Brontë's upbringing, and it
caused Wuthering Heights to be initially received unfavorably by critics and the public, for defying the
expectations of the time.

Social Class
There was increasing tension among social classes in England during Brontë's lifetime. The Industrial
Revolution, which began in the 1770s, was in full swing, and the middle class was growing. However, an
upper class of nonworking landowners living off inherited or invested money, such as the fictional Earnshaws
or Lintons, still thrived, and subscribed to a strict division between classes. Servants were considered
underlings, there to do the bidding of their masters, and they were expected to know their place and stay there.
Nor was earning one's money a guarantee of attaining higher social status. Land and property were generally
inherited from one generation to the next. The upper classes preferred to marry within their ranks to ensure the
"purity" of their social class. Marrying up or down the social ladder, as Isabella Linton does with the lower-
class Heathcliff, could lead to scandal and even exile. When Heathcliff pursues his vendetta against the
Lintons and the Earnshaws by acquiring their estates, he deprives the families of properties they held for
generations.

Gypsies
Heathcliff is looked upon as an inferior outsider by many characters in the novel due to his dark hair and eyes,
a sign of his supposed Gypsy origins. This is typical of romanticized notions about Gypsies during the
Victorian period. The Gypsies, or Roma, had arrived in England from India around the early 16th century.
They were nomadic traders, entertainers, or seasonal workers who traveled in caravans and, with the
development of England's roads, were often seen in cities and towns throughout England. They were viewed
with fascination both because they were seen as foreigners and because their nomadic lifestyle was so far
outside of typical Victorian social norms. However, Brontë leaves Heathcliff's true ethnic origin unknown.
Heathcliff is not necessarily a gypsy; he is only labeled as such by the other characters, which is more a
testament to the general dislike and stereotyping of Gypsies, and how anyone not British might be called a
Gypsy.

Consumption
Life expectancy in Victorian England was around 40 years, based on location, profession, and social class.
Consumption, another name for tuberculosis, was prevalent throughout the 1800s, killing one in five people.
The symptoms included fevers, a hoarse throat, coughing blood, and chest pains. The disease often lingered for
years as the patient wasted away, which explains Heathcliff's horrified reaction to Cathy's appearance before
her death. Pregnancy was believed to worsen consumption, but women with the disease were still expected to
maintain domestic life and produce heirs. In the early 1800s, before the disease was known to be infectious,
there was a romantic perception that consumption elevated the soul and cultivated artistic sensibilities.

The Role of Women

The laws of ownership and inheritance of land for women at the time depicted in the novel and during Brontë's
life are accurately portrayed in Wuthering Heights. Upon marriage, the control of any property or other
financial assets belonged by law to a woman's husband. Divorce was virtually unheard of, and women were
often placed in a position of dependency on their husbands for life.
In addition, women were expected to downplay their sexuality, being chaste before marriage, then wholesome
and maternal once they married. However Cathy acts with authority and control over Heathcliff, and although
there are no sex scenes between Cathy and Heathcliff in the novel, their fiery, passionate exchanges, especially
when Cathy is married to another man, would have been enough to scandalize Victorian readers.

Literary Context
Wuthering Heights was a unique novel for its time and still resists attempts to fit it neatly into a specific
literary genre. Instead the novel is its own creature, a hybrid that combines various genres, including
romanticism, gothic literature, and realism.
Gothic literature aims to fascinate and terrify readers. It generally includes grotesque or monstrous characters,
violent or otherwise disturbing events, eerie, elaborate settings (such as crumbling castles or dark, twisted
forests), supernatural beings such as ghosts and demons, and disturbing imagery such as dripping daggers or
broken mirrors. Characters in gothic literature frequently transgress traditional social boundaries or categories,
such as the living and the dead (Frankenstein), animal and human, or traditional male and female
roles. Wuthering Heights with its violent characters and events, and stormy moors, displays many of the
qualities of the genre.
Romanticism, which was predominant in a wide variety of artistic forms, emphasized the power of imagination
and emotion over the rational and scientific and the freedom of individual self-expression, which might come
in conflict with society. Antihero protagonists, like Heathcliff, were common, functioning as a means for
rebellion against the calm, harmony, and balance associated with classicism. The literary movement lasted into
the mid-19th century and led to the construction of Gothic architecture in cities and a Gothic revival in general.
The genius, sublime qualities of nature, and supernatural were lauded in Romanticism. Wordsworth's "The
spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" was the motto. The spirit of Wuthering Heights with its powerful
and evocative natural imagery and fanciful and sometimes irrational leanings embodies the genre.
Characters and events in Wuthering Heights are typical of gothic and romantic literature, but the novel also
falls in the genre of realism. Its focus on the manipulation of property and marriage, the death of numerous
characters from consumption, the prejudice against Heathcliff, and the struggle of Cathy and Heathcliff against
the strictures of class and society are rooted in painful realities of the Victorian era.
In Wuthering Heights Brontë manipulates conventional story elements and explores established ideas about
heroes and villains. By shifting characters' roles throughout the novel and employing two narrators, she, at
times, misleads readers and thwarts their expectations. It is helpful to be familiar with a few basic hero
conventions when reading Wuthering  Heights.
 Conventional hero: Displays characteristics of goodness and virtue, such as bravery, courage,
honesty, and integrity
 Antihero: A protagonist lacking in heroic qualities; typically possesses both qualities of good and
evil, and is often the second most important character
 Gothic villain-hero/villain-hero/Satanic-hero: All evil-type villainous main characters whose
ill-devised schemes and justifications make them more interesting than a conventional hero
 Villain: Acts as the antagonist of the main character; typically embodies evil or negative forces
 Romantic hero: Possesses boundless energy and desire to force the world to bend to their
individualism.

Characters
Character Description

Heathcliff, who later becomes obsessed with Cathy and revenge, is a brooding child
Heathcliff
adopted into the Earnshaw family. Read More

Cathy Earnshaw is a passionate, headstrong young woman, torn between her need
Cathy
for social status and her love for Heathcliff. Read More

Catherine, the daughter of Cathy and Edgar Linton, evolves past her mother's
Catherine
stubbornness to become a well-rounded romantic heroine. Read More

Mrs. Dean Ellen Dean, a servant who has spent most of her life working for the Earnshaws, is
the primary narrator, who tells the history of Heathcliff, Cathy, Catherine, and
 Hareton to Mr. Lockwood while he is convalescing from an illness. Read More

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Linton, who becomes Cathy Earnshaw's husband and the
Edgar
father of their daughter, Catherine. Read More

Hareton, the son of Hindley and Frances Earnshaw, evolves past a lifetime of abuse
Hareton
and neglect to become a romantic hero. Read More

Hindley is the eldest Earnshaw child, Cathy's brother, who is jealous of his father's
Hindley affection toward Heathcliff. He turns into an alcoholic gambler. He is the father of
Hareton by marriage to Frances Earnshaw. Read More

Frances Earnshaw, Hindley's wife, has a bubbly and optimistic personality. When
Frances
she dies from consumption, Hindley never emotionally recovers. They have a son
Earnshaw
together, Hareton.

Mr. Mr. Earnshaw is the family patriarch, who wreaks havoc on his progeny by bringing
Earnshaw Heathcliff into the family. He is Cathy and Hindley's father.

Mrs. Mrs. Earnshaw, Cathy and Hindley's mother, dislikes Heathcliff and ignores
Earnshaw Hindley's abuse of him.

Mr. Green is Edgar's lawyer, who takes a bribe from Heathcliff and doesn't make it
Mr. Green to Edgar's bedside in time to fix the will and protect Catherine from Heathcliff's plan
to own Thrushcross Grange.

Edgar Linton's sister, Isabella falls in love with Heathcliff, who does not return her
Isabella love but uses her to exact revenge on the Linton family. She and Heathcliff have a
son, Linton.

Joseph is a cruel and angry Wuthering Heights servant, who stirs up trouble and
Joseph
mean-spiritedness by moralizing and judging.

Kenneth Kenneth is the family doctor of both the Earnshaw and Linton households.

Linton Linton inherits weakness and cruelty, the worse characteristics of both of his parents,
 Isabella and Heathcliff. He dies a terrible death at a young age.

Mr. Linton is Edgar and Isabella's father. He hates Heathcliff, accuses him of being a
Mr. Linton
thief, and refuses to acknowledge his acceptance into the Earnshaw family.

Mrs. Linton is Edgar and Isabella's mother. Like Mr. Linton, she rejects Heathcliff
Mrs. Linton
and refuses to acknowledge his acceptance into the Earnshaw family.

Mr. Mr. Lockwood is one of the novel's two narrators. He comes from the city and rents
Lockwood Thrushcross Grange from Heathcliff.

Michael is a servant in the stables at Thrushcross Grange. He helps Catherine sneak

Michael
out to see Linton when she is a teenager.

Zillah is a servant at Wuthering Heights. She knows Hareton and Catherine since
Zillah they were children, and she works for them and against them at different times
throughout the novel.

Character Analysis
Heathcliff
The antihero of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff's story begins when Mr. Earnshaw returns from a trip to
Liverpool and introduces the homeless boy he found on the street to his children, Hindley and Cathy. Mr.
Earnshaw names the boy Heathcliff after a son who died, and he favors the orphan over his own son, Hindley,
who comes to loathe Heathcliff, while Heathcliff and Cathy become inseparable. When old Mr. Earnshaw dies,
Hindley, now master of Wuthering Heights, forces Heathcliff to become a servant, enduring humiliation,
physical violence, and degradation. Heathcliff and Cathy are in love, but when Cathy chooses to marry Edgar
Linton, a wealthy neighbor, Heathcliff runs away, only to return three years later as a handsome, wealthy
gentleman. However, while he appears more gentrified on the surface, Heathcliff is secretly plotting revenge
on the Earnshaw and Linton families. When Cathy dies in childbirth, all that Heathcliff seems to have left is
his thirst for revenge, an obsession that shapes his character throughout much of the rest of the novel. Treated
cruelly by Hindley then devastated by Cathy's death, Heathcliff becomes a master of cruelty himself, treating
others as pawns in his game of vengeance and creating pain and terror wherever he goes. When Heathcliff
recognizes the growing love between Hareton and Catherine, his resolution to exact his revenge finally falters.
Hopelessly haunted by his love for Cathy, he gives up his final plan for revenge and embraces death in order to
reunite with her.

Cathy
Heathcliff's best childhood friend and true love, Cathy is also often peevish and selfish. She goes mad from
events that result from her decision to go against her heart and soul and choose Edgar Linton over Heathcliff.
She dies very young while giving birth to her only daughter, Catherine, and her memory and ghost haunt
Heathcliff for the rest of his life, as he seeks revenge for all the wrongs inflicted upon him in their childhood.

Catherine
Catherine is a kind, sweet, even-tempered child and young woman, unlike her mother, Cathy. She lives a
sheltered childhood with her father, Edgar, at Thrushcross Grange. However, when she meets her cousin
Hareton, she despises him for being an uneducated servant. She falls in love instead with her sickly, bookish
cousin, Linton, who betrays her when his father, Heathcliff, threatens him. Linton and Catherine marry, and
Catherine is forced to care for him as Linton dies soon after. With her inheritance stolen from her by
Heathcliff, Catherine remains at Wuthering Heights until intense loneliness causes her to seek her cousin
Hareton's companionship. While teaching him to read and write, the two cousins fall in love. Upon Heathcliff's
death, rightful ownership of Wuthering Heights and Thruschcross Grange are restored to Hareton and
Catherine.

Mrs. Dean
Mrs. Dean is the main narrator of Wuthering Heights as she tells the long, involved history of Heathcliff to Mr.
Lockwood. Mrs. Dean grows up with Cathy, Hindley, and Heathcliff, as a foster-sister and servant. Her foster-
sister status dissolves and changes solely to the role of servant, but she remains a caring, important, confidant
to Cathy throughout her marriage to Edgar, and she helps raise Hareton and, later, Catherine from birth. More
than just a servant, she plays the role of mother, protector, judge, and conscience to all the major characters in
the novel.

Edgar
Edgar is a snobbish boy who grows up to be a kind-spirited gentleman as an adult and, later, master of
Thrushcross Grange. He marries Cathy and remains devoted to her. However, due to a physical fight with
Heathcliff after a fit of jealousy, he aids in Cathy's demise. Fearful of Heathcliff after Cathy's death, Edgar
seeks to protect his daughter, Catherine, from their cruel neighbor's attempts to exact revenge and take
ownership of Thrushcross Grange. Edgar fails to do so, and he dies unable to prevent Heathcliff from carrying
out his plan for revenge.

Hareton
Hareton's mother dies at birth, and his father is eaten alive by grief. As a result, Hareton falls into Heathcliff's
clutches and is unknowingly turned against his father and all the trappings of upper class society. He lives a
simple life, completely unaware he is brutish and should have been raised as a gentleman. Meeting Catherine
arouses a desire to be such a man, but her mockery of his attempts at self-improvement drive him further away
from the norms of society and educational pursuits. He gives up and acts as if he despises Catherine. When
fate, or Heathcliff's revenge, forces him and Catherine to live at Wuthering Heights together, Hareton gives in
when she asks to reconcile with him. The girl he has always loved and admired teaches him to read and write,
and they fall in love. When Heathcliff dies, Wuthering Heights is restored to Hareton, its rightful owner.

Hindley
Hindley is the true villain of Wuthering Heights. His jealousy and malice drive him to physical violence and
degradation of Heathcliff, which spawns Heathcliff and Cathy's thwarted love and spurs Heathcliff's
destructive plans for revenge. Hindley aids in his self-destruction by renouncing God when his wife dies and
becoming a careless alcoholic and abusive father. He loses Wuthering Heights, his son Hareton's love, and his
son's inheritance to Heathcliff.

Plot Summary

Summary
In 1801 a gentleman from the city, Mr. Lockwood, rents Thrushcross Grange, an estate located deep in the
wild English countryside of Yorkshire. He sets out to meet his landlord, Heathcliff, who lives at Wuthering
Heights, an estate across the moors. Intrigued by the odd behavior of the residents at Wuthering Heights, who
appear to have no respect for social customs, Mr. Lockwood returns the next day, arriving as it begins to snow.
The weather forces Mr. Lockwood to spend the night there in a bedroom, which turns out to be haunted by a
ghost named Cathy. Mr. Lockwood's screams bring Heathcliff into the room. Strangely, Heathcliff cries out
for Cathy's ghost to come inside.
The next morning Mr. Lockwood makes his way through the snow back to Thrushcross Grange. Struck with
an illness requiring him to stay in bed, Mr. Lockwood draws Mrs. Dean, a servant, into telling Heathcliff's life
story. Having served at Wuthering Heights since childhood, Mrs. Dean eagerly launches into the tale,
beginning when Heathcliff is first brought home by Mr. Earnshaw from a trip to Liverpool. Mr. Earnshaw has
found the homeless orphan boy on the street there, taken him to Wuthering Heights, and named him Heathcliff
after his son who died. In Mrs. Dean's narration, Mr. Earnshaw's wife and children, Cathy and Hindley,
despise Heathcliff immediately for being a dark-haired "gipsy" with an ill-natured temperament.
Mr. Earnshaw's favoritism toward Heathcliff drives Hindley to violence and hatred, but Cathy and Heathcliff
become friends, running wild on the moors and playing and studying together. Hindley is sent to college but
returns with a wife when his father dies. As new master of Wuthering Heights he uses his power to turn
Heathcliff into a servant, but Cathy shares her studies with Heathcliff, and they continue to play together on
the moors.

One night Cathy and Heathcliff sneak over to Thrushcross Grange to spy on the wealthy, blond and blue-eyed
Linton children, Isabella and Edgar, curious to see how they live. A dog bites Cathy, and the children are
caught. The Lintons take Cathy in but send Heathcliff home, rejecting him because of his lower class status
and "gipsy" background. When Cathy returns five weeks later, she has transformed into an upper-class woman,
with proper manners and elegant clothes. She and Heathcliff become distant as Cathy and Edgar grow closer.
Cathy accepts Edgar's marriage proposal even though she confesses her deep love for Heathcliff to Mrs. Dean.
Heathcliff overhears only part of their conversation and runs away in humiliation. Cathy is distraught over his
disappearance. Three years later, right after Cathy marries Edgar Linton, Heathcliff returns. He has
transformed into a wealthy, attractive man with the manners and appearance of a gentleman.
Heathcliff has returned to wreak revenge for all the wrongs done to him in childhood. Hindley's wife has died,
leaving him to raise their child, Hareton. Hindley has cursed God and become an abusive alcoholic. Through
gambling with Hindley, Heathcliff takes control of Wuthering Heights and manipulates Hareton to love him
more than his own father.
Heathcliff visits Cathy at Thrushcross Grange, and they become close friends again, confessing love for each
other, but also respecting Cathy's marriage to Edgar. All seems well until Edgar's sister, Isabella, develops a
one-sided crush on Heathcliff, who uses her to wreak revenge on Edgar for his childhood snobbery. Heathcliff
marries Isabella and spitefully abuses and degrades her. Cathy is driven to madness when Heathcliff is
forbidden to visit her because of a fight between him and Edgar. Pregnant with Edgar's child, Cathy fades into
gloom and darkness. She and Heathcliff have one last passionate meeting in which they berate each other for
not staying together. Cathy dies later that night after giving birth to her daughter, Catherine.
Soon after Cathy's death, Isabella runs away and has Heathcliff's baby. She raises their son, Linton, alone, near
London. Edgar raises Catherine alone at Thrushcross Grange. Hindley dies, and Heathcliff raises Hareton
alone at Wuthering Heights. Continuing his vengeance even after Hindley's death, Heathcliff raises Hareton to
be an uneducated servant instead of an upper-class gentleman according to his station, forcing on Hareton the
degrading existence that Hindley forced on Heathcliff as a young man.

As a child, Catherine meets Hareton one day when they are both out on the moors, and their dogs fight.
Catherine likes Hareton until she finds out that he is a servant and her cousin. When Catherine is almost
thirteen, Isabella dies, and Linton comes to live at Thrushcross Grange, but Heathcliff demands to raise his
own son and forces Linton to live at Wuthering Heights. Linton is a sickly, pampered child. Heathcliff uses
him to gain control of Thrushcross Grange as Edgar is dying by forcing Linton and Catherine to marry. Soon
after their marriage, Catherine nurses Linton as he dies.

Afterward, she and Hareton, whom Catherine has always despised, finally become friends. Haunted by Cathy's
memory for eighteen years, Heathcliff loses his will to live and declines into an early death; he is found lying
beside an open window in his room as the rain pours in. Heathcliff fails to deliver the final blow to make his
revenge complete. Catherine and Hareton regain their estates, Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights
respectively. As Mr. Lockwood finds out, they are now free, have fallen in love, and plan to marry.

Introduction

1Mr. Lockwood sees Cathy's ghost at Wuthering Heights.

Rising Action

2Heathcliff is adopted into the Earnshaw family.

3Hindley forces Heathcliff to become a servant.
4Heathcliff runs away because Cathy says something mean.
5Heathcliff returns to take revenge.
6Heathcliff and Edgar's fight causes Cathy's illness.
7Heathcliff marries Isabella.
8Cathy dies and Isabella leaves.
9Heathcliff takes control of Linton to continue his revenge.
10Heathcliff makes Linton and Catherine marry; Linton dies.

Climax

11Heathcliff dies without completing his revenge.

Falling Action

12Mr. Lockwood returns; Catherine owns Thrushcross Grange.

13Catherine and Hareton become friends and fall in love.
14How Heathcliff dies is revealed to Mr. Lockwood.

Resolution

15Catherine and Hareton will marry on New Year.

Chapter 1 | Summary
Summary
In 1801 the narrator, Mr. Lockwood, describes his first visit to the Wuthering Heights estate located in the
English countryside. He gives only a brief insight into his character in the chapter, explaining that he was once
infatuated with a woman only to lose interest when she returned his affection. Mr. Lockwood has just met his
new landlord, Heathcliff, owner of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, the estate across the
moors Mr. Lockwood has rented. At the main entrance, Mr. Lockwood sees "a wilderness of crumbling
griffins and shameless little boys" carved above the door, along with the date "1500" and the name
"Hareton Earnshaw."
Mr. Lockwood describes Heathcliff as "a dark-skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman."
Then Mr. Lockwood notices a dog and her puppies. When he pets the dog, she growls at him, and Heathcliff
warns, "She's not accustomed to be spoiled—not kept for a pet." Left alone in the kitchen, Mr. Lockwood
makes faces at the mother dog and two sheepdogs that appear. The dogs attack him, bringing even more dogs
from other areas of the house that nip at his heels and pull on his coat. Heathcliff and two servants, Joseph and
Zillah, have to rescue Mr. Lockwood from the dogs. Mr. Lockwood is angry about the attack, but Heathcliff
scolds him instead of apologizing, saying, "The dogs do right to be vigilant."

Heathcliff offers wine to calm Mr. Lockwood. They make small talk about the rental property, and Mr.
Lockwood mentions wanting to visit the next day. Heathcliff does not extend an invitation, but Mr. Lockwood
decides to visit anyway.

Analysis
In Wuthering Heights, the setting reflects the characters' violent emotions. Mr. Lockwood, one of the book's
narrators, claims the bleak, isolated, and brooding Yorkshire countryside is a "perfect misogynist's heaven."
For those who dislike and wish to avoid other people, as Mr. Lockwood claims he does, this is the place to be.
Mr. Lockwood imagines a sympathy of emotion between himself and Heathcliff, but his shallow flirtation will
stand in stark contrast to Heathcliff's deep love.
Property is power in the Victorian period, and Wuthering Heights will play a central role in the plot. Mr.
Lockwood observes the estate is aptly named "Wuthering ... descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its
station is exposed in stormy weather." The "few stunted firs" and "range of gaunt thorns" around the house
suggest it is not an easy place for living things to grow or survive. Excessive storms and wind "slant" the trees,
which will come to represent the characters of privilege as they are emotionally battered and twisted by
violence. Nonetheless, the house has been built to withstand whatever wild weather it encounters. The ability
or inability to withstand dangerous, passionate emotions and situations is a central issue throughout the novel.

Mr. Lockwood's choice of the word station is significant, connoting social class, an issue that concerns
multiple characters as they struggle to maintain or shift their stations in society. Mr. Lockwood immediately
notices Heathcliff's complicated social position; his skin color is at odds with his dress and manners.
Symbolic animals make an important appearance in this chapter. When Mr. Lockwood attempts to pet a dog
and its puppies in the kitchen, assuming that they, like most domestic dogs, are tame pets, he quickly learns
that his conventional expectations will not help him to understand the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights.

Chapter 2 | Summary
Summary
Mr. Lockwood sets out across the moors toward Wuthering Heights, arriving just as it begins to snow. Finding
the garden gate locked, he jumps over it. Mr. Lockwood pounds on the door, but no one answers. Finally, a
young man (Hareton) sees Mr. Lockwood and brings him in through the kitchen where he meets
"Mrs. Heathcliff" (Catherine). Everyone is rude to Mr. Lockwood, who now believes that Heathcliff has "a
genuine bad nature." No one will help Mr. Lockwood back to Thrushcross Grange, although it is now dark and
snowing heavily, so he grabs a lantern to find his own way home. Joseph accuses him of stealing the lantern
and commands the dogs to attack. The dogs knock Mr. Lockwood over, and his yelling and screaming give
him a nosebleed, at which Heathcliff laughs. Finally, Heathcliff allows Mr. Lockwood to spend the night at
Wuthering Heights.

Analysis
A typical Victorian gentleman, Mr. Lockwood expects to be welcomed at Wuthering Heights with customary
hospitality and good manners. He gradually realizes, however, that the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights live
by their own set of rules, and his reliance on traditional social expectations fails miserably. True to his era, he
expects a beautiful woman like Catherine to be the "angel in the house," a sweet, domestic goddess who is
kind and welcoming, but Catherine is none of these things.
In Wuthering Heights, the social world Mr. Lockwood knows is turned upside down. Mr. Lockwood's own
social niceties begin to give way as he finds himself in a hostile environment, introducing the novel's theme of
cyclical violence—in other words, how violence creates violent people. Mr. Lockwood becomes increasingly
angry in response to the "disagreeable" companions who do not pretend social civility (as he does), check their
violent tendencies, or care to be seen as helpful or sociable. In this way, he is the embodiment of artificial,
rational society. But Wuthering Heights infects Mr. Lockwood with its own dark energy, reducing him to
screeching like an angry lunatic by the end of the chapter.

Chapter 3 | Summary
Summary
Zillah, a servant at Wuthering Heights, leads Mr. Lockwood to a bedroom Heathcliff never allows anyone to
sleep in. Mr. Lockwood takes his candle into the bedroom cabinet (a bed inside of a closet) and finds a
woman's name, Catherine, etched repeatedly on the window ledge, with variations on three different last
names—Heathcliff, Linton, and Earnshaw. He also finds Cathy's diary and some notes she has written in the
margins of old books. In the diary, Cathy writes about her childhood with Heathcliff. She details her
brother Hindley's domineering mistreatment of them (he is especially hard on Heathcliff, whom he exiles from
family life) and the servant Joseph's insistence on force-feeding them the Bible. She describes how Heathcliff
is waiting to sneak out at night to the moors with her as soon as she finishes writing in her diary.
After reading the stories, Mr. Lockwood falls asleep and has two terrible nightmares. In the first nightmare,
Joseph chastises Mr. Lockwood for not having a pilgrim's staff and hands him a weapon instead. They pass the
Gimmerton chapel, which looks as it does in real life, run down and without a clergyman; but in the dream, a
famous preacher, Jabez Branderham, preaches to a full congregation. Inside the chapel and bored by the
sermon, Mr. Lockwood, the dreamer, "pinches" and "pricks" himself to stay awake when "a sudden inspiration
... to denounce Jabez Branderham" seizes him. "Fellow-martyrs, have at him!" Mr. Lockwood cries out, but the
congregation attacks Mr. Lockwood, not Jabez Branderham. Having no weapon now, Mr. Lockwood wrestles
Joseph for his weapon. The members of the congregation brawl with each other as the preacher taps loudly on
the "boards of the pulpit," and the sounds wake Mr. Lockwood up. He realizes that a fir tree branch scraping
against the window has created all the noise in his dream.

In the second nightmare, Mr. Lockwood remembers the fir tree banging against the window, so he breaks
through the glass to silence the annoying scraping sounds. However, instead of a tree branch, Mr. Lockwood's
"fingers closed on the fingers of a little ice-cold hand." He hears a voice sobbing, "Let me in—Let me in," so
he asks, "Who are you?" The ghost tells him she is Catherine Linton. The ghost refuses to let go, and when
she finally does, Mr. Lockwood piles the books against the window and closes his eyes in terror. The books
jump a bit on the ledge, and that causes him to wake up screaming.
Heathcliff enters the bedroom. When he discovers Mr. Lockwood is sleeping there, he threatens to kick Zillah
out of the house for defying him. Mr. Lockwood tells Heathcliff about his dream and refers to Cathy as "a little
fiend" and "a wicked little soul." Heathcliff is enraged, and Mr. Lockwood remembers reading in Cathy's diary
that they were good friends in their youth. Heathcliff then cries passionately for Cathy, opening the window to
let her spirit in.

The next morning, Mr. Lockwood refuses breakfast, desiring to leave as soon as possible. Heathcliff walks him
through the snow partway to Thrushcross Grange, leaving Mr. Lockwood to find the rest of his way home by
himself. After sinking in snowdrifts up to his neck and losing his way several times, he arrives soaking wet and
exhausted.

Analysis
Mr. Lockwood's nightmare and Cathy's first appearance as a ghost in the novel raise questions: Who is Cathy?
How did she die? Did she indeed have three last names, signifying two marriages? She terrifies Lockwood
who thinks she is demonic. From her first appearance in the novel, Cathy's identity is fragmented,
foreshadowing how she will be associated with shifting identities and allegiances as she is torn between her
family, her husband's family, and Heathcliff.
Cathy's appearance as a ghost adds another Gothic dimension to the story. She crosses the boundary between
the living and the dead. Wuthering Heights is a haunted house both literally and metaphorically. Characters
throughout the novel are haunted psychologically by brutal childhoods, lost love, illness, or other factors.
Heathcliff's unusual response to Cathy's ghostly visitation, for example, demonstrates how deeply she haunts
his existence years after her death. Cathy's ghost is a child, suggesting how deeply events in the novel are
rooted in a traumatic past.

Cathy's diary reveals a childhood full of repression, cruelty, and rebellion that will haunt her and Heathcliff all
their lives. These incidents cause the children to become allies against their cruel mistreatment and against
religion. The wild landscape mirrors the characters' emotions as the children seek an escape on the moors,
where they feel free to be themselves, unmediated by authority: "We cannot be damper, or colder, in the rain
than we are here."

Mr. Lockwood's first nightmare of enduring a "four hundred and ninety" part sermon reflects the way in which
Cathy and Heathcliff shunned Joseph's type of religious instruction. It is significant that Mr. Lockwood
wrestles Joseph, as the Biblical character Jacob wrestled with an angel, foreshadowing religious struggles for
many characters.

Heathcliff succumbs to tears as he begs Cathy's ghost to stay, rousing pity and compassion in readers even
after Mr. Lockwood has asserted Heathcliff's "genuine bad nature." The explanation for how he came to be so
"inhospitable" and angry will be rooted in the story of his childhood and relationship with Cathy.

Chapter 4 | Summary
Summary
Back at Thrushcross Grange, Mr. Lockwood finds out that Mrs. Dean, a servant, has lived there for eighteen
years and knows about Heathcliff and Cathy's past. He entices her to keep him company and gossip about
their neighbors at Wuthering Heights. Mr. Lockwood really wants to find out more about Cathy.
Mrs. Dean begins at the point in the past when Heathcliff, a homeless orphan, is brought home by Mr.
Earnshaw from a trip to Liverpool. Before he leaves for his trip, Mr. Earnshaw asks his children, Cathy
and Hindley, what gifts they would like him to bring back from Liverpool. Cathy wants a whip, and Hindley
wants a fiddle. Remembering the young servant in training, Mrs. Dean—called Nelly or Ellen at that time—he
promises to bring her apples and pears.
However, Mr. Earnshaw loses the whip, and the fiddle is crushed on the long walk home with Heathcliff.
Exhausted when he arrives, Mr. Earnshaw says the trip nearly killed him. He tells his family to take Heathcliff
as "a gift of God ... though it's as dark almost as if it came from the devil." Mrs. Earnshaw calls Heathcliff "a
gipsy brat," but agrees to take him in. Cathy and Hindley, disappointed at losing their gifts, treat Heathcliff
badly, even spitting on him, but Cathy eventually befriends him, and he becomes Mr. Earnshaw's favorite.

Ellen, the future Mrs. Dean, despises Heathcliff too, until Hindley, Cathy, and Heathcliff get the measles. Ellen
then steps wholly into her position as a servant and cares for the sick children. Heathcliff's sweetness during
his illness changes her feelings toward him. Still, she wonders what Mr. Earnshaw loves so much about
Heathcliff to favor him over Hindley. Then she recalls when Mr. Earnshaw bought two horses, one for Hindley
and one for Heathcliff. Heathcliff picks "the handsomest," but when it falls lame, he demands Hindley's horse.
Hindly refuses to trade, so Heathcliff picks a fight, provoking Hindley to violence, so he can use his bruises as
proof to make Mr. Earnshaw beat Hindley. Hindley gives Heathcliff the horse, saying, "I pray that he may
break your neck" and calls Heathcliff "imp of Satan." Ellen persuades Heathcliff to take the horse and not tell
on Hindley. Since he takes her advice, she mistakenly believes him "not vindictive."

Analysis
The structure of Wuthering Heights changes in Chapter 4, leaving the present. Through its second
narrator, Mrs. Dean, it dives into the past. Mr. Lockwood's character fades away and becomes peripheral to
the story. The chapter also establishes Mrs. Dean's social status. She quickly corrects herself when she says
"us" while referring to the Lintons—a wealthy family whose storyline hasn't developed yet. The reader will
come to learn Mrs. Dean is truly a part of the family, but her station in life as a servant prevents her being
acknowledged as such by the other main characters. While the novel largely focuses on the upper classes, their
story is related by a narrator who is a servant, bringing into question Mrs. Dean's trustworthiness. As the novel
progresses, the reader will need to consider Mrs. Dean's role in the other characters' lives, whether she is an
unreliable narrator, and what her true intentions are at different times as the story unfolds.
The theme of good versus evil, symbolized by the fiddle and whip, develops in Earnshaw's first words about
the young Heathcliff. Which is Heathcliff, a gift or a curse? Which will Heathcliff become, good or evil? Is he
already evil when he arrives? Does he turn the Earnshaws toward evil, or do they turn him into the bitter,
twisted man he eventually becomes? As this chapter reveals the roots of discord between the main characters,
it explores the source of Heathcliff's evil—nature or nuture? Cathy, already "mischievous" and "wayward,"
adopts Heathcliff as a playmate, but not before she and Hindley ridicule and shame him. Is she to blame for
Heathcliff's evil nature? Hindley, rejected by his own father, who previously doted and spoiled him with gifts,
turns violent against the "usurper." Is Heathcliff truly a usurper at this point? Is Hindley's violence toward
Heathcliff the cause of Heathcliff's later vindictiveness? Heathcliff, described by Mrs. Dean, is a contradiction
from the start: he is a "lamb" with the measles, yet there is evidence against him: an unknown background and
a "sullen" disposition. From the start Heathcliff inspires strong, opposing reactions of love and hate.
Earnshaw's description of the dark "gipsy" child as demonic and his wife's outrage at the boy's origins also
highlight stereotypical assumptions about race and class. Heathcliff is also a homeless, penniless orphan, the
lowest of the low on Victorian England's social ladder.

Chapter 5 | Summary
Summary
Mr. Earnshaw has taken ill and now sleeps by the fire in the sitting area of Wuthering Heights. Dying has
made him irritable, so everyone in the household tries not to bother him. Mr. Earnshaw's anger is most stirred
when anyone tries to "impose upon or domineer over" Heathcliff, his favorite. Ellen, Joseph,
and Cathy humor Mr. Earnshaw, and "that humouring was rich nourishment to the child's pride and black
tempers." Hindley continues to scorn Heathcliff, which invokes his father's rage.
The curate suggests Hindley leave for college. Wuthering Heights becomes more peaceful in his absence, but
Joseph stirs new discord. Constantly "sermonizing," he is relentless in "worrying [Mr. Earnshaw] about his
soul's concerns." He encourages Mr. Earnshaw to disapprove of Hindley, Heathcliff, and Cathy in order to gain
more influence over the master of the estate.

Mrs. Dean describes Cathy during this time as putting "all of us past our patience fifty times and oftener in a
day." Cathy is always "singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do the same." At the same
time, she praises Cathy's sweet smile and "bonn[y] eye." The stricter Mr. Earnshaw becomes as he nears death,
the more Cathy "delights in provoking him." Her favorite way to bother her father comes through showing him
how Heathcliff does all of her bidding, while he only does Mr. Earnshaw's bidding "when it suited his own
inclination." This leads to Cathy's father rejecting her and telling her, "I cannot love thee, thou'rt worse than
thy brother."
One warm, windy night, Mr. Earnshaw dies. Cathy, Mrs. Dean, and Heathcliff "wail ... loud and bitter"
together. Mrs. Dean must fetch the doctor. When she returns, seeking solace for herself as much as to console
the others, she peeps through Cathy and Heathcliff's door, but they are calm and do not need her to console
them.

Analysis
The theme of pride versus humility develops as readers see the emotional distance between the servants and
upper-class characters in the novel. Joseph turns Mr. Earnshaw against Cathy. Heathcliff's pride increases
because he is Mr. Earnshaw's favorite, as Ellen's place in the house diminishes. Ellen is sent to fetch the doctor
and excluded from finding comfort when she returns even though she is just as upset about Mr. Earnshaw's
death as Cathy and Heathcliff. This shift in status and the characters' differing responses to it heavily
influences their actions later in the story.
Is Cathy good or not, and do Ellen's negative comments contain a bias against Cathy, whom she also describes
as liking to sing and laugh? Like Heathcliff, Cathy's character is full of contradictions. Like Heathcliff, Cathy
also suffers deep rejection. Her father tells her he cannot love her, which hardens her, but she still kisses his
hand and sings to him as he lies dying. Cathy's father's last words to her are: "Why canst thou not always be a
good lass, Cathy?" In response, she laughs and asks why he cannot always be a good man. Cathy struggles
between acting as a "good lass" and being "bold, saucy" and having her own way.

Chapter 6 | Summary
Summary
Hindley returns from college for Mr. Earnshaw's funeral, surprising the family by bringing home a wife,
Frances Earnshaw. Hindley's wife dislikes Heathcliff and tries, but fails, to bond with Cathy. Hindley, more
conscious of status than ever, "became tyrannical," depriving Heathcliff of further education and forcing him
to become a servant working on the estate's farm. Yet, Hindley is also "entirely negligent" in supervising them,
unknowing that Cathy and Heathcliff sneak out to the moors every day.
One night, Hindley locks Cathy and Heathcliff out of the house as punishment for staying out too long. Mrs.
Dean waits up for them, but Heathcliff returns alone. Earlier, Heathcliff and Cathy, raced across the moors to
spy on their neighbors, the Lintons, at Thrushcross Grange. As they look through a window, curious to see
how Edgar and Isabella, the Linton children, live and if they have more freedom, their laughter scares the
children. Edgar and Isabella, who are in the middle of a fight over a puppy, practically pulling it apart between
them, wake up their parents. Mr. Linton lets out a bulldog, and it bites Cathy on the ankle. A servant calls the
dog off and brings Heathcliff and Cathy into the house. Mr. Linton, at first, thinks Heathcliff is a thief coming
to rob him on rent day. Mrs. Linton recognizes Cathy and then remembers Mr. Earnshaw adopted Heathcliff.
Still, the Lintons dislike Heathcliff and force him to return to Wuthering Heights without Cathy.
Analysis
The beginning of the chapter reinforces Cathy and Heathcliff's camaraderie and their vow to "grow up as rude
as savages." Out on the moor, they are free both from harsh authority and from the differences in social status
that otherwise would keep them separate. But by the end of the chapter, Heathcliff must watch from outside,
looking through a window, as Cathy enjoys the comforts inside the Linton home. This foreshadows many
future situations in which Heathcliff will be forced to watch Cathy lead a life of privilege from which he is
excluded. This chapter also introduces Edgar and Isabella Linton, who will play the foils—which is a literary
term for when opposites provide contrast—of Heathcliff and Cathy. Thrushcross Grange also acts as a foil,
representing social propriety as a contrast to the wildness and violence found at Wuthering Heights.
Dogs appear at crucial moments throughout the novel, such as Mr. Lockwood's earlier encounter at Wuthering
Heights. The dogs often appear at moments when a boundary of some kind is being crossed. For example, a
dog bite signals the start of a major shift in Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship. Her injury by the Linton's
bulldog immerses Cathy in the upper class society she shuns yet belongs in. The dog bite also divides her from
Heathcliff, who is sent home without her because the Linton's disapprove of his "low" status and scowling. In
fact, Mr. Linton thinks Heathcliff might be better off dead for everyone's sakes. His assumption is that
Heathcliff's appearance foretells his future actions, and they are sure to be bad.

Chapter 7 | Summary
Summary
After spending five weeks at Thrushcross Grange with the Lintons, Cathy returns, transformed into a lady.
Her meeting with Heathcliff is awkward. Cathy is glad to see him, but he feels ashamed and insulted when she
laughs at his "dirty," unkempt appearance.
The Linton family has accepted an invitation for a Christmas party at Wuthering Heights with the condition
that Heathcliff not attend. The night before the party, Mrs. Dean reflects on Old Mr. Earnshaw's fondness for
Heathcliff and how no one cares for him now. Feeling guilty, she offers to help dress and clean him, so he can
impress Cathy. Heathcliff refuses Mrs. Dean's offer, and the next morning, leaves the house early to spend the
day on the moors. Later in the day, though, he changes his mind, finds Mrs. Dean in the kitchen, and asks her
to "make me decent. I'm going to be good." While standing in front of a mirror, speaking of Heathcliff's eyes,
Mrs. Dean advises him to "change the fiends to innocent angels, suspecting and doubting nothing, and always
seeing friends when they are not sure of foes." She urges him to pretend his family history is noble to give him
"courage and dignity to support the oppressions of a little farmer."
Mrs. Dean does not know at this time that Heathcliff is not allowed to join the Christmas party, so when the
Lintons arrive she encourages Heathcliff, dressed up now, to emerge from the kitchen into the sitting
area. Hindley is just coming into the kitchen at the same moment, and seeing Heathcliff dressed up, mocks
him and threatens to beat him if he even comes downstairs during the party. Just then, Edgar Linton peeks his
head into the kitchen and makes fun of Heathcliff's long hair. Embarrassed, Heathcliff flings a pot of hot
applesauce on Edgar. Hindley takes Heathcliff upstairs, beats him, and locks him in his room. Cathy tries to
enjoy the party after that, but she is too distressed by Heathcliff's absence. Eventually, Mrs. Dean finds her in
Heathcliff's locked bedroom—she had climbed up on the rafters then out onto the roof to get into his room.
After the party, Mrs. Dean brings Heathcliff into the kitchen, since he has not eaten much for two days now.
Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean he wants revenge on Hindley: "I'm trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back ... I
don't care how long I wait." "It is for God to punish the wicked" Mrs. Dean pleads, trying to change
Heathcliff's mind. "No," Heathcliff says, "God won't have the satisfaction that I shall."

Mrs. Dean interrupts the story to converse with Mr. Lockwood, who speculates that she seems more thoughtful
than her role as a servant would lead others to believe.
Analysis
Mrs. Dean is, as Mr. Lockwood rather condescendingly notes, wiser than her social status as a servant
suggests; she dispenses sane, constructive advice to Heathcliff, and she is kind to him in this chapter, but her
advice has to compete with the terms of the cruel social world, which appears bent on rejecting him no matter
what he does. Heathcliff wants to clean up his appearance to impress Cathy, but he believes, not without
cause, that the deck is not stacked in his favor. Again, the novel displays the tension between the will to be
good and the struggle to do so in a heartless world.
Mrs. Dean also acts as a moral compass as she elaborates on how "proud people breed sad sorrows on
themselves," a problem Heathcliff knows all too well. At the same time, she urges him to imagine a lineage to
be proud of. This attitude suggests readers should consider variations of pride, some—such as lacking humility
in social situations—are wicked, and some—such as pride in one's self despite class distinctions—are useful
and harmless, considering Heathcliff has no way of knowing his origins anyway. Either way, the advice Mrs.
Dean gives Heathcliff in this chapter speaks volumes about her character's inner workings.

During this chapter Heathcliff's personality undergoes a terrible transformation. Heathcliff has been able to
withstand being beaten by Hindley and forced to become a servant, but losing Cathy's friendship and respect is
too much to bear. While he has been relegated to outdoor labor, the difference in their social status is painfully
obvious, although her affection for Heathcliff has not changed. Thwarted in his attempts to turn to the good, he
embraces revenge in order to dull his pain. Mrs. Dean's insistence on forgiveness fails to persuade him to
change his mind. Heathcliff makes the case that fulfilling his revenge is superior to forgiveness. Due to an
explosive mixture of pride and pain, Heathcliff has opted for an absolute path from which there appears to be
no turning back.

Chapter 8 | Summary
Summary
Mrs. Frances Earnshaw, wracked by consumption, gives birth to Hareton Earnshaw and dies shortly after
in Hindley's arms. The loss causes Hindley to curse God, take up drink, and behave more cruelly than ever,
causing all of the servants to flee and everyone else to avoid visiting.
Mrs. Dean admits to not liking Cathy and trying to "bring down her arrogance," while Cathy
and Heathcliff remain good friends, but only in private, as Cathy finds herself torn between him and her new
friend, Edgar Linton. One day, Cathy turns on Heathcliff who appears unexpectedly just as Edgar is about to
arrive for a visit. Cathy continues to act out in frustration, pinching then slapping Mrs. Dean, shaking baby
Hareton, and hitting Edgar when he tries to intervene. Edgar threatens to never return to Wuthering Heights,
but Cathy convinces him to stay; they make up and confess their feelings of love for each other.

Analysis
This chapter examines the connection between evil and violence and the cycles they create when characters
suffer pain and frustration, particularly the pain of separation, and their responses set off chain reactions in
which violence and evil create more of the same. At the crucial moment when something resembling peace is
possible in the novel, the death of Hindley's wife causes him to spiral back into his violent behavior. Mrs.
Dean paints a dark picture for the reader to show that evil creates violence and violence creates more violence,
a core message in the novel. Notice Mrs. Dean's verbiage throughout the chapter as the novel continues to
explore the effects of a negative environment on the characters. Hindley descends into evil because he "neither
wept nor prayed; he cursed and defied: execrated God and man," Mrs. Dean tells the reader, and thus, he
becomes violent: Hindley's treatment of Heathcliff "was enough to make a fiend of a saint." His evil behavior
is shown to be infectious. It spreads throughout Wuthering Heights—to all the characters—from Heathcliff
seeming "possessed of something diabolical at that period" to Joseph being the only other servant to stay
because he has such rich opportunities to reprove evil. Even the curate refrains from coming to the house Mrs.
Dean now describes as "infernal," and in the center of the action, Cathy is riled to violence, physically hitting
multiple characters. That hitting Edgar provokes him to confess his love is telling; it foreshadows later
insights into Cathy and Edgar's relationship.
Mrs. Dean's character is also quite different in this chapter. She is more angry and spiteful, telling the reader
she's been vexing and mocking Cathy on purpose, and she's happy when Cathy lashes out at Edgar and shows
him her true colors.

Cathy has her own problems, having "adopted a double character" as she is torn between Edgar and Heathcliff.
As the three last names that Mr. Lockwood sees etched into Cathy's window ledge suggest, she suffers from a
fractured sense of identity. She acts one way with the Lintons, where she behaves in a ladylike fashion. She
also fails to defend Heathcliff when the Lintons belittle him. She acts another way when she is at Wuthering
Heights, where she and Heathcliff are "unruly" together as always, and she underplays her attachment to the
Lintons.

Chapter 9 | Summary
Summary
Hindley, in a drunken state, threatens Mrs. Dean with a knife and dangles Hareton over the stairs, claiming
he will break the child's neck. The child struggles, and Hindley drops him. Heathcliff, who has just walked in,
instinctively catches Hareton, but regrets missing an opportunity for revenge against Hindley by doing so.
Later, Cathy asks Mrs. Dean's advice about love and then confides her acceptance of Edgar Linton's marriage
proposal. Mrs. Dean asks Cathy a series of questions about her feelings for Edgar: "First and foremost, do you
love Mr. Edgar? Why do you love him? And now, say how you love him? There are several other handsome,
rich young men in the world ... what should hinder you from loving them?" Mrs. Dean is unsatisfied with
Cathy's reasons for marrying Edgar. When Cathy says she wants to marry Edgar because "he is handsome and
pleasant to be with," Mrs. Dean responds, "Bad!" And when Cathy says, "Because he is rich," Mrs. Dean
replies, "Worst of all." Cathy admits she has already accepted the proposal, so Mrs. Dean's opinion does not
really matter. Cathy just wants Mrs. Dean to say her choice is right. Mrs. Dean teases her and says, "perfectly
right; if people be right to marry only for the present."
During their conversation, Cathy describes a dream she had, in which she travels to heaven and feels as though
she does not belong there. Her longing to return to earth makes "the angels so angry" they fling her "out into
the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights." Then they discuss Heathcliff, whom Nelly knows is eavesdropping
on their conversation; when Cathy asks, Nelly lies, saying that he is in the stable. Cathy admits that although
Heathcliff's dirtiness and low social status are Hindley's fault, she feels that it would "degrade" her to marry
him. Heathcliff overhears this, and Mrs. Dean sees him sneaking out of the room. She tells Cathy to be quiet,
that Joseph has arrived with Heathcliff—just as Joseph's wagon is heard on the road. Then Mrs. Dean admits
Heathcliff may have heard their conversation. Cathy is very upset, and confesses she really belongs with
Heathcliff, not Edgar Linton. She tries to explain how her choice of marrying Edgar Linton could benefit
Heathcliff. Then she passionately describes her feelings, saying she believes she is Heathcliff, their souls are
one, and "if all else perished and he remained, I should still continue to be." She says her love for Edgar is like
"foliage in the woods: time will change it," but her love for Heathcliff "resembles the eternal rocks beneath."
Joseph, Cathy, and Mrs. Dean look for Heathcliff, but no one can find him. Later, a violent thunderstorm
topples a tree and brings it crashing down onto the roof. During the storm, Joseph kneels and prays,
"beseeching the Lord to remember the patriarchs Noah and Lot ... spare the righteous ... [and] smite the
ungodly." Fearing Hindley is dead, Joseph and Mrs. Dean check on him, shaking the handle of his door.
Hindley is drunk, but still alive, and he shouts at them from his room, causing Joseph to reply, "a wide
distinction might be drawn between saints like [Joseph] and sinners like his [Hindley]."

Cathy wanders outside in the rain until after midnight, searching for Heathcliff, but she does not find him. The
next morning, still wet and shivering, Cathy is wide-awake in the sitting room. Mrs. Dean scolds her for not
going to bed, and Hindley, arriving for breakfast, realizes Cathy is ill. Cathy's condition worsens until she is
overcome with delirium. The doctor is called for, and Mrs. Dean and Joseph care for Cathy through many
weeks of a long illness. Old Mrs. Linton visits a few times and then takes Cathy to Thrushcross Grange with
her, to nurse her there. Mr. and Mrs. Linton catch Cathy's fever and die. Heathcliff does not return, and the
story skips ahead three years to when Cathy marries Edgar in the Gimmerton Chapel and demands Mrs. Dean
leave baby Hareton and move to Thrushcross Grange.

Analysis
Hindley's position as antagonist to Heathcliff is further developed in this chapter. Heathcliff heroically
saves Hareton, moving the reader to hope for his ultimate redemption as hero, but his regret at missing an
opportunity for revenge continues his status as an antihero, which is a protagonist who lacks heroic qualities.
This moment also establishes the bond that will develop between Heathcliff and Hareton.
The novel explores ideas of love through Mrs. Dean's Socratic questioning of Cathy. The method of using
questions to explore assumptions, beliefs, and truths by using logic comes from the Greek philosopher Socrates
and is still used in education and philosophy today. Mrs. Dean uses logic to conclude that Cathy's love
for Edgar is false. Cathy adds to the conclusion by confessing her passionate feelings for Heathcliff. Mrs.
Dean and Cathy's dialogue creates dramatic irony. The reader (and Mrs. Dean) know Cathy is in love with
Heathcliff and her reasons for marrying Edgar are shaky at best, but Cathy is earnestly tossing in her own
confusion. In Wuthering Heights, there are many kinds of love, and each character approaches love differently.
The novel asks: What is the quality of Cathy and Edgar's love? What of Cathy and Heathcliff's? What does it
mean? Is there a higher quality of love, and if so, what is it?
Mrs. Dean's reliability is called into question in this chapter: we do not know why she pretends that Heathcliff
is not listening, but the fact that she lies about this suggests that she is willing to be dishonest, and also perhaps
that she is trying to manipulate the situation.

Again, Heathcliff and Cathy's differing class status is an issue, forcing them apart and making it impossible for
them to marry. Cathy truly believes by marrying Edgar, she can remove Heathcliff from harm by using her
new fortune to help him leave Wuthering Heights. Unfortunately, Heathcliff does not stay to hear Cathy's true
feelings and motivations. Mrs. Dean presents the harsh social reality that once Cathy is married to Edgar she
will have no power.

Joseph's sermonizing takes on a deeper layer of significance in this chapter, which is heavily laden with
biblical references to Lot, Noah, Jonah, and scripture. Whereas he has been mocked in previous chapters, he is
somewhat validated for his religious judgment in this chapter in the way Hindley's blasphemy at God contrasts
Joseph's moralizing. Most Victorian era readers attended church, and they would have been familiar with the
biblical references alluded to in the novel. For example, Mrs. Dean compares Hindley to Jonah, a character
who ran from his calling and duty by hiding in the belly of a fish.

Chapter 10 | Summary
Summary
Since Mr. Lockwood is ill and will need bed rest until spring, he asks Mrs. Dean to distract him by telling him
more about Heathcliff and Cathy, whom he calls the "hero and heroine" of the story. Heathcliff, in the present,
has recently sent Mr. Lockwood a pair of game birds and paid him a visit due to his illness. Mr. Lockwood
calls him "charitable" for this act. Referring to the past in the story Mrs. Dean is telling, Mr. Lockwood
wonders if Heathcliff will next finish his education and "come back a gentleman."
Edgar and Cathy's marriage is going well to Mrs. Dean's "agreeable disappointment ... [Cathy] behaved
infinitely better than [she] dared to expect." Isabella and Edgar dote on Cathy, and Edgar "had a deep-rooted
fear of ruffling her humour." When Heathcliff returns, the peace ends. Mrs. Dean finds him waiting in the
garden one morning. At Heathcliff's insistence, Mrs. Dean tells Cathy someone is waiting to see her outside.
When Cathy leaves, Mrs. Dean tells Edgar whom the visitor really is. When Cathy returns, leaving Heathcliff
outside to wait, Edgar, annoyed, tells Cathy it is inappropriate, due to Heathcliff's low station, for Cathy and
Isabella to have tea with him in the parlor. Seeing how happy Cathy is, Edgar tells her "try to be glad, without
being absurd." Once Heathcliff comes upstairs, he launches into the purpose of his visit: "to settle the score
with Hindley; and then prevent the law by doing execution on myself"—which means he plans to kill himself
after killing Hindley. He also says that Cathy's happiness at seeing him again has changed his mind—for the
moment.
Cathy and Edgar fight because she says, "Heathcliff is now worthy of a gentleman's regard." Cathy, so ecstatic
to have Heathcliff back, tells Mrs. Dean that she has reconciled with "God and humanity! I had risen in angry
rebellion against Providence." Determined to be good now, she will make up with Edgar and be an angel.

Time passes and it becomes normal for Heathcliff to visit Thrushcross Grange, but Mrs. Dean worries
Heathcliff plans to "work mischief under a cloak" and harm the family. He has rented a space from Hindley at
Wuthering Heights. Mrs. Dean asks Cathy what she thinks about Heathcliff staying there. Cathy says Hindley
is greedy for the rent money, reckless about choosing his acquaintances, and never troubles himself to wonder
if he should trust Heathcliff, and that Heathcliff told her he chose to stay there to be near her, so it doesn't
bother her.

More time passes and Isabella gradually falls one-sidedly in love with Heathcliff, which causes a fight one day
with Cathy. Isabella is angry because Heathcliff and Cathy ignore her during a walk on the moors. When
Isabella confronts Cathy, she doesn't spare Isabella's feelings, telling her she was superfluous and "we didn't
care if you kept with us or not." Later, to tease Isabella, Cathy tells Heathcliff about her crush on him, in front
of her, and the two women get into a physical fight. During their fight, Isabella draws Cathy's blood with her
nails, and Heathcliff threatens to "wrench them off her fingers, if they ever menaced me." He also says that if
he were to marry Isabella he would turn her white face into a rainbow of bruises from beating her. Privately,
Cathy and Heathcliff talk about Isabella's crush, and Heathcliff mentions he could use Isabella to own
Thrushcross Grange one day. To that, Cathy warns, "you are too prone to covet your neighbor's goods;
remember this neighbor's goods are mine."
Mrs. Dean determines to keep a close watch on Heathcliff. She also admits to preferring Edgar to Cathy
because he is kind, trustful, and honorable.

Analysis
Mr. Lockwood, as a removed narrator, functions in this chapter as an objective observer. He supplies a
viewpoint for readers to identify with during his cheery prelude, in which he calls Heathcliff "hero"
and Cathy "heroine." All seems well; readers may expect a predicable happy ending, so Mr. Lockwood
reflects the same expectation. He guesses at the events to unfold, "Did he [Heathcliff] finish his education ...
and come back a gentleman?" just as readers may guess. As Mrs. Dean jumps into the story, it does seem, at
first, to be possible. Cathy and Edgar "were really in possession of deep and growing happiness." Heathcliff is
transformed into a gentleman, and Cathy reconciles with God because she is so happy to see Heathcliff again.
Mrs. Dean provides the dropping of the other shoe, so to speak. She has a foreboding presentiment. She notices
Heathcliff's comment about planning revenge and changing his mind, and she cautions in specific ways that
foreshadow events to come, including advising Cathy not to praise one man to the other "unless you would like
an open quarrel between them." By admitting she favors Edgar, she reveals whose side she is on, which will be
important for the reader to know during events that take place in upcoming chapters. Also, readers may
wonder: Why is Mrs. Dean uncertain about Heathcliff's intentions for the remainder of the chapter after she
hears Heathcliff's explicit plans for revenge? Again, she proves herself to be an unreliable narrator, swayed by
her feelings about her subjects.
Edgar's pride (believing Heathcliff is beneath him) is threatened by Cathy's insistence they be friends and
Edgar treat Heathcliff like a gentleman. Edgar's pride causes him to break down and cry, which results in
Cathy's drawing closer to Heathcliff and the views and loyalty they formed together in their youth. With
Isabella's crush comes an exploration of a new type of love in the novel: unrequited love.
Cathy's character shows even more inner conflict. She acts cruelly to Isabella about her crush on Heathcliff.
Then says she is trying to protect Isabella. Cathy presents Heathcliff as a gentleman. Yet, later, she tells
Isabella how cruel and "wolfish" Heathcliff really is. Which is the truth? Cathy ignores Heathcliff's attempt to
take Wuthering Heights from Hindley, yet warns Heathcliff to not even dare to take Thrushcross Grange. The
chapter raises questions: Is Cathy really trying to help Isabella? Does she love Edgar? If she knows what
Heathcliff is up to, why doesn't she try to stop him?
By the end of the chapter Brontë subverts the reader's expectations for a happy ending and heroic Heathcliff.
If the reader is unconvinced by Mrs. Dean worrying and still holding hope that Heathcliff will find goodness,
Cathy's words to Isabella about Heathcliff's true nature seem designed for the hopeful reader when she says,
"don't imagine that he conceals depths of benevolence and affection beneath a stern exterior!" Then Heathcliff
himself says he would beat Isabella if he were to marry her. The finishing touch comes at the end when Mrs.
Dean wishes he would leave, feeling that "an evil beast prowled between it and the fold, waiting his time to
spring and destroy."

Chapter 11 | Summary
Summary
One day, while walking out on the moors, Mrs. Dean sees the ghost of Hindley as a child. Terrified, she also
feels "an irresistible yearning to be at the Heights," so she follows the spirit. The "apparition" reaches
Wuthering Heights before Mrs. Dean. Finally, as she stands looking through the gate, she realizes, the ghost is
a real child, Hareton, whom she has not seen for years. Hareton does not recognize Mrs. Dean, who nursed
him as a baby. He hurls rocks at her and curses her, which makes her sad, not angry. Mrs. Dean finds out
that Heathcliff has taught Hareton to curse and protects him from "Devil daddy," Hindley. She also learns that
the curate is no longer teaching Hareton to read and write. Then Heathcliff appears in the doorway. Terrified,
Mrs. Dean runs all the way back to Thrushcross Grange.
Heathcliff shows up later at Thrushcross Grange, and Mrs. Dean, peering out of the window, happens to catch
him embracing Isabella Linton. Cathy overhears Mrs. Dean shouting "Judas! Traitor!" and looks out of the
window too. They watch Isabella "tear herself free, and run into the garden." When Heathcliff comes inside,
Mrs. Dean yells at Heathcliff. Cathy silences Mrs. Dean, saying, "To hear you, people might think you were
the mistress ... you want setting down in your right place!"
Cathy demands that Heathcliff leave Isabella alone, and they fight over it. Heathcliff protesting, "I have a right
to kiss her ... I am not your husband: you needn't be jealous of me." Cathy denies being jealous and says if
Heathcliff likes Isabella he should marry her, but Cathy is certain he does not like Isabella. Then Heathcliff
accuses Cathy of treating him "infernally" and threatens her: "If you fancy I'll suffer unrevenged, I'll convince
you of the contrary."
Mrs. Dean leaves Heathcliff "brooding on his evil thoughts" and runs to Edgar, the master, to tell him exactly
what she thinks about Isabella, Cathy, and Heathcliff's low behavior. Edgar agrees, exclaiming "this is
insufferable," and he says it is "disgraceful that she should own him for a friend, and force his company on
me!" Edgar goes downstairs to kick Heathcliff out of the house, which leads to a confrontation. Cathy takes
Heathcliff's side and humiliates Edgar, telling him in front of Heathcliff, "If you have not the courage to attack
[Heathcliff], make an apology, or allow yourself to be beaten ... I wish Heathcliff may flog you sick, for daring
to think an evil thought of me!" Cornered, because Cathy has locked the front door from within and thrown the
key in the fire, Edgar has no choice but to fight Heathcliff after he pushes Edgar's chair. Edgar punches
Heathcliff in the throat and walks out the back door while he chokes. Obviously, Heathcliff will not be able to
visit Thrushcross Grange again. Cathy tells Heathcliff to leave before Edgar comes back with men and pistols.
"I'd rather see Edgar at bay than you," she says.
Heathcliff leaves and Cathy throws a fit. "I shall get wild," she tells Mrs. Dean, "say to Edgar ... that I'm in
danger of being seriously ill. I wish it may prove true ... I want to frighten him." But when Edgar returns, Mrs.
Dean exposes the manipulation, believing, "a person who could plan the turning of fits of passion ... might, by
exerting her will, manage to control herself."
Edgar tries to make Cathy choose between him and Heathcliff, but not wanting to choose, she tells him, "Your
cold blood cannot be worked into a fever; your veins are full of ice-water; but mine are boiling, and the sight
of such chillness makes them dance." For the next several days Edgar sulks in the library, unaware that Cathy
has locked herself in her room and refuses to eat.

Analysis
Doubling, the mirroring or reincarnating of one character in another, is a major part of Wuthering
Heights. Mrs. Dean's confusing Hareton for the ghost of Hindley is the first double in the novel. It is
significant that Hareton is no longer being educated because Hareton's character will repeat Heathcliff's
childhood.
The uproar between Cathy and Heathcliff suggests a deterioration of love and friendship. The key to
understanding why comes through Heathcliff's gripe: he is angry about the past, perhaps, but more important is
his dissatisfaction with his current situation. His words are not the words of a man happy to visit Cathy from
time to time, and his actions suggest he desires more.
Cathy chooses Heathcliff over Edgar during their fight, yet Edgar tries to make her choose between them later
in the chapter. Was this internal choice inevitable? Cathy suggests that her and Edgar's love lacks passion. And
passion is something Heathcliff and Cathy, being alike, need to survive. It is clear to Edgar by the end of the
chapter that a line has been drawn, and this is why he responds by forcing her to choose. Because Cathy knows
she will lose Edgar if she verbalizes her choice, she manipulates the situation to escape the consequences. At
least it appears that way through Mrs. Dean's eyes. However, Mrs. Dean has admitted to not liking Cathy and
favoring Edgar, and she tells on Cathy in this chapter, which makes a bad situation worse. This is another
example of how the lower-class servants have power over their upper-class masters.
Ideas of pride are explored throughout the chapter, beginning with Cathy's chastisement of Mrs. Dean for not
acting in her proper place. Heathcliff's pride is ruffled before the chapter begins (the fight brings out his anger),
and Edgar's pride is instigated before the chapter ends. Cathy's pride causes her to make herself sick rather than
apologize, reflect, or speak the truth. Mrs. Dean's pride adds to the strife, turning her impatient and cold-
hearted toward Cathy. Pride leads all the characters astray, whether master or servant.

Chapter 12 | Summary
Summary
Cathy and Edgar have still not spoken since their fight over Heathcliff. Edgar continues to sulk in the library
while Cathy is locked in her bedroom, refusing to eat. Mrs. Dean "went about [her] household duties,
convinced that the Grange had but one sensible soul in its walls, and that lodged in [her] body." Finally, Cathy
requests something to eat, exclaiming "Oh I will die," then changing her mind, fearing Edgar will not care if
she does. Mrs. Dean, unable to "get rid of the notion that she acted a part of her disorder," underplays Edgar's
concern, saying he's "tolerably well ... continually among his books" when Cathy asks about him. Cathy begs
Mrs. Dean to convince Edgar she is in danger of starving herself. Mrs. Dean refuses and reminds Cathy that
she ate tea and toast earlier. "If I were only sure it would kill him ... I'd kill myself directly," Cathy responds.
Mrs. Dean narrates that Cathy cannot bear the idea of Edgar's indifference, so "she increased her feverish
bewilderment to madness and tore the pillow with her teeth," begging Mrs. Dean to open the window. Mrs.
Dean refuses, and Cathy pulls the feathers out of her pillow, which reminds her of a childhood memory—when
she and Heathcliff saw a nest of "little bird skeletons." Cathy does not recognize her own face in a mirror, and
she sees visions: Mrs. Dean gathering "elf bolts" and a face in the "black press." She speaks of the first night
she spent alone after the fight, describing how she lost seven years, going back to the time
when Hindley separated her from Heathcliff, and how she woke up in the present "the wife of a stranger: an
exile and outcast." She begs again for the windows to be opened; she longs to run on the moors and be a child
again. Mrs. Dean refuses to open the window, saying "I won't give you your death of cold," but Cathy retorts,
"You won't give me a chance of life, you mean." Then Cathy remembers how she and Heathcliff use to play in
the graveyard and ask the ghosts to come.
Edgar, hearing Mrs. Dean struggle to keep Cathy calm, enters the bedroom, and he realizes immediately that
she has hidden Cathy's dangerous condition from him, but he rushes to Cathy. She tells Edgar she will be dead
by springtime: "They can't keep me from my narrow home ... my resting place." Edgar wants to know if this is
all because she loves Heathcliff. "I don't want you," she tells Edgar. "What you touch at present you may have;
but my soul will be on that hilltop before you lay hands on me again." Edgar blames Cathy's illness on Mrs.
Dean, and, still angry that her interference led to the fight, he tells her he will he will dismiss her if she ever
gossips to him again. Cathy, as delusional as she is, understands that Mrs. Dean has betrayed her and calls her
a witch. Mrs. Dean leaves to find the doctor, Kenneth.

Outside, Mrs. Dean sees "a creature of the other world." Actually, someone has hung Isabella's dog from a tree,
and Mrs. Dean saves it. She hears the sound of horses' feet, but there is no time to inquire. Reaching the
village, Kenneth tells her there are rumors that Isabella and Heathcliff are planning to run away together. The
next day, a servant confirms the rumor—Isabella has run off with Heathcliff—and Edgar chooses not to send
men to bring her back but disowns his sister for "disowning" him.

Analysis
Chapter 12 uses imagery and symbolism to blend themes and to create the chapter's foreboding tone, which
reflects Cathy's madness and desire to die. The imagery of death, the macabre, and the grave is presented to
the reader to heighten the sense of danger as what was once love between Heathcliff and Cathy turns toward
obsession. There's no longer any room in Cathy's heart or mind for Edgar; her love for Heathcliff is too
consuming.
The final image of a dog hanging from a noose is different from the other imagery in the chapter. Something
truly violent has happened. Dogs, as symbols, appear when a boundary of some kind has been crossed. It
suggests that Heathcliff, who until now has hovered between his love for Cathy and the desire for revenge,
gives himself over to the latter. The violence against the dog indicates the loss of his remaining humanity.
The symbol of ghosts evolves in this chapter as Cathy regresses to the past to tend to the wounds left
from Hindley's violence toward her and Heathcliff. And she longs for the symbolic moors, for the freedom
they represent, and for a time when she had a strong sense of herself and her affections and feelings could be
expressed freely. Now, she is stifled by a husband she does not love and kept separate from the man toward
whom she is naturally drawn. Having failed to choose her true destiny, Cathy searches for a sense of
belonging, even as she knows intuitively her destiny is leading her to death.
The symbolism of wind departs from its usual association with violence to represent life-giving breath.
Violence is shifted from its associations with natural elements such as weather to Cathy herself when Mrs.
Dean refers to "the Earnshaws' violent dispositions," and in Cathy's self-harm, trying purposely to die, being a
redirection of her desire to kill Edgar.
The way Mrs. Dean narrates raises the question: Is Cathy's illness real, or is it a show? She paints it both ways;
she takes the blame, and she defends herself. And at the end of the chapter, she chooses not to alert Edgar to
chase Isabella, which custom and honor would require him to do. Edgar risks dishonor and scandal after all of
his snobbery and dislike for Heathcliff, leaving the reader to wonder why. This is not the first, but one of many
times in the novel when Edgar will not stand up for himself or those he loves against Heathcliff.

Chapter 13 | Summary
Summary
Cathy has recovered from the brain fever, but she will never be the same. Also, she and Edgar are expecting a
baby.
Mrs. Dean receives a letter from Isabella. In the letter, Isabella asks how Mrs. Dean "preserved the common
sympathies of human nature" while living at Wuthering Heights, and she asks "Is Heathcliff a man ... or a
devil?" Then she describes her first night at Wuthering Heights, where, arriving without Heathcliff, Joseph
shoves a torch fire in her face, and Hareton threatens to sic his dog Throttler on her. Inside, there is no servant
to help her, so she wanders around the house, eventually running into Hindley, who has long, shaggy hair now,
curses Heathcliff, and appears insane to Isabella. Hindley shows Isabella the pistol he embellished with a
spring knife on the barrel. He lurks outside Heathcliff's bedroom door every night, planning to kill him if the
door is ever unlocked. The only thing really stopping him from killing Heathcliff is the chance to get back his
money and Wuthering Heights. Holding the gun, Isabella is struck by how powerful it makes her feel, which
astonishes Hindley, and he jealously snatches the gun away from her.
In the kitchen, Joseph sticks his fingers in the oatmeal, so Isabella offers to cook it, but Joseph yells at her for
making it lumpy. Meanwhile Hareton drinks the milk they are supposed to share straight from the jar, getting
his spit in it. Disgusted and exhausted from traveling, Isabella tries to find a bedroom to eat and rest in, but
Joseph—angry at her for acting finicky—shows her there is nowhere for her to sleep. Heathcliff keeps his
bedroom locked, and no one is allowed inside. Isabella throws the oatmeal on the floor, and Joseph leaves her
there, hoping Heathcliff sees her act that way, so he will beat her. Just then, Throttler comes in, and Isabella
realizes he's a dog from Skulker's litter, a puppy Old Mr. Linton gave Hindley long ago. Throttler nuzzles
Isabella and eats the oatmeal off the floor. Then Isabella hides in Hareton's room until Joseph comes upstairs to
put him to bed. Finally, Isabella falls asleep in a chair by the fire. Heathcliff returns and wakes her up, asking
why she is sleeping there. When she says it is because our bedroom is locked, he takes offence at the word our,
saying "It is not, nor ever shall be" their bedroom to share.

Analysis
Two central questions in the novel are brought back into the reader's mind: What makes people good and what
makes them become bad? And, how can good come from a malevolent and abusive
environment? Hareton supplies the strongest example in the chapter when he threatens Isabella with a dog
attack from Throttler in response to her kindness—even the name of the dog underscores the violent
Wuthering Heights environment, just as the dog Skulker alludes to Thrushcross Grange (throttle meaning to
choke or strangle and skulk meaning to hide in cowardice). And Hareton, by training and a bad environment, is
shown to be like an attack dog.
That Isabella grew up not in the environment of Wuthering Heights but in the gentle environment at
Thrushcross Grange is significant because it provides a contrast and sets up a new situation for the reader to
witness firsthand what may become of good when it is surrounded by violence. Often in the novel, major
characters, in due course, enter into a battle between good and evil, pride and humility, pity and judgment, and
Isabella's first test happens when she holds Hindley's gun and it makes her feel powerful.
Earlier in the novel, Isabella and Edgar became foils to contrast Cathy and Heathcliff: Edgar and Isabella
shown to be spoiled and petty while Cathy and Heathcliff are portrayed as strong, free, and down to earth. In
this chapter, the use of Isabella as a foil changes. Cathy is more like Isabella was as a child, and Isabella
appears to have grown stronger and humbler than Cathy. Making the connection, readers will be curious to see
if Wuthering Heights changes Isabella as Thrushcross Grange has changed Cathy.

Chapter 14 | Summary
Summary
Mrs. Dean visits Isabella at Wuthering Heights. Before she leaves she asks Edgar to send a letter, forgiving
Isabella. Edgar replies he's not angry, just sorry for her, and he never wants to see her again. Edgar's coldness
depresses Mrs. Dean.
When Mrs. Dean arrives, she is shocked to find Heathcliff "was the only thing there that seemed decent, that
he would certainly have struck a stranger as a born and bred gentleman ... and his wife as a thorough little
slattern!" They discuss Cathy, and Mrs. Dean mentions she is nothing like the Cathy he knew and that Edgar
sustains his love for her by "the remembrance of what she once was, by common humanity, and a sense of
duty!" Heathcliff hates the idea of Edgar having only duty and humanity to make him feel for Cathy. He asks
Mrs. Dean "Do you imagine that I shall leave Cathy to his duty and humanity?" Heathcliff intends to visit
Cathy, and he wants Mrs. Dean to help him. Mrs. Dean tells Heathcliff a visit from him would kill Cathy.
Heathcliff wants to know if Cathy would suffer if Heathcliff were to "go to extremes"—meaning harm Edgar.
Then he tells Mrs. Dean what makes him different from Edgar is that he would never harm Edgar as long as
Cathy wanted to be with him. "If you don't believe me, you don't know me," he tells Mrs. Dean when she looks
doubtful.
Mrs. Dean says Cathy has forgotten Heathcliff, which makes him laugh: "for every thought she spends on
Linton she spends a thousand on me!" He says he was a fool to think Cathy ever loved Edgar, and, "It is not in
him to be loved like me: how can she love in him what he has not?" Isabella tells Heathcliff to stop speaking of
Edgar that way, but Heathcliff reminds her that Edgar "turns you adrift on the world with surprising alacrity."
Mrs. Dean implores Heathcliff to treat Isabella better, to remember she is a lady and accustomed to being
waited on. Heathcliff says Isabella is delusional ... that he never lied to her about who he is and that she has an
"innate admiration" of brutality.

When Isabella goes upstairs, Heathcliff persuades Mrs. Dean to sneak a letter to Cathy and arrange a visit at
Thrushcross Grange in the near future.

Analysis
This chapter provides a window into Heathcliff's emotional logic and moral values as he describes how he
would treat Cathy if he were Edgar, why Isabella disgusts him, and what he understands about himself.
As Mrs. Dean tries to advise him on what is right and proper, he thwarts her with his own logic at every turn.
The reader learns that pity, duty, charity, and humanity, to Heathcliff, are shallow emotions and motivations.
Heathcliff does not say explicitly what morality he believes in. Implicitly, his love for Cathy seems to be the
basis for Heathcliff's morality, the only thing about which he has strong feelings of right and wrong.
Heathcliff is happy because he is certain Cathy loves him more than she loves Edgar, he is better for her, and
only he can match her depth of love, a direct echo of Cathy's earlier "I am Heathcliff!" epiphany. The message
for the love theme here is that lovers must be alike in their natures for love to be true. The contrast in the
chapter between Heathcliff and Edgar also shows that Heathcliff has some qualities, he is capable of love, and
he may not be a hero, but he is not the villain.

Chapter 15 | Summary
Summary
Mr. Lockwood has heard Mrs. Dean's story and is retelling it in a condensed version.
When Edgar's at church, Mrs. Dean gives Cathy a letter from Heathcliff. Before she can get a response from
Cathy, Heathcliff walks through the open doors of Thrushcross Grange. Recognizing that Cathy is dying, he
breaks down as they hold and kiss each other, both crying and talking about Cathy's impending death. Cathy
says Heathcliff and Edgar have both broken her heart, and to Heathcliff she says, "you have killed me—and
thriven on it, I think." She wants to hold Heathcliff until they are both dead. To Mrs. Dean, who refers to
herself as a cool spectator, it seems fitting "Cathy deem that heaven would be a land of exile to her," unless
with death she loses "her moral character also."
Upset by being blamed for her death, Heathcliff asks if she is possessed by a devil to talk to him that way.
Cathy also lashes out at Mrs. Dean: "Nelly, you think you are more fortunate ... you are sorry for me ... I shall
be sorry for you. I shall be incomparably beyond and above you all." Excited, Cathy stands up, but the strain
makes her convulse. Heathcliff and she spring toward each other, and he "foamed like a mad dog, and gathered
her to him with greedy jealousy." Heathcliff accuses her of being cruel, of leaving him, betraying her own
heart, because "degradation, and death, and nothing that God or Satan could inflict would have parted us, you,
of your own will, did it." Sobbing, Cathy tells him to leave her alone. She is dying for whatever she did wrong.
She forgives him and asks that he forgive her. He says he can forgive her for murdering him, but not for killing
herself.
Mrs. Dean is nervous because Edgar will return soon, but Cathy won't let Heathcliff leave. "Don't go," she
cries, "It is the last time! I shall die! I shall die." Edgar appears in Cathy's room; Heathcliff holding her in his
arms, but Cathy has fainted, so Edgar must tend to her instead of fighting with Heathcliff. Mrs. Dean thinks to
herself "Far better that she should be dead, than lingering a burden and a misery-maker to all about her."
Heathcliff slips out, telling Mrs. Dean he will be hiding in the garden tomorrow.

Analysis
The narrator changes back to Mr. Lockwood, raising questions: Will he alter Mrs. Dean's version of the story?
What is the reason for the narrative switch? Is it out of character for Mrs. Dean to wish Cathy dead as she does
in this chapter? It is impossible to know now that another character stands between Mrs. Dean and the reader.
The themes of good versus evil and love run together in Chapter 15. The idea that going against the heart and
soul causes suffering is reinforced by Cathy and Heathcliff's intense agony in the chapter. Then Heathcliff, the
antihero himself, questions if his beloved is evil, and he judges her, declaring everything is her fault and her
choice. The idea of "free will" is an important religious concept alluded to in this chapter; it is central to the
choice individuals make between good and evil. The exploration of free will and people choosing their own
suffering begins here, and it will continue as the story moves forward.
An exploration of unrequited love began with Isabella, and now it is more fully revealed in the exchange
between Cathy and Heathcliff. Isabella suffered alone. There is an emotional difference (and tone difference in
the chapters) when both lovers have loved and lost equally.

Chapter 16 | Summary
Summary
Cathy gives birth to Catherine prematurely and then dies, leaving Edgar without a male heir. Edgar sinks
into mourning. Mrs. Dean says of Cathy's corpse that "no angel in heaven could appear more beautiful," and
adds that Cathy was right when she said, only hours before her death, she would be "incomparably beyond and
above us all." Believing Cathy's spirit is at "home with God," Mrs. Dean sees in her corpse "a repose that
neither earth nor hell can break," and she is reassured of the eternal hereafter, "love in its sympathy," and "love
in its fullness." Mr. Lockwood comments that when Mrs. Dean originally told him the story she asked his
opinion about life after death, but he refused to answer, believing to do so would go against the established
church.
Mrs. Dean looks for Heathcliff to tell him the news of Cathy's death, and she finds him still as a piece of
timber beside an ash tree outside Thrushcross Grange. At first, Mrs. Dean cries for Heathcliff, believing God
has seen through his pride and brought this humiliation and pain for a purpose. However, when Heathcliff
bashes his head against the tree and cries out for Cathy's spirit to haunt him, Mrs Dean admits, "It hardly
moved my compassion—it appalled me: still, I felt reluctant to quit him so."
Then Mrs. Dean offers to sneak Heathcliff into the house to see the corpse. She discovers he sneaked in on his
own when she finds Edgar's blond hair on the floor and Heathcliff's dark hair replacing it inside Cathy's locket.
She entwines the locks of hair and describes Cathy's gravesite on the moors.

Analysis
The focus in this chapter is on Mrs. Dean's views on love, pity, and religion. Pointedly, Mrs. Dean stops her
narration to ask Mr. Lockwood his views on life after death, revealing a little more about his character: he
either believes in the conventionality of the established church, or he is unwilling to speak in depth about
religion or death. Either way, through his character, Brontë continues to expose him for a shallow gentleman-
type from the city.
Mrs. Dean pities Heathcliff for his loss, yet she judges him, entwining the themes of pity versus judgment with
pride versus humiliation. In her pity (her word) for Heathcliff, Mrs. Dean thinks to herself, "You have a heart
and nerves as same as your brother men! Why should you be anxious to conceal them? Your pride cannot blind
God! You tempt him to wring them, till he forces a cry of humiliation." Her ability to empathize is weakened
by her instinct to judge—a strong pattern playing out many times throughout the novel. The reader, here, may
pick up on the contradiction evolving through Mrs. Dean's character. She is wholly able to describe the
unusually intense love—which to her is selfish and irreverent—between Cathy and Heathcliff. If she did not
recognize what it is, she would not speak of it the way she does throughout the novel, noting details such as
Heathcliff's "inner agony" and that he "trembled ... to his very fingerends." Yet, she is always limited because
the kind of love Heathcliff and Cathy share frightens and appalls her. So, why is she so skilled in translating its
nature to the reader?
The novel continues its reach for ideas beyond good and evil initiated in the previous chapter, as it moves
away from the dualism of angels and devils and good and evil toward the idea of something beyond or
transcendent.

Chapter 17 | Summary
Summary
Isabella, who is pregnant, runs away from Wuthering Heights and shows up unexpectedly at Thrushcross
Grange, where the household is still in mourning for Cathy. While Mrs. Dean bandages her neck, which is
bleeding from a knife Heathcliff flung at her, Isabella describes how Heathcliff, mourning for Cathy, cries and
prays to a senseless God—"like a Methodist," and he has confused God with the devil.
Then she explains why she ran away: One night, when Isabella was sitting in the parlor with Hindley, who was
drunk and angry at the time, Heathcliff returned. Hindley decided to lock Heathcliff out of the house and
wanted to know if Isabella would help him kill Heathcliff, mentioning that they both had a right to take
revenge. Hindley asked her, "Are you as soft as your brother," or "are you willing to endure to the last, and not
attempt a repayment?" She responded, "Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound
those who resort to them worse than their enemies." Hindley disagreed; to him, "treachery and violence are a
just return for treachery and violence." Then he wanted to know if Isabella would just be quiet and let him kill
Heathcliff, but Isabella shouted, "I'll not hold my tongue!" through the door and warned Heathcliff. Hindley
cursed her, and she contemplated what a blessing it would be if Heathcliff and Hindley killed each other. Then,
feeling secure with a door between them, Isabella mocked Heathcliff, telling him now that Cathy is dead, he
should stretch himself over her grave and die like a faithful dog. Hindley stuck his arm and weapon (the gun
with the knife on the end) out of the door to kill Heathcliff, but he grabbed it, the spring fell back and sliced
Hindley's arm instead. Heathcliff smashed the glass in the door, got inside and beat Hindley, almost to death.
When Hindley passed out, Heathcliff bandaged the wound, and Isabella ran for Joseph.
The next morning, Hindley came downstairs and Isabella told him what happened because he couldn't
remember. Heathcliff was there, but so deeply in mourning, his face was sealed "in an expression of
unspeakable sadness." (Then Mrs. Dean breaks in to scold Isabella for delighting in "paying wrong for wrong."
Isabella admits the only way she can forgive Heathcliff is "if [she] may take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth.") Isabella finishes telling her story: That night, she continued to taunt Heathcliff, but he was too
absorbed in his anguish to notice, until she struck a chord by saying Cathy was happy before he came back into
all of their lives again. Heathcliff's "eyes rained down tears among the ashes, and he drew his breath in
suffocating sighs." But Isabella pushed him further by taunting him, and he threw a dinner knife at her, hitting
her behind the ear. Terrified, Isabella, rushed out into the snow across the moors to Thrushcross Grange.

After telling her story, Isabella leaves for Gimmerton. She settles south of London and raises her child, Linton,
by herself. Mrs. Dean explains that Isabella ends up dying when the boy is 12 years old.

Meanwhile, right after Cathy's death, Edgar becomes a hermit, but he loves and dotes on his
daughter, Catherine. Mrs. Dean compares Edgar and Hindley: "They had both been fond husbands ... and I
couldn't see how they shouldn't both have taken the same road, for good or evil." Hindley, she thinks, is the
weaker man because Edgar "displayed the true courage of a loyal and faithful soul: he trusted God; and God
comforted him."
Hindley dies six months after Cathy, and Heathcliff gets custody of Hareton by threatening to take Linton
from Isabella.
Analysis
Just as Isabella is a foil for Cathy's character in the novel, Isabella and Heathcliff's relationship contrasts
Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship. Although, there are similarities as well: both relationships involve violence
of emotion, cursing, and inflicting pain. Ultimately, Isabella and Heathcliff's relationship serves as a contrast
because it is one-sided and Isabella saw a Heathcliff that was only an illusion while Cathy saw Heathcliff for
who he really is. In Chapter 14 Heathcliff describes the delusional nature of Isabella's love, and the idea of
distorted love is fortified in this chapter by his tears and "unspeakable sadness" over Cathy's dying being more
prevalent than Hindley's violence and Isabella's malice. Heathcliff is revealed to be not cold-hearted as much
as he is monomaniacal in his love for Cathy, which is not only the most important thing in his life, but the only
thing that seems to motivate his actions and influence his feelings.
Also, Heathcliff's humanity expands in this chapter as he openly weeps and mourns the love of his life's death.
He is not a stock character "devil" or villain; good and evil will be something he must choose between, and,
plot-wise, this is his character's personal cusp between the two. He has revenged Hindley and holds Hareton's
future (and his own) in his hands. What choice will he make?
Ideas of good and evil are explored in the chapter when Mrs. Dean contrasts "faithful" Edgar to "unfaithful"
Hindley and she describes the difference faith makes in each character's life: Edgar thrives, Hindley dives
deeper into darkness. Then ideas of violence and revenge are explored in the chapter when what has become of
Isabella (representing good and proper and Thrushcross Grange) under the influence of the malevolent
Wuthering Heights environment is revealed. This is Isabella's moment of truth. Hindley is the one who
presents the two moral tests for Isabella, and both times, even though she says she wants revenge, her actions
do not give in to it. It is significant that Brontë details the nuances of Isabella's morality (ultimately painting a
well-drawn character, not turned evil, but truly changed: no longer weak and definitely capable of feeling real
hurt, hatred, and desire for revenge) because through Isabella's story line, Brontë continues the exploration
from the beginning of the novel: what happens to "good" in a violent and negative environment? Where ideas
of good and evil are explored, ideas of violence and revenge are usually close by, and the main events in the
chapter—comparing Edgar and Hindley and Isabella's storyline—are interrelated. Hindley resorts to violence,
and he is repaid with violence; and he dies violently.

Chapter 18 | Summary
Summary
Twelve years later, Cathy's daughter, Catherine, is thirteen years old. Mrs. Dean describes her personality as
soft, mild as a dove, and not prone to furious anger as her mother was. Catherine grows strong with only
"trifling illnesses, which she had to experience in common with all children, rich or poor." Her only fault is a
"perverse will, that indulged children invariably acquire."
Edgar never lets Catherine leave Thrushcross Grange. One day, he receives a letter from Isabella. She is dying
and wants Edgar to come to London, say goodbye, and take over raising her son, Linton. Catherine takes the
opportunity to explore beyond Thrushcross Grange park. Telling Mrs. Dean she needs food to go out and
explore the Arabian Desert (really the moors), she jumps her pony over a low bush and winds up
meeting Hareton when their dogs get into a fight. When one of Catherine's dogs returns with a swelled head
and bleeding ear but no sign of Catherine, Mrs. Dean searches frantically, finally finding her with Hareton
(now 18) and Zillah, a servant, at Wuthering Heights.
When Catherine, having a lot of fun with Zillah and Hareton, refuses to leave, Mrs. Dean tells her she would
want to leave if she knew who owned the house. The conversation leads to Catherine figuring out that Hareton
is not Heathcliff's son but a servant. Embarrassed, Hareton refuses to fetch Catherine's pony. Hareton calls
Catherine a saucy witch, and she replies "How dare he speak so to me ... musn't he be made to do as I ask
him?" Zillah urges Catherine to be civil and reveals Hareton is her cousin. The idea of a servant being her
cousin makes Catherine cry. She can hardly believe it, but Mrs. Dean consoles her: "people can have many
cousins and of all sorts ... without being any the worse for it." When Hareton returns with the pony, seeing
Catherine upset, he offers her a puppy, but she refuses it.
Analysis
A minor detail leads into an exploration of class distinctions when Mrs. Dean slides into the narrative
that Catherine has "to experience in common with all children ... rich or poor." Mrs. Dean expounds on
Catherine's high-quality nature, so it is significant that Catherine's one fault is linked to her upper-class station,
and it causes the main action in the chapter—when she turns against Hareton for being a servant, not a
gentleman, in an echo of her mother's rejection of Heathcliff. Mrs. Dean's narration paints a picture of beauty
and peace, which turns ugly when social distinctions are made.
The symbolism of dogs is woven throughout the chapter, and it supports the topic of social distinctions
between masters and servants:

 Catherine wants food for her imaginary horses and camels (actually dogs) because she is
pretending to cross the "Arabian Desert." This is dramatic irony. The reader knows Wuthering
Heights is across the "desert." There is a sense of Catherine leaving behind her ignorance, and
innocence, of the world, and the dogs accompany her as she crosses the new boundary.
 Catherine's dog has a swelled head and bleeding ear. This foreshadows Catherine's prideful
reaction (swelled head), to something she hears (bleeding ear) and does not like.
 Catherine and Hareton meet because of a dogfight. This creates a feeling of doom and the sense
that peace between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange is impossible; they cannot
coexist, nor ever be equal; it's as if rivalry between them is as instinctual as a dogfight.
 Hareton tries to make peace by giving Catherine a puppy, but she refuses the peace offering. In
this way, the interchange involving the dogs represents the characters' natures: Hareton is peaceful
and happy-go-lucky, but Catherine is stubborn and shunning him. On a literal level, the exchange
helps complicate the plot. Catherine's refusal of the peace offering lays the foundation for all that
is to come in the second half of the novel, and it is significant that a puppy is at the center of the
first moment between the two characters.

Chapter 19 | Summary
Summary
Isabella has died. Edgar returns with her and Heathcliff's child, Linton. Catherine, excited to meet her real
cousin (still upset at finding out Hareton, a servant, is her cousin) encounters Edgar and Linton on the road.
Linton is a physically weak and peevish child used to pampering. He refuses to exit the carriage. Then, when
he is in the house, he is too delicate to sit on a chair but must recline on a sofa.
Mrs. Dean and Edgar worry that Heathcliff will want to take Linton. That very same night, Joseph knocks on
the door, demanding to take Linton to Wuthering Heights. Edgar wants to fulfill Isabella's dying wishes, but he
cannot think of a way to keep Linton. Joseph and Edgar argue, but Edgar tells Joseph he will send Linton
tomorrow.

Analysis
This chapter satisfies the reader's curiosity about what Heathcliff's son may be like, and it establishes Linton's
character as sickly and difficult. Unfortunately, Linton's fate will bring him immediately to Wuthering Heights,
a place the reader and Mrs. Dean know will not be conducive to a happy childhood. Heathcliff's son, having
none of his strength or physical traits, and resembling a Linton, and named Linton—a hated name to Heathcliff
—complicates the plot and allows Heathcliff to continue to be an antihero. The reader may wonder what the
outcome would have been had Linton been more like Heathcliff. It is impossible to know. Linton being the
character he is will serve to fuel Heathcliff's anger, desire for revenge, and despair over Cathy's death.
Chapter 20 | Summary
Summary
Linton is very unhappy the next morning when he finds out he has to live at Wuthering Heights. Isabella never
spoke of Heathcliff, so Linton has no idea he even had a father. Mrs. Dean lies to him about Heathcliff and
Wuthering Heights to coax him to get dressed and ride across the moor.
Joseph and Heathcliff greet Linton when he arrives. Heathcliff is disappointed his son looks like a puling
chicken brought up on snails and sour milk, who doesn't resemble Heathcliff at all, but he promises Mrs. Dean
he will be kind to Linton. Heathcliff admits he plans to own Thrushcross Grange one day, since Linton is the
heir. He also plans to continue his revenge by making Hareton serve Linton. Linton will be brought up as a
proper gentleman, and Heathcliff has even hired a tutor for Linton.

Analysis
In this chapter, Joseph and Heathcliff provide a few rare instances of humor in the novel.
Everything about Linton (his demeanor, upper-class manners, and physical appearance) associates him with
the weaker but more civilized inhabitants of Thrushcross Grange. Linton obviously does not belong at
Wuthering Heights, and his situation is an example of the doubling that occurs throughout the second half of
the novel. In this chapter, history repeats (always with a twist) the event of Heathcliff's being brought from
Liverpool to live at Wuthering Heights. Now it's his son, but conversely, Linton is the exact opposite of
Heathcliff in every way.

To carry suspense through the novel, Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean (and the reader) exactly how he will continue
his revenge on Hindley and Edgar by using Linton and Hareton.

Chapter 21 | Summary
Summary
Mrs. Dean remembers a conversation she had in Gimmerton with Zillah, the servant at Wuthering Heights.
Zillah tells Mrs. Dean Heathcliff dislikes Linton and would dislike him even more if he knew to what extent
Linton pampers himself. Mrs. Dean comes to the conclusion "that utter lack of sympathy had rendered young
Heathcliff selfish and disagreeable."
The story jumps ahead to Catherine's sixteenth birthday. Out on the moors, Hareton and Heathcliff, whom
Catherine has never met before, catch her when she wanders onto his property. Catherine, remembering
meeting Hareton a few years earlier, wants to know if Hareton is Heathcliff's son. Heathcliff entices Catherine
to come to Wuthering Heights by telling her that Hareton is not his son, but he does have a son and she knows
him.
At Wuthering Heights, Catherine and Linton see each other for the first time since they met. Catherine is
astounded that he has been so close all this time, and that Heathcliff is her uncle. "I thought I liked you,"
Catherine tells him. Then she asks if she can visit Linton often, and Heathcliff has to tell her about his quarrel
with Edgar: "He thought me too poor to wed his sister ... his pride was hurt, and he'll never forgive it."
Catherine thinks her father is in the wrong, so she suggests Linton come to Thrushcross Grange to visit instead,
but Linton says four miles is too far for him to walk. This disgusts Heathcliff, and he tells Mrs. Dean "I covet
Hareton with all his degradation ... I'd have loved the lad had he been someone else." Linton irritates Heathcliff
even more by ignoring Catherine and preferring to sit quietly, so Heathcliff calls Hareton over and suggests he
show Catherine around the farm.
When Catherine sees Hareton, she asks Heathcliff, "Oh, I'll ask you uncle ... that is not my cousin, is he?"
Catherine whispers something about Hareton in Heathcliff's ear, embarrassing Hareton, but Heathcliff brushes
it off, and they go play. Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean how Hareton is the better boy than Linton, and "he can
sympathise with all his feelings, having felt them myself." He explains how he taught Hareton to hate
everything beyond the physical, conditioning him to live in a state of ignorance. Then Linton, regretting his
decision to stay behind, catches up to Catherine and Hareton just as Catherine is asking why it says "Hareton
Earnshaw" above the door (revealed in a previous chapter), but Hareton cannot read, so he does not know what
it says—and Catherine and Linton do not tell him. Instead, they tease him for not being able to read, which
causes Heathcliff to "cast a look of singular aversion" at Linton and Catherine. Mrs. Dean decides she doesn't
like Linton either, and she doesn't blame Heathcliff "for holding him cheap."
Catherine returns to Thrushcross Grange and scolds her father for lying to her about Linton living far away.
Edgar explains why Catherine cannot return to Wuthering Heights or contact Linton, but she writes to him
anyway, until Mrs. Dean discovers the letters and makes Catherine burn them.

Analysis
The chapter opens up with a reference to Linton as "young Heathcliff," alerting the reader to the doubles in the
chapter, making Linton a distorted mirror image of Heathcliff as a child to reinforce ideas of pity versus
judgment in the novel. (It is important to note that pity is not used in the modern sense; it is more like having
sympathy for or empathy with than feeling sorry for someone.) Often characters must choose between pity and
judgment, and pity is typically shown to be a virtue. Mrs. Dean doesn't judge Linton at first. Instead, she
makes the lack of pity in his life an excuse for his bad behavior. This jostles the reader's memory of the unfair
judgment (based on dark physical features) and lack of pity the Earnshaws had for Heathcliff long ago, which
flows directly into Linton and Catherine's judgment of Hareton, also a double for Heathcliff—and history
repeating.
Catherine, as a character, falls in the middle of the personality types of Linton and Hareton. Physically active
like Hareton and intellectually developed like Linton, she appears to be, at first, a match for Hareton, and then,
later, a match for Linton. Matching in temperament is very important in the love and obsession theme
in Wuthering Heights, and Catherine's love could go either way at this point.
Heathcliff's "aversion" for Catherine comes only after she fails to recognize Hareton's true value and chooses
Linton's mean-spirited pride. The fact that Catherine and Linton have a lack of sympathy for Hareton and they
judge him for being unable to read and write—for being lower class—makes it even worse. Heathcliff dislikes
Catherine because he has made Hareton in his own image. For Heathcliff, this encounter is like the Cathy of
his humiliating childhood happening all over again, and it is significant that this event takes place on
Catherine's birthday; it represents the death and rebirth of Cathy, making Catherine's choice of Edgar-like
Linton over Heathcliff-like Hareton even more emotionally significant for Heathcliff.
The complex structure of the chapter creates an in-depth exploration of the value of physical strength and
genuineness (Hareton) versus intellectual power and upper class pride (Linton and Catherine). The reader
cannot help but feel sympathy for Hareton when he cannot read his own name above the door. The reader
cannot help but like Hareton and despise Linton, seeing his bad effect on Catherine's character. Soon after,
Catherine and Linton's relationship grows through purely intellectual activities. However, Mrs. Dean does not
see real value or love between Catherine and Linton because it isn't based on anything physical. The idea that
love should have a physical—not necessarily in a sexual sense—component is an unusual one in Victorian
England, which tended to privilege the intellect and spirit above things of the body.

Chapter 22 | Summary
Summary
One day in October when clouds "boding abundant rain" roll in, Mrs. Dean and Catherine go for a walk on
the moors. They discuss the possibility of Edgar dying, and Mrs. Dean advises Catherine to "avoid giving him
anxiety on any subject ... you might kill him if you were wild and reckless ... and cherished ... a fanciful
affection for the son of a person ... glad to have him in his grave," referring to Heathcliff and Linton. Catherine
promises to "never—never—oh, never ... do an act or say a word to vex him."
Catherine, "lightening into sunshine again" climbs up onto a wall to gather petals from a rose tree. Catherine's
hat falls off and she has to climb the wall to get it, but she gets stuck on the other side because the ground is
lower and rose trees and blackberry bushes cover the wall. Mrs. Dean tries all of her keys to the door in the
wall, but none work. Then Mrs. Dean hears a horse and rider approach—it's Heathcliff. "I sha'nt speak to
you ... Papa says you are wicked ... Ellen says the same," Mrs. Dean hears Catherine say. Heathcliff denies
hating Catherine then swears Linton is dying because Catherine stopped writing to him. Mrs. Dean accuses
Heathcliff of lying, and then she breaks through the lock to get to Catherine. Heathcliff urges Catherine to "be
generous, and contrive to see him." Heathcliff leaves and it rains.

Mrs. Dean says the news made Catherine's heart "cloudy now in double darkness ... her features were so sad,
they did not seem hers." Believing Heathcliff is telling the truth, Catherine convinces Mrs. Dean to travel to
Wuthering Heights the next day.

Analysis
Powerful imagery is used to reveal Catherine's character and show how she is different from Cathy.
Catherine is earthy and unselfish, able to empathize and think ahead, whereas Cathy was impatient and fiery,
allowing momentary circumstances to make her ill. Catherine is a good listener, and she takes Mrs. Dean's
advice; Cathy was sassy with Mrs. Dean. Catherine and Cathy are not exact opposites; Catherine's love of
nature and animals reflects Cathy's character, and Catherine, like her mother, is spirited and emotional by
nature, acting out of natural affection rather than her father's artificial mannerliness. Catherine's inherent
goodness and empathy offer a potential correction to the chaos that Cathy's selfishness unleashed.
The nature imagery in the chapter is used metaphorically. Thorns and stickers represent Cathy's moral
dilemma. Catherine is stuck, and Heathcliff uses guilt to make her feel more stuck and to separate her from
Mrs. Dean—represented by the wall between them. In the previous chapter, Mrs. Dean describes Catherine's
eyes as "radiant with cloudless pleasure." In this chapter, the meeting with Heathcliff causes Mrs. Dean to say
Catherine's "heart was clouded in double darkness." A downpour of rain signals the turn in the plot toward
stormier times ahead.

Chapter 23 | Summary
Summary
Catherine and Mrs. Dean cross the moors to visit Linton. The day before, Heathcliff told Catherine that
Linton is dying because she stopped writing her letters to him. When they arrive, Linton tells Catherine not to
kiss him because it takes his breath away. He is angry he had to write to her because it tired him and then his
father blamed him, saying he is a "painful, shuffling, worthless thing" because Catherine never visits. "Are you
glad to see me?" Catherine asks many times. Linton says he wants to marry her so she will take care of him.
Catherine says being brother and sister is better, that husbands and wives sometimes hate each other. This
leads to an argument about their fathers. Catherine defends Edgar and Linton defends Heathcliff. Angry,
Catherine shoves Linton's chair, causing him to choke and cough.
Catherine apologizes, saying, "I couldn't have been hurt by that little push, and I had no idea that you could,
either." Linton does not accept Catherine's apology, but when she tries to leave, he writhes on the floor in
agony "determined to be as grievous and harassing as he can be," according to Mrs. Dean. Catherine spends
another hour trying to make him comfortable, propping his pillows and reciting poetry for him while he leans
on her for support.

Back at Thrushcross Grange, Mrs. Dean catches a cold that incapacitates her for three weeks. Catherine
diligently nurses Mrs. Dean and her father during the day and sneaks over to Wuthering Heights to care for
Linton every night.
Analysis
Catherine and Linton's lack of passion contrasts with Cathy and Heathcliff's all-consuming love. Catherine's
visit mirrors an event from the past—when Edgar visits Cathy and she has a violent tantrum and manipulates
Edgar into staying afterward. Edgar is the proper gentleman in the past encounter; Cathy the spoiled indulged
child. Here, Catherine is the nurse, and Linton is the spoiled indulged child. Further, their physical interactions
are cold, lifeless, and clinical; they disappoint Catherine, who is eager for a romance. Linton's illness also
reflects a difference from the past: Cathy suffered from a broken heart. Linton is shown to be insufferable. The
symbolic ghost of the past lingers in the present when Linton and Catherine argue over their fathers' different
versions of the truth, and it creates a loose dramatic irony that flows through the novel—the reader knows
much more about the past than Linton and Catherine. The reader gets a front row seat to the effects of different
combinations of mixed bloodlines and environments—nature and nurture—over time, while the characters are
unknowledgeable about where they come from and what exactly is influencing their behavior.

Chapter 24 | Summary
Summary
Michael, a servant who works in the stables, has been helping Catherine sneak out in exchange for
books. Mrs. Dean catches Catherine returning from visiting Linton at Wuthering Heights. Catherine,
distressed by lying, confesses all the details to Mrs. Dean. At first, the visits go well, and Zillah makes
everything comfortable for Catherine and Linton. One night, Hareton tries to impress Catherine by showing
her that he can read his name above the door, but Catherine laughs at him when he can't decipher the numbers.
Then she goes inside to visit with Linton. Hareton, a while later, bursts into the room and throws Linton on the
floor. Then he shoves him and Catherine into the kitchen. Linton screams that he'll kill Hareton for this, and
then chokes so violently, blood comes out of his mouth. Catherine runs for Zillah, but when they return,
Hareton is carrying Linton upstairs to his room. Joseph laughs at Catherine and Linton, happy to see justice
served in Hareton's realization that he is the true master of Wuthering Heights. Catherine ignores Joseph and
leaves on her pony soon after. Hareton catches up to her out on the moors, trying to apologize, but Catherine
lashes him with her whip, and he curses and gallops away.
Catherine also tells Mrs. Dean about a quarrel she had with Linton over their different visions of a perfect day.
Then Catherine begs Mrs. Dean not to tell Edgar, so she can continue to see Linton. Mrs. Dean promises to
consider it, and then goes directly to Edgar, telling him everything. Edgar forbids Catherine from visiting
Wuthering Heights.

Analysis
Catherine's character has a unique relationship with the servants in the novel, and Brontë uses the difference
between her and the other characters to explore how pride is destructive but humility overcomes class
prejudices and leads to justice. Catherine sees the servants for who they are. She respects them, knows their
hopes and aspirations, helps them, and calls them by their first names. Slowly but steadily, Catherine is
becoming a character worthy of a happy ending. Giving Michael books from Catherine's personal collection,
not just those from the library, "satisfied him better." This is a powerful clue for analyzing the meaning of
Catherine's interactions with the servants. Zillah's kindness provides imagery of the good will that flows when
class distinctions aren't interfering. Zillah prepares a "clean" room, a "good" fire, and warm "wine," all of
which have religious associations, entwining the central theme in this chapter with the theme of good versus
evil. Mrs. Dean, who, at times, represents the moral compass and judge of the other characters' spiritual
qualities throughout the novel, has found Catherine to be an apt pupil for her moral teaching. Later, in the kind
of detail exemplifying Brontë's extraordinary craft, Catherine sweetly gives Mrs. Dean credit for supplying the
song she uses to charm Linton. It is very rare for a servant to receive gratitude or credit in the novel.
The contradiction found in Catherine's behavior toward Hareton—that she cannot give Hareton the kindness
she gives to the servants—is the main point of the chapter, as well as the result: violence. Hareton attacks
Linton, as a way to rechannel his violent feelings toward Catherine. Notably, developing the message about
love in the novel, Hareton carries Linton upstairs and tries to apologize, matching Catherine's nature
completely. Joseph supplies the idea of justice (his glee over Hareton getting the first inklings of it), which is
always hidden nearby when ideas about pride, humility, judgment, and pity are being explored.

Chapter 25 | Summary
Summary
In the present, Mrs. Dean encourages Mr. Lockwood to consider a romance with Catherine. Then she
rewinds the story to a little less than a year ago when Edgar's death is imminent. Linton has been writing
letters pressuring Edgar to allow him to marry Catherine. Edgar considers the marriage, and Mrs. Dean
reassures him with the idea that Catherine will be rewarded in the marriage because she does her duty. He has
set aside a yearly income for Catherine, but the only way for her to live permanently at Thrushcross Grange is
through marriage with Linton, the male heir. Edgar agrees to let Mrs. Dean accompany Catherine weekly to
see Linton out on the moors.

Analysis
Mr. Lockwood's romantic interest in Catherine is intended to throw the reader off the trail, as the novel toys,
again, with the reader's expectation for a conventional happy ending.
A core message for the theme of good versus evil comes from Mrs. Dean's comment: "People who do their
duty are always finally rewarded." This connects to well-known religious ideas of the time about the virtue of
being a humble servant, alluded to throughout Wuthering Heights.
What the readers know, but the characters do not, is that all because of Edgar's insistence on Thrushcross
Grange going to a male heir—even though Edgar could make a clause in the will and leave it to his daughter—
Heathcliff is leveraging a race between Linton and Edgar's death and Linton and Catherine's marriage.

Chapter 26 | Summary
Summary
Catherine sets out on her horse to meet Linton halfway between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange,
but Linton is so ill he only makes it a quarter of a mile away from his home. Catherine is concerned for Linton;
he's grown thinner and paler than when she saw him last. He is withdrawn, confused, and snappish. He asks
Catherine to lie to her father and say he is healthy, and to not provoke Heathcliff's anger against him. He begs
Catherine to stay another half hour, and then falls asleep while she looks for berries with Mrs. Dean.
Catherine, eager to leave his sour company, takes off on her horse as Heathcliff approaches.

Analysis
Continuing the loose and flowing dramatic irony in the novel, the reader knows that Heathcliff is forcing
Linton to meet with Catherine; Linton is too ill to love anyone, let alone play the part of a romantic lover, and
Catherine is too inexperienced to fully realize it—although she does notice it seems like Linton is being
compelled. Their love is the opposite of the consuming, jealous love between Heathcliff and Cathy. However,
Catherine and Linton have more tenderness and understanding between them. As Catherine tries to force a
romantic interaction, she becomes blind to Linton's illness. Linton explains the reasons for his behavior, a
major departure from Heathcliff and Cathy's inability to communicate with each other in the past.
Chapter 27 | Summary
Summary
Edgar Linton will die soon, and Catherine is always at his bedside. On the day she is supposed to meet
Linton, she doesn't want to go, but Edgar urges her, finding comfort in knowing she won't be alone in the
world after he dies. Mrs. Dean thinks Edgar is mistaken in thinking Linton is like him in character just
because they look alike, "for Linton's letters bore few or no indications of his defective character."
When Linton arrives on the moors, he's angry Catherine is late: "Is your father not very ill? I thought you
wouldn't come." Catherine takes offense, urging him to tell the truth, that he only pretends to like her. But that
is not the problem. Linton is terrified, but he won't say why. He'll only say he'll be killed if Catherine leaves
him, then he breaks down, sobbing and holding onto her skirt. When it looks like she will stay, he says,
"perhaps you will consent." Feeling Linton is hiding something from her, Catherine asks, "You wouldn't hurt
me, Linton, would you? You wouldn't let any enemy hurt me?" Linton admits something is
wrong; Heathcliff threatened him, but he can't tell her why.
Heathcliff shows up and lures Catherine and Mrs. Dean back to Wuthering Heights, using the excuse that
Linton is too sick to walk on his own and too afraid to let Heathcliff touch him. "Come then, my hero. Are you
willing to return escorted by me?" Heathcliff says sarcastically, but it's actually a ploy. Back at Wuthering
Heights, Heathcliff convinces Mrs. Dean and Catherine to come inside, and when they enter, he shuts the door
and locks it. Observing Catherine and Linton, Heathcliff says to Mrs. Dean, "It's odd what savage feeling I
have to anything that seems afraid of me! Had I been born where laws are less strict and tastes less dainty, I
should treat myself to a slow vivisection of those two, for an evening's amusement."

Catherine's furious Heathcliff has locked her in when her father is dying. She wrestles the key from his hand,
biting and scratching, but he grabs her and hits her head. Mrs. Dean attacks, calling Heathcliff a villain, but
Heathcliff pushes her back. Meanwhile, Linton is perfectly composed now that he is out of danger, which
disgusts Mrs. Dean. Then Linton explains Heathcliff's plan: he wants Catherine and Linton to marry before
Edgar dies.

When Heathcliff returns, Catherine begs him to let her go home. Catherine agrees to marry Linton; she asks
only to go home first, so Edgar knows she is safe. Heathcliff says no and locks them in Zillah's room. The next
morning, he lets Catherine out, but Mrs. Dean is held prisoner for the next five nights.

Analysis
This chapter is the climax of the story-within-the-story in the novel. Pointedly, Heathcliff calls Linton "hero"
when Linton's laying a trap for his beloved, which is not heroic at all. As the love interest in the second half of
the novel, Linton, morally weak and physically dying, is a failed romantic hero; he lacks the charismatic
energy necessary to bend the universe to his will, be a champion of individuality, and overcome the dark forces
of his father's hatred to be Catherine's champion. The chapter is built to expose Linton for all that he really is:
once the threat of violence is gone, Linton turns back to his upper-class, spoiled nature. Catherine is emerging
the true romantic hero of the story-within-the-story. She physically fights Heathcliff, and though he
overpowers her, she does not give in to flaws that subsume other characters. Since the beginning of her
relationship with Linton, Catherine has been the romantic pursuer, transgressing traditional (for the time the
novel was written) social boundaries of male and female.
Heathcliff's larger role of antihero in the novel is temporarily dropped to villain status. Mrs. Dean literally
calls him "villain" to make it clear, and the idea is woven throughout the chapter; it hardly needs declaration.
Whatever hope the reader had of redemption for the antihero Heathcliff, it is annihilated in this chapter with
his gruesome, Gothic notion—when he suggests cutting into and eating the children while they are alive, and
for pleasure.
Chapter 28 | Summary
Summary
Mrs. Dean, freed from imprisonment in Zillah's room, looks for Catherine. She finds out from Linton that
Catherine is still locked in his bedroom. Acting innocent and sucking on a piece of candy, Linton tells Mrs.
Dean, Heathcliff "says I'm not to be soft ... she's my wife ... it's shameful that she should wish to leave me" and
that Catherine wants all of Linton's money. Linton tells Mrs. Dean he will never let her leave. He says
everything that was hers is his now: "All her nice books ... her pretty birds ... her pony Minny," and he told
Catherine the same when she offered them to him as a bribe to unlock the bedroom, so she can
see Edgar before he dies. She even offers her locket with Edgar and Cathy's pictures inside, but Linton says
those are his too, and he tears the locket from her neck. Heathcliff comes when Catherine screams; he smashes
the locket with his foot and hits Catherine on the mouth. Linton admits it made him glad, until her mouth filled
with blood. Mrs. Dean is horrified by Linton's behavior, and she reminds him how kind Catherine was when
she did not have to be. Linton will not tell Mrs. Dean where the bedroom key is. Mrs. Dean calls Linton a
heartless, selfish boy, but she perceives "the wretched creature had no power to sympathize with his cousin's
mental tortures."
Mrs. Dean rushes out and runs across the moors to Thrushcross Grange. She sends servants back to break
Catherine out of Wuthering Heights. She tells Edgar a softened version of what happened. Edgar tells Mrs.
Dean to call Mr. Green, his lawyer, to change the will. But unknowing the whole truth—that Linton is also
dying—Edgar only slightly makes changes to the will: Thrushcross Grange will be left to any male children
Catherine has.

The servants come back without Catherine, believing a lie Heathcliff tells. Mrs. Dean plans to send more
armed servants tomorrow, but Catherine shows up in the morning. She sneaked out with a little help from
Linton. Keeping Heathcliff's crimes to herself, Catherine sits quietly with Edgar as he dies. Mr. Green finally
shows up; he works for Heathcliff now, and he fires all of the servants except Mrs. Dean; Heathcliff allows
Catherine to stay at Thrushcross Grange until after the funeral.

Analysis
The horror of Linton's behavior, mirroring Heathcliff's cruelty, is meant to arouse an intense emotional
response, as Linton surprises the reader with one shocking revelation relishing violence and power
over Catherine after another, all while he pretends to be innocent. Women have limited legal rights, and even
a man like Edgar, gentle and loving toward his daughter, leaves her powerless in the world. Linton may be
weak, and thus superficially resemble the gentle Edgar, but Brontë makes it clear that weakness is not the
same thing as deliberate gentleness, and Linton's weakness does not prevent his cruelty.
The limitations of Linton's and Catherine's understanding of their marriage create another moment of dramatic
irony: Linton is glad to have his cousin's possessions and pony, like one child jealous of another's toy, and is
oblivious to his father's larger goal of revenge. Catherine, frantic to go home to her father, has no sense of the
permanent damage she has caused herself to gain a few moments at Edgar's bedside.

The limitations of the law, which Heathcliff exploits for the purposes of revenge, are on display in this chapter.
Heathcliff is able to bribe a supposedly honorable lawyer, and he uses inheritance law, which was intended to
keep money and property within families, as a way to control everything belonging to the Lintons.
Yet, Mrs. Dean pities more than judges at a place in the novel where if ever there were a time to judge and cry
out for justice, it would be now, driving deeper a core message in the pity versus judgment theme. Here is the
extreme example of a "heartless" and "selfish" character, but pity still holds greater value than judgment. Mrs.
Dean's words reflect the heart of the theme: "You could pity your own suffering; and she pitied them, too; but
you won't pity hers!" Mrs. Dean, who advocates pity throughout the novel, does not give in to revenge or
violence.
Chapter 29 | Summary
Summary
The night after Edgar's funeral, Heathcliff comes to Thrushcross Grange to bring Catherine back to
Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff says his presence is "as potent on [Linton's] nerves as a ghost." Mrs. Dean asks
if Catherine and Linton may move to Thrushcross Grange, but Heathcliff says no because he plans to rent it to
a tenant. Catherine agrees to return to Wuthering Heights, declaring Linton is all she has left to love in the
world now. Heathcliff calls her a "boastful champion," then laughs at her because he heard Linton telling
Zillah how he would treat Catherine if he were as strong as Heathcliff. "I know he has a bad nature." Catherine
says. "He's your son." But she can forgive Linton and love him.
When Catherine leaves to pack her things, Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean he dug up Cathy's grave last night, and
she has not decomposed yet. He plans to be buried in the same casket with her when he dies. He also tells Mrs.
Dean about the time he tried to dig up Cathy's grave right after she died. He stopped digging because he heard
Cathy's spirit sighing in his ear. Her ghost has haunted him ever since; but he can only hear and feel her, and
he longs to see her. That night, he says, "I ought to have sweat blood then, from the anguish of my yearning—
from the fervor of my supplications to have but one glimpse." Heathcliff says Cathy has been a devil to him in
death as she was in life; she has killed him "not by inches, but by fractions of hairbreadths."
When Catherine is ready to leave, she says goodbye, and Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean not to visit her at
Wuthering Heights.

Analysis
Heathcliff calls Catherine a "boastful champion," reinforcing the idea of Catherine being the romantic hero of
the story-within-the-story.
Linton, a failed hero in Chapter 27, villainous in Chapter 28, has transformed into a nervous wreck that
"wakes and shrieks in the night by the hour." It is significant that Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean his "presence is
as potent on [Linton's] nerves as a ghost" moments before revealing Cathy's ghost is haunting him. This
introduces the symbol of ghosts in the chapter. Linton is following in his father's footsteps, yet, mirroring
Heathcliff's fate at a much faster clip. Linton, unlike Heathcliff in some ways, has little concern for anything
besides his own comfort, and it makes a powerful difference in the kind of cruelty each inflicts on others.
Ultimately, Linton is just a sick little boy being tormented by his father while he is dying; his cruelty to
Catherine is lessened in the face of his mortality and unhappiness.
Neither Mrs. Dean nor the reader has been privy to Heathcliff's emotional interior since the death of Cathy; he
has simply functioned as an antagonist and villain. All at once, the reader discovers the extent to which Cathy
has been haunting Heathcliff. The reader will wonder if he has gone mad. The passion that seemed like love
when Cathy was alive will now look like obsession or insanity. The biblical reference to Jesus's experience in
the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus yearns for God's comfort so strongly he sweats blood, connects to
Heathcliff's intensity in the chapter, perhaps to show how troubled and obsessed Heathcliff is.

Chapter 30 | Summary
Summary
It is about six weeks after Mr. Lockwood rents Thrushcross Grange. Mrs. Dean hasn't
seen Catherine since Heathcliff took her to Wuthering Heights. Mrs. Dean runs into Zillah on the moors, and
Zillah gossips about what's happened since Catherine came to live there:
The first thing Catherine does when she arrives at Wuthering Heights is to run upstairs to check on Linton,
without stopping to say hello to Zillah. Then Catherine comes downstairs and requests a doctor or help for
Linton because he'll die otherwise, but Heathcliff tells her, "None here cares what becomes of him; if you do,
act the nurse; if you do not, lock him up and leave him." So Catherine nurses Linton as best she can. She asks
Zillah, Joseph, and Hareton for help, but they all fear Heathcliff and refuse to help. Zillah explains to Mrs.
Dean, "Though I thought it wrong Kenneth should not be sent for, it was no concern of mine ... once or
twice ... I've seen her crying on the stairs'-top; and then I've shut myself in quick for fear of being moved to
interfere. I did pity her then, I'm sure; still, I didn't wish to lose my place, you know."
The night Linton dies, Catherine is silent and exhausted. Heathcliff asks her how she feels, and she tells him
"you have left me so long to struggle against death alone, that I feel and see only death." Zillah gives Catherine
some wine, and Heathcliff leaves her alone for a fortnight. When Catherine emerges from her room, she is
angry with everyone because of all she's gone through: "When I would have given my life for one kind word ...
all kept off." Zillah says, "The more hurt she gets, the more venomous she grows."

In the aftermath of Linton's death, Zillah encourages a romance between Catherine and Hareton, to which Mrs.
Dean objects. Zillah says, "You happen to think your young lady too fine for Mr. Hareton ... but I own I should
love well to bring her pride a peg lower ... what will all her learning and daintiness do for her now?" Zillah
also tells Mrs. Dean that Heathcliff coerced Linton to sign a will leaving Thrushcross Grange to him, but since
Linton is a minor, he couldn't leave the land; it belongs to Catherine. But having no money or friends, Mrs.
Dean supposes, Catherine will not be able take the house from Heathcliff. Mrs. Dean considers renting a
cottage for her and Catherine to live in, but she knows Heathcliff would never allow it.

Mrs. Dean's story has ended. Mr. Lockwood tells the reader he plans to go back to London, so he's going to
visit Wuthering Heights to tell Heathcliff he's leaving.

Analysis
This chapter continues to explore the negative aspects of division between social classes. Neglecting to say
hello causes distance between Catherine and Zillah, who would have been a good ally for Catherine. Zillah
judges Catherine rather than pities her because she does not know, as the reader does, everything Catherine has
suffered and that Catherine is the humblest of the privileged characters—at least, according to Mrs. Dean. The
novel's structure, using the difference between Mrs. Dean's narration and Zillah's viewpoint supports the
judgment versus pity theme. Catherine seems prideful, but really, she is in a terrible situation requiring a great
deal of inner strength. Also, the abusive and violent Wuthering Heights environment strikes again with its
tendency to have a negative effect on every character that lives there.
Catherine's predicament—being Linton's sole caregiver, alone with the horror of death—is a very Gothic
scenario, and it continues the exploration of apathy from Chapter 27. Heathcliff leaves Catherine to fend for
herself or choose apathy. Here, apathy equals violence—if the reader carries Catherine's alternate choice
through to its conclusion and envisions the horror of Catherine actually leaving Linton to die utterly alone.
Also, Zillah finds pity for Catherine at times, but she shuts the door to shut out her feelings. This illustrates
how fear is stronger than pity, and it shows how fear creates apathy. Zillah is not entirely against Catherine;
she is unwilling to risk her job, but she does advise Catherine to pursue a relationship with Hareton. This
demonstrates the powerful impact servants have in their masters' lives; how much servants are willing to risk
for their masters, or how much empathy they have for them, can alter their destinies or dramatically affect their
emotional wellbeing.
Zillah points out that Catherine is poorer than she and Mrs. Dean, highlighting the reality for privileged women
from the novel's time; under the wrong circumstances, it is better to be a servant earning a wage than a woman
of privilege under the rule of a cruel male tyrant—husband or relative.

Chapter 31 | Summary
Summary
Mr. Lockwood visits Wuthering Heights to tell Heathcliff he is going back to London. Carrying a little note
for Catherine, from Mrs. Dean, Mr. Lockwood waits at the "jealous gate," always locked, until Hareton lets
him in. Catherine is in the kitchen, cooking, when Mr. Lockwood enters. Mr. Lockwood observes that she is
sulky and less spirited than when he saw her last; she hardly looks at him, and he comments, "She's a beauty, it
is true; but not an angel."
Now, in the parlor with Catherine and Hareton, Mr. Lockwood drops the note on Catherine's lap. "What is
that?" she asks loudly, and Hareton confiscates it. Embarrassed (afraid they will think the letter is from him),
Mr. Lockwood explains that it's from Mrs. Dean. Catherine ignores Mr. Lockwood, but he urges her to speak
with him; Mrs. Dean will expect a reply of some sort. "Does Ellen like you?" Catherine asks. "Yes, very well,"
Mr. Lockwood replies. Catherine tells him to tell Mrs. Dean that she would write, but she doesn't have any
paper—or books. Mentioning books brings up an ongoing argument between Hareton and Catherine. She
teases Hareton, in front of Mr. Lockwood, about the way he sounds when he's trying to read aloud. She
accuses Hareton of spitefully stealing all of her books, and when Hareton offers to give them back, she tells
him they are debased and "profaned in his mouth!" She never wants them back. Hareton, embarrassed, hits
Catherine, and Mr. Lockwood thinks, "The little wretch had done her utmost to hurt her cousin's sensitive
though uncultivated feelings, and a physical argument was the only mode he had of balancing the account."

Hareton goes outside as Heathcliff returns. Catherine slips into the kitchen. They discuss the rental agreement.
Perceiving Mr. Lockwood is trying to get out of paying the full year, Heathcliff tells him, "I never relent in
exacting my due from anyone." Mr. Lockwood promises to pay. During dinner, Mr. Lockwood wonders why
Catherine doesn't want to eat with him. He supposes "living among clowns and misanthropes, she probably
cannot appreciate a better class of people when she meets them."

Mr. Lockwood would like to catch one more glimpse of Catherine before he leaves, but Heathcliff walks him
outside. Mr. Lockwood muses, "What a realisation of something more romantic than a fairytale it would have
been for Mrs. Linton Heathcliff, had she and I struck up an attachment, as her good nurse desired, and
migrated together into the stirring atmosphere of the town!"

Analysis
The novel has repeatedly asked the Victorian reader to consider the value of pity and the peril of judgment.
Now, the reader enters the chapter with full knowledge of the major joys, disappointments, injustices, and
abuse—the greatest good, the worst bad—Heathcliff, Hareton, and Catherine have delivered or suffered. The
reader no longer needs Mrs. Dean's explanations or Mr. Lockwood's observations as he walks through the
Wuthering Heights "jealous gate," always fastened. The knowledge of the characters is unlocked, and the
reader is free to choose between pity and judgment while witnessing the characters' present day behaviors and
interactions.
And now, the reader also has the ability to assess Mr. Lockwood's character accurately. As the chapter
progresses the reader will be able to measure Mr. Lockwood's observations against the reader's own
interpretations. When Mr. Lockwood first met Heathcliff, Catherine, and Hareton, the reader saw these figures
through his eyes, and may have judged them to be uncouth and impolite, as he did. Now, the reader parts ways
with Mr. Lockwood: he knows their circumstances, but is too pompous and oblivious to feel empathy for them,
and he makes himself ridiculous in the reader's eyes by imagining that it would be "more romantic than a fairy
tale" for him to carry Catherine off. The reader, knowing the characters' backstories now, is much more likely
to pity them and to empathize with their unhappiness.

Chapter 32 | Summary
Summary
A hunting trip brings Mr. Lockwood near Gimmerton, so he decides to visit Wuthering Heights and pay the
rest of his bill for renting Thrushcross Grange. He arrives at Thrushcross Grange first. A servant he does not
recognize answers the door. "Are you the housekeeper?" he asks. She replies, "Eea, Aw keep the hause," and
she tells him "Mistress" Dean works at Wuthering Heights now. The servant is frantic because Mr. Lockwood
arrived unannounced, so he is unable to ask her any more questions.
When he arrives at Wuthering Heights, the gate is unlocked, so Mr. Lockwood has an opportunity to eavesdrop
on a conversation between Hareton and Catherine in the kitchen. Catherine is teaching Hareton to read, and
giving him slaps and kisses as rewards or reprimands, which makes Mr. Lockwood bitterly jealous, since
Catherine is so beautiful.
Once inside, Mrs. Dean says Mr. Lockwood will have to pay his rent to Catherine. Or, he can settle with Mrs.
Dean, since she helps Catherine with the household finances now. Mr. Lockwood is confused. Mrs. Dean
explains that he must not have heard; Heathcliff died three months earlier. As Mrs. Dean explains how he
died, she first explains how Catherine and Hareton became friends "by both their minds tending to the same
point." Mrs. Dean says she is glad Mr. Lockwood did not try to win Catherine's heart. The "crown of all her
wishes" is that Catherine and Hareton will marry.

Analysis
This chapter is connected to the underlying meaning in the novel's title. Mrs. Dean, Catherine,
and Hareton have withstood the wuthering atmosphere and Heathcliff's stormy violence and revenge. Also,
the chapter contains a nod to the servant's role in the lives of the privileged when Mr. Lockwood asks the new
servant, "Are you the housekeeper?" and her response—I keep the house—implies she does so much more
than dust and sweep. The reader has learned through observing Mrs. Dean that a servant can love, protect, and
serve with the fierce loyalty of a family member, and servants wield a significant amount of power over their
masters' happiness and fate.
The motif of locked doors, walls, and windows signifying boundaries and social isolation as characters search
for where they belong, comes to its resolution: all the doors, windows, and gates are unlocked. The dynamic
between Catherine and Hareton is significant in this context; they have crossed the boundaries between them,
symbolized by Catherine's blond ringlets intermingling with Hareton's brown locks. Catherine and Hareton
have made peace through books. Earlier in the novel, the question of which is more valuable, physical strength
and humility or intellectual power is presented. Catherine and Hareton balance the two when Catherine drops
her false pride over being more educated than Hareton. This resolves the past (when Hindley took Heathcliff's
opportunity for education away). Hindley was the true villain all along, and his cruelty set in motion a cycle of
unhappiness. The present generation has righted the wrongs of the past generation by rising above pride.
Happiness, love, and peace are rewards for their openness and humanity toward one another.

Chapter 33 | Summary
Summary
In the present, Mrs. Dean explains the events leading up to Heathcliff's death to Mr. Lockwood.
One day, Catherine and Hareton infuriate Joseph by ripping up his currant trees to plant a flower garden.
Later Joseph complains to Heathcliff and threatens to leave. He calls Catherine the devil's temptress and
accuses her of casting a spell on Hareton. He thinks Mrs. Dean's song about fairies is evil too. Heathcliff has
recently come home, and seeing Catherine and Hareton being peaceful and loving disturbs him. He yells at
Catherine for daring to alter Joseph's garden, or touch even a stick at Wuthering Heights, but when she
responds that he's stolen her money and Hareton's and that Hareton will defend her now, Heathcliff grabs her
by the hair. Hareton begs him not to hurt Catherine, just this one time, and he tries to pry Heathcliff's fingers
out of Catherine's hair.
The next night, they all quietly eat dinner together, and after signaling for Catherine and Hareton to leave the
table, Heathcliff opens up to Mrs. Dean: "It is a poor conclusion, is it not," he begins, and he continues, "I get
levers and mattocks to demolish the two houses ... now would be the precise time to revenge myself ... but
where is the use? I don't care for striking ... that sounds as if I had been labouring the whole time only to
exhibit a fine trait of magnanimity." Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean he has changed, and he feels strange. Hareton
seems more like a personification of his youth than a human being; Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean that "Hareton's
aspect was the ghost of my immortal love; of my wild endeavours to hold my right: my degradation, my pride,
my happiness, and my anguish." Heathcliff's words worry Mrs. Dean. She wants to know if he is afraid to die.
Heathcliff says he is yearning to attain it with his whole being.

Analysis
Joseph's view of women is revealed in this chapter, and the argument he has
with Catherine and Hareton about destroying his garden is an allusion to the story of Adam and Eve from the
Old Testament. The idea of yoking, another biblical reference in the chapter, relates to doing one's duty, so,
here, Joseph is emphatically denying to do what he knows is right in terms of his religious beliefs, making the
point that Joseph's skewed view of women is the source of his long-running hypocrisy.
The past, represented symbolically by Cathy's ghost in the chapter, lives in the present everywhere
for Heathcliff, but nowhere as clearly as it does in Hareton's and Catherine's eyes and burgeoning love.
Hareton is Heathcliff. Catherine is Cathy. Hareton and Catherine in the present are Heathcliff and Cathy in
their childhood. All are related through Cathy, and this inescapable truth disarms Heathcliff's final act of
revenge and softens him. However, the novel makes certain readers make no mistake about what Heathcliff is.
He wasn't secretly working the whole time toward a happy ending. The past turning good in the present
deflated him; or perhaps the sight of love and friendship arising even in terrible circumstances allows
Heathcliff to see beyond his own selfish, warped love. Heathcliff remains an antihero, not a romantic hero, and
the themes of violence and revenge and good versus evil will end with this moral conclusion.

Chapter 34 | Summary
Summary
A strange illness overtakes Heathcliff and changes his personality. He is restless; he can't eat and he's
unusually bright and cheerful. Mrs. Dean is curious why. Heathcliff laughs and tells her, "Last night, I was on
the threshold of hell. To-day, I am within sight of my heaven." Mrs. Dean, perplexed, wonders if he's a ghoul
or vampire, going as far as to remember Heathcliff's whole life and how when Mr. Earnshaw brought
Heathcliff home, "the little dark thing was harboured by a good man to his bane." She shakes off her thoughts
as superstitious, then she sees a vision of Heathcliff's grave, which comes true a few days later.
Meanwhile, Heathcliff's good mood confuses Hareton too. When Hareton tries to talk to him, Heathcliff tells
him to get away, go to Catherine, and "he wondered how I could want the company of anybody else." Mrs.
Dean has no luck coaxing Heathcliff to eat. She finds him wandering around, talking to the air as if someone
were there, and clenching his hand when he reaches for food. Not being able to shake off her bad feeling, she
offers to find a minister to explain the Bible to him in case he dies, but he says, "No minister need come; nor
anything be said over me.—I tell you I have nearly attained my heaven; and that of others is altogether
unvalued and uncoveted by me."
Mrs. Dean worries constantly about him until she goes to check on him one morning when he sleeps late, and
she finds him dead in Cathy's childhood bedroom. The lattice is open and the rain falls on Heathcliff's corpse.
The corpse's sneering grin and wide-open eyes horrify Mrs. Dean. She tries to close his eyes, but they won't
stay shut. Joseph says Heathcliff looks wicked and the devil's taken his soul. Only Hareton grieves profoundly
for Heathcliff, holding his hand and kissing his face.
Mrs. Dean describes the funeral to Mr. Lockwood. Then she tells him about the rumors and sightings of
Heathcliff's and Cathy's ghosts. Even Mrs. Dean is afraid at night now, and she tells of a boy with a lamb and
two sheep who she discovered crying on the moors one night. The sheep refused to walk toward the ghosts of
Cathy and Heathcliff.

Analysis
The structure of the chapter takes Heathcliff quickly through the steps necessary to draw the conclusion that
Heathcliff's love is entirely obsession and he has chosen Cathy over redemption. It would have been tempting
to imagine Heathcliff being redeemed by Hareton and Catherine's happier reincarnation of his romance with
Cathy, but Brontë makes the issue more complex than that. Heathcliff is "within the sight of my heaven,"
which suggests that he still lives in a moral universe centered around his and Cathy's love, rather than any
larger spiritual or moral code. Since her death, Heathcliff has always longed for the company of Cathy's ghost,
so it will not be surprising when he rejects Mrs. Dean's offer to fetch a minister. It is understandable what
Heathcliff means by heaven when he says, "I tell you I have nearly attained my heaven; and that of others is
altogether unvalued and uncoveted by me." Heaven means being with Cathy, and Cathy, while alive, made the
same choice. The novel seems to suggest, for Heathcliff, eternal damnation with Cathy is better than being in
heaven without her, and because of this choice, both are left outside of heaven, doomed to wander the moors. It
is up to the reader to decide whether Heathcliff and Cathy have doomed themselves to an eternity of restless
unhappiness, or whether they have managed to create a version of happiness uniquely suited to themselves and
their turbulent love.
                     

Quotes
1.

  Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house that I and my dogs, I am willing to own, hardly know how to
receive them. 

Heathcliff, Chapter 1

Heathcliff is referring to his dogs, but unbeknownst to Mr. Lockwood in this moment, Heathcliff has treated
the children in his care, Hareton and Catherine, similarly—he both owns them and discourages their education,
domestication, or highborn manners, foreshadowing how the children will behave as nastily as the dogs when
Mr. Lockwood meets them.
2.

  Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves. 

Mrs. Dean, Chapter 7

Mrs. Dean's advice to Heathcliff carries a main message in the novel and reveals the core of the theme of Pride
versus Humility.
3.

  Wish and learn to ... change the fiends to confident, innocent angels, suspecting and doubting nothing, and
always seeing friends where they are sure of foes. 

Mrs. Dean, Chapter 7

Speaking of Heathcliff's eyes, Mrs. Dean delivers sage advice to the still receptive and redeemable young
Heathcliff, who is at a crossroads between developing into an angel or devil, a good or evil person.
4.
Here! and  here! ... In my soul and in my heart, I'm convinced I'm wrong! 

Cathy, Chapter 9

Cathy shares her intuition with young Mrs. Dean after accepting Edgar's marriage proposal. Cathy's
presentiment, visions, and intuition will increase as the plot twists and turns from this point forward.
5.

  My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it ... as winter changes the trees. My love
for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath ... Nelly, I  am  Heathcliff! 

Cathy, Chapter 9

Cathy discerns between her temporal love for Edgar and her eternal love for Heathcliff; comparing Heathcliff
to an eternal rock has religious associations, and in some ways, Cathy and Heathcliff's love has a religious
quality to it. She feels as he feels, and, in her perception, they share one being.
6.

  I'll go make peace with Edgar instantly. Good-night! I'm an angel! 

Cathy, Chapter 10

Cathy is so happy when Heathcliff returns that she reconciles with God and promises to be good, and, in this
instance, makes up with her husband after a fight. The motif of angels and devils supports the theme of good
versus evil throughout Wuthering Heights.
7.

  You fight against that devil for love as long as you may: when the time comes, not all the angels in heaven
shall save him. 

Hindley, Chapter 13

Hindley wants to kill Heathcliff, but it will take away his chance to leave his son an inheritance. The "devil" is
both Heathcliff and an impulse stopping Hindley from killing Heathcliff. This play on words emphasizes how
much Hindley has gone over to the dark side; he is referring to a good impulse—not to kill—as a "devil."
8.

  It is not in him to be loved like me: how can she love in him what he has not? 

Heathcliff, Chapter 14
Heathcliff mirrors Cathy's earlier confession of love, cementing the idea in the novel of the two being of one
soul, meant only for each other.
9.

  He has no claim on my charity. I gave him my heart, and he took and pinched it to death, and flung it back to
me. 

Isabella, Chapter 17

Isabella's "delusional love" contrasts with Cathy's "eternal" love connection with Heathcliff. This is Isabella's
moment of clarity, as she struggles to free herself from false love.
10.

  Treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than
their enemies. 

Isabella, Chapter 17

Through Isabella's rejecting an opportunity for revenge, a core message about violence is delivered to the
reader, as her character contrasts with Heathcliff and Hindley, and she is the one character who escapes
Wuthering Heights.
11.

  One hoped, and the other despaired: they chose their own loss, and were righteously doomed to enjoy them. 

Mrs. Dean, Chapter 17

Comparing Hindley to Edgar, Mrs. Dean "moralizes" on how Edgar's faith contrasts to Hindley's despair. She
makes an important distinction in mentioning each man chose his path to redemption or destruction.
12.

  And we'll see if one tree won't grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it. 

Heathcliff, Chapter 17

The battering of the wuthering wind on trees symbolizes the effect of a violent or negative environment on
individuals, as Heathcliff intentionally seeks to lower Hareton from his birthright as a gentleman into the
position of an uneducated servant.
13.

  One is gold put to the use of paving-stones, and the other is tin polished to ape a service of silver. 
Heathcliff, Chapter 21

The contrast between Hareton and Linton's innate character traits reinforces a core message about erroneous
class distinctions. "Service of silver" signifies the tea service performed daily by servants for unworthy
masters.
14.

  He'll undertake to torture any number of cats, if their teeth be drawn and their claws pared. 

Heathcliff, Chapter 27

Heathcliff strikes on the true nature of his son, Linton, whom Catherine has erroneously made her hero. Brontë
establishes Linton as an antihero like his father in this chapter.
15.

  However miserable you make us, we shall still have the revenge of thinking that your cruelty arises from your
greater misery. 

Catherine, Chapter 29

Catherine has just told Heathcliff she is glad to have a better nature than Linton because she can use it to
forgive his bad nature. Her use of the word revenge here actually extends the positive connotation of her earlier
words. Using verbal irony, she is both sympathizing with Heathcliff and comforting herself with the
knowledge he is miserable and lonely.

Themes

Brontë's themes slowly build then converge, becoming intrinsically and logically intertwined midway through
the novel. By the end, each logical argument contained within each theme unravels from the other themes and
concludes.

Good versus Evil

An exploration of religious-based ideas of good and evil create the primary theme in Wuthering Heights, and
the themes of judgment versus pity, love and obsession, and violence and revenge, which are also religiously
rooted, support it. The four lesser themes indicate individual choices, which add up to either good or evil. Pity,
humility, love and forgiveness—the opposite of revenge—add up to choosing good; judgment, pride,
obsession, and violence add up to choosing evil. The first half of the novel explores the idea of natural
inclinations toward one or the other—good or evil—through a repetition and juxtaposition of devil and angel
imagery and biblical references as the narrator, Mrs. Dean, wonders if Heathcliff and Cathy are, or will turn
out to be, good or evil. During this section, Brontë explores how an environment might influence characters
toward good or evil. Ideas of freewill and personal choice to suffer begin in the middle of the narrative around
the time when Hindley renounces God and spirals into villainy. Once Brontë's complex argument is in place
and ideas of natural character tendencies, role of environment, and freewill are established, the second half of
the novel shows individual characters, who lean toward the good—Catherine, Isabella, Hareton, Edgar, and
Mrs. Dean—battling evil represented by Heathcliff. Then the theme culminates with Heathcliff's ultimate
choice between good and evil. His choice locks him out of heaven and casts him into a hellish state,
condemned to spiritually wander the moors with Cathy, who also rejected heaven and religion when she was
alive.
Mrs. Dean's character is the representative of the good qualities of love, pity, humility, and forgiveness.
Heathcliff and Cathy represent the evil choices of violence, revenge, pride, selfishness, judgment, and
obsession. Joseph's character stands in the middle, representing religious hypocrisy, as he believes he is good,
but having no qualities of love or the good established in the novel (pity, humility) serves to create an
environment on the side of evil instead of good.

Judgment versus Pity

Brontë differentiates between biblical judgment, as reserved for the divine, and personal judgment between
individuals, which is always accompanied with a choice between judgment and pity. Generally, a lack of pity
leads to pain, injustice, and suffering for the person judged, making the thematic statement that to judge others
is harmful to them, unjust, and not a right reserved for human beings. Repeatedly, the reader is provoked to
feel pity over judgment for the characters, even Heathcliff and Hindley, and shown the disturbing results of an
absence of pity, such as Linton's treatment of Catherine and his ensuing horrible death.
Commentary on class distinctions is woven into the judgment versus pity theme. The servants are always
expected to feel sympathy for their masters. Masters are inclined to judge, and are usually portrayed to lack
pity. When servants lack pity at times—Zillah toward Catherine and Mrs. Dean toward Cathy—the judged
characters devolve into mean-spirited, selfish, or destructive behavior, demonstrating the ill of judgment and
the benevolent power of pity.
Pride versus humility is a thematic extension of judgment versus pity: the prideful are judgmental and the
humble are sympathetic, or in other words, capable of pity. However, the results are different in that judgment
injures the judged individual, the individual acted upon, whereas pride brings sorrow to the prideful, the
individual taking wrong action. Further, humility, manifested in serving and doing one's duty, brings reward to
the humble, whereas pity is not linked to reward. The conclusion of the theme plays out in Catherine's story
line; having completed her duty in caring for the dying, once she is humble enough to drop her pride
toward Hareton, she is rewarded by having Thrushcross Grange and happiness restored to her with the added
bonus of love.

Violence and Revenge

Through Hindley and Heathcliff's relationship, Brontë begins a complex argument about the effects of
physical violence. Her first point is to show how abuse creates abusive, vengeful individuals when they do not
forgive and turn violent to lessen their pain. Isabella represents the wise individual who understands the true
nature of violence and its consequences. She delivers the message for the theme when she says violence
wounds the person who chooses it. Next, through Linton's relationship with Heathcliff, Brontë shows how
apathy is created by violence and the fear of violence, again, by a desire to avoid pain. Through Hareton and
Linton, Brontë demonstrates how neglect and apathy can be violent. In this way, attributes, such as the ones
Heathcliff hates—duty, compassion, charity, and kindness—become opposites of violence, actions with which
to fight the evils of violence and revenge.

Love and Obsession

In the first half of Wuthering Heights, through Heathcliff and Cathy, Brontë suggests that to go against one's
heart and soul is against love and equivalent to death, since Cathy dies for making the wrong choice. Then she
shows how making love an obsession by choosing human love over Godly, heavenly love becomes love turned
evil and idolatrous—with several references to Cathy and Heathcliff making each other an "idol." This is the
core of the love and obsession theme; it requires the entirety of the novel to make its point. However, Brontë
explores other facets of love throughout. Mr. Lockwood represents superficial attitudes toward love, beneath
which lurks cowardice. Isabella represents delusional, false love, also idolatrous, which she escapes by seeing
that what she thought was love was actually violence and hatred. Catherine and Hareton represent love's
power to overcome pride and evil, laden with the idea that to love moderately leads to happiness.

Belonging
The setting of the two opposing households, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, combined with the
symbolism of the moors between them and Cathy's wandering ghost highlights the devastating isolation
individuals feel while searching and seeking a sense of belonging. Human beings, Brontë demonstrates
through this theme, must align with their true destinies, whether they—figuratively speaking—encounter walls
they must climb over, discover windows and doors barred and locked, or set out on a journey to explore. They
innately know where they belong; visions, presentiments, and dreams will guide them, and the development of
a good character will lead them to the persons and places in which they can at last feel a sense of peace and
unity.
                     

Biography
Emily Jane Brontë, born July 30, 1818, spent most of her life in the English countryside of Yorkshire. Little is
known of her brief and isolated life. Brontë lived at the Haworth Parsonage, where her father, Patrick Brontë,
was a curate of the Evangelical strand of the Church of England. Evangelical Christianity had begun as a
movement against spiritual superficiality believed to exist in the established Church. The Methodist Church
had separated from the Church of England before the Brontë children were born, and like their father, the
Brontës scorned Baptists and Methodists, who are mocked in Wuthering Heights.
The Yorkshire that Emily grew up in was an isolated, rural place. Her mother died when Emily was just three
years old. Two of Emily's elder sisters also died during her childhood. Four Brontë siblings remained: Emily,
Charlotte, Anne, and Branwell, all within a year or two of each other in age. The Brontë family life was most
likely warmhearted and the children's studies, religious exploration, and theatrical leanings encouraged.
Although a curate, Patrick Brontë was generally against religious indoctrination of children and adults, and the
love of God was given more weight than the fear of hell. According to Charlotte Brontë, Emily, like her father,
wholeheartedly believed in a merciful Godhead and a blissful life after death.

The children were schooled almost entirely at home and became each other's closest companions and
playmates. One of their pastimes was inventing elaborate, highly detailed imaginary worlds, each with its own
characters and storylines, which they turned into tiny, handwritten books. The pastime did not end with their
childhoods, however: all four would become writers.

The Brontë family was not wealthy, and Emily, along with her siblings, had to find work. All of them
attempted to become teachers or tutors, but Emily, who was by nature introspective, sensitive, and willful,
particularly struggled with the grueling hours and harsh standard of behavior that was expected of teachers,
eventually giving up on it. Nonetheless, the Brontë siblings all spurred each other to complete writing projects
and seek publication. It was Branwell, the only son, who was expected to achieve literary fame, but he
published a handful of poems and then sank into obscurity, becoming an alcoholic and opium addict.

In 1845 his three sisters joined forces to publish a book of poems. Women writers were uncommon, so the
Brontë sisters posed as men to seek publication under the male pseudonyms Currier, Ellis, and Acton Bell.
Emily Brontë had been discouraged in her writing career by her teacher, Robert Southey, who admitted she
had poetic ability and a mind for logic, but believed that literature was not a suitable endeavor for a woman.
Charlotte later wrote that "we did not like to declare ourselves women because—without at that time
suspecting that our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called 'feminine'—we had a vague
impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice."

The sisters' book of poems sold very few copies, but their luck changed when they began writing novels.
Charlotte produced Jane Eyre, Emily penned Wuthering Heights, and Anne wrote Agnes Grey. All three
novels were accepted for publication in 1847, again under the male pseudonyms of the Bells. Jane Eyre was an
immediate success, and Agnes Grey also sold well. However, Wuthering Heights was neither a commercial nor
a critical success. Its first reviewers recognized Emily Brontë's extraordinary talent but criticized the book for
being shocking and repugnant, full of immoral and dislikable characters. One critic (who assumed the novel's
author was male) wondered that the author did not kill himself before completing the novel, due to its violent,
tortured content.
Wuthering Heights would be Emily Brontë's only novel. Her brother Branwell died of tuberculosis in
September 1848 at age 31. Emily died of the same disease on December 19, 1848, at age 30. Tuberculosis
would claim her twenty-nine-year-old sister Anne, who died in 1849, as well.
After Emily Brontë's death, her sister Charlotte wrote a biographical note and introduction for a new edition
of Wuthering Heights in 1850, clarifying its authorship, as some critics and readers believed the book to be an
earlier attempt by Charlotte.
Today, Wuthering Heights is considered a masterpiece. It is one of the primary works of Gothic fiction in
English literature, with its combination of romance, horror, feverish passion, and death, and still has the power
to shock readers. Heathcliff and Cathy are often cited among the greatest lovers in literature. The novel's
power has prompted numerous adaptations for film and television.l                       

Discussion Questions 1 - 10
What is the significance of Heathcliff and the servants' reactions to the dogs attacking Mr. Lockwood in
Chapter 1 of Wuthering Heights?
As it would be expected for the wealthy owner of two estates to keep a guest safe, Heathcliff and his servant
Joseph's slow and unconcerned reaction when the dogs attack reveals antipathy, bordering on cruelty,
establishing a sense of danger and chaos. The dog attack happens just after Mr. Lockwood describes
Wuthering Heights as a wind-and-storm-battered location. This connects to how the narrator describes the
servant quelling the dogs as "the storm subsided magically ... heaving like a sea after a high wind," since the
servants, throughout the novel, will continuously attempt to repudiate (Joseph), shelter (Mrs. Dean), and
ameliorate the abuse the main characters will bestow upon each other or be forced to endure.

What evidence in Chapter 3 of Wuthering Heights confirms that the ghost of Cathy is real?
The events in the chapter suggest the ghost is real even if it appears in a nightmare. Mr. Lockwood sees a
ghostly image, "a glare of white letters ... as vivid as spectres" before he falls asleep. The ghost of Cathy
speaks her own name, using Linton, which Mr. Lockwood notes is not the name he focused his attention on
earlier. Cathy's spirit also tells Mr. Lockwood that "I've been a waif for twenty years," information impossible
for Mr. Lockwood to know. It could be argued Cathy has not been dead that long, but the spirit does not use
the words gone or dead, she purposely uses the word waif, and she did suffer being reduced to a waif—a
homeless child, a thin person, or something unclaimed—which has connotations of both illness and
homelessness, years before she dies. The only hint the ghost is a figment of Mr. Lockwood's imagination
comes after Heathcliff accuses him of being "mad to speak so." Mr. Lockwood's fear of insulting Heathcliff
causes him to make the excuse of "reading it [etching on the ledge] often over produced an impression which
personified itself." Previously Mr. Lockwood did not doubt at all the house is haunted and "swarming with
ghosts and goblins." The final confirmation of Cathy's ghost actually existing comes from Heathcliff opening
the lattice and begging her to come in.
 Cathy Mr. Lockwood
What does Heathcliff's reaction to abuse in Chapter 4 of Wuthering Heights suggest about his character
as a child?

Mrs. Dean says Heathcliff "would stand Hindley's blows without winking," and when she pinched him he
would act as if it happened "by accident." He does not appear to be naturally violent, allowing others,
including Cathy, who spit on him, to injure him and refraining from striking back. She also conjectures
Heathcliff is already used to "ill-treatment" by the time Mr. Earnshaw brings him to Wuthering Heights. Yet,
he adapts quickly to his new environment and learns to manipulate to get what he wants. Even though Mrs.
Dean suggests he will become vindictive later, he seems at first to be struggling to survive in an abusive
environment where he is despised by almost everyone.

What is the thematic significance of Hindley and Heathcliff's fight over the horses in Chapter 4
of Wuthering Heights?
Heathcliff's "hold" of Mr. Earnshaw's "heart" and using it to claim the best horse for himself ties in with the
theme of judgment versus pity. Hindley, having no pity, loses his father's love and wreaks his father's
judgment; Heathcliff gains love by being pitiful and escapes Mr. Earnshaw's judgment for his manipulative
behavior. (Heathcliff manipulates Hindley in taking the "handsomest" horse and then taking Hindley's horse
when the handsome horse "fell lame.") Since the very first moment Mr. Earnshaw saw Heathcliff, "he was
determined he would not leave it as he found it." Mr. Earnshaw is the only member of the family moved to pity
for the homeless child Heathcliff. Hindley's malice toward Heathcliff isolates him from his own father, who
loves and pities Heathcliff. The fight over the horses between the two boys represents how a lack of pity for
Heathcliff and lack of justice for Hindley leads to both of their being emotionally twisted in ways impossible
to straighten later, ensuring only tragedy for both characters.

What is the difference between Joseph and young Mrs. Dean's viewpoints in Chapter 5 of Wuthering
Heights?
Mrs. Dean, as a young girl, at the time of Mr. Earnshaw's death, believes Joseph is a self-righteous hypocrite,
who believes everyone is evil except for him. This leads Joseph to vexing Mr. Earnshaw—to the point of
illness in young Mrs. Dean's opinion—and turning him against his children. Mrs. Dean sees Cathy, Hindley,
and Heathcliff differently than Joseph does. She sees Cathy as high-spirited, not evil. Heathcliff she describes
as smitten with Cathy, a follower, willing to do her bidding. Mrs. Dean understands how Mr. Earnshaw's
rejection hardens Cathy against her father and against Joseph's moralizing. There is a significant difference in
how the two characters view death. Joseph scolds young Mrs. Dean, Cathy, and Heathcliff for crying for Mr.
Earnshaw because he believes it is sacrilegious to mourn when someone has died. Joseph is a hardened man
while Mrs. Dean is a child and still has a child's outlook even though she has the responsibilities of an adult.

How does Hindley's new wife, Frances Earnshaw, affect the plot in Chapter 6 of Wuthering Heights?
Hindley seems to have matured while away at college. However, Frances Earnshaw's dislike of Heathcliff
provokes Hindley's old hatred, resulting in Heathcliff's lowered status and loss of education. There are several
significant instances throughout the novel, during which darkness has the opportunity to turn to light, and this
is one of those moments when happiness and peace are thwarted by a lack of compassion, allowing judgment
to win over pity. It is significant that Mrs. Dean suspects Frances Earnshaw of low birth and describes in detail
how the she delights over the estate, as well as her efforts to win Cathy's love with gifts. This signals a desire
to advance her station in life. As in numerous instances in the novel, climbing the social heights requires
putting others in a position below.

What can be learned from how Mr. and Mrs. Linton treat Cathy differently from Heathcliff when they
are both caught snooping in Chapter 6 of Wuthering Heights?
Mr. and Mrs. Linton take pity—in the sense of sympathy and compassion—on Cathy for being a girl from a
wealthy family in mourning for her father's death. Heathcliff is judged for cursing, and he is stereotyped by the
Lintons as a "gipsy" and a thief for having dark skin and hair. Heathcliff mentions seeing the Linton family in
church, yet they do not "see" him as a true member of the Earnshaw family even with prior knowledge of Mr.
Earnshaw adopting him. They judge him by their standards, reserving no pity for someone below their own
station. This moment of humiliation for Heathcliff leads to all of the major conflicts that follow in Wuthering
Heights, showing just how powerful choosing to judge rather than seek true understanding can be.
How does Brontë use the two narrators conversing in the present in Chapter 7 as a device to reveal
character and illustrate bigger ideas in Wuthering Heights?
There are two distinct parts to Chapter 7: Mrs. Dean's story about Cathy, Heathcliff, and the Linton children,
and Mrs. Dean's conversation with Mr. Lockwood. The two parts are connected, since they both focus on class
distinctions. In the first part of the chapter Mrs. Dean reveals her true feelings about the class distinctions of
her society. She gives Heathcliff the advice to heal his injured pride by considering the possibility that he could
have come from a noble bloodline. Then she points out that Heathcliff is physically stronger than Edgar. This
sheds light on her perceptions of privileged children: how she feels disdain for their physical weakness. In
describing Edgar as the type of child who "cried for mamma at every turn ... and trembled if a country lad
heaved his fist at you ... and sat at home all day for a shower of rain," Mrs. Dean shows what she values: a
strong underdog type like Heathcliff over a pampered privileged child, leaving the reader to wonder if she too
felt the sting of bearing her own low station in society. In the second part of the chapter Mr. Lockwood tells
Mrs. Dean she does not possess the "manners" "peculiar" to her class, signaling to the reader that (1) servants
do not typically show their wisdom to their wealthy masters, (2) Mr. Lockwood considers himself superior to
Mrs. Dean, (3) it does not occur to Mr. Lockwood that he is being condescending, or (4) that Mrs. Dean is
intelligent enough to know that he is being condescending. Though she laughs in response, Mrs. Dean tells Mr.
Lockwood she has read all the books in the library and "sharp discipline" has taught her wisdom. The reader is
left to connect the first part of the chapter to the second part of the chapter, to come to the conclusion that
upper-class members of society do not necessarily deserve the privilege they enjoy, and they are not
automatically better and smarter than their servants; they just think they are, and the current society supports
the false notion that they are.

What is the thematic significance of Mr. Lockwood's comments on marriage in Chapter 7 of Wuthering
Heights?
After admitting the country lifestyle of Wuthering Heights would be a good environment for finding "a love
for life," since there is less chance of distraction from "frivolous, external things," Mr. Lockwood describes his
personal view of love. By describing love past a year as "almost impossible" and confusing Mrs. Dean with his
superficial views about love being a boring "single dish" or "a table laid out by french maids," meaningless yet
full of variety, Mr. Lockwood's comments provide an antithesis for the love and obsession theme that develops
in the novel. Cathy and Heathcliff's intense love would be impossible for a character like Mr. Lockwood to
truly comprehend or ever experience. However, his more normal and casual attitude helps the reader to fully
grasp the exploration of the types of love that occur in Wuthering Heights. He is the lightest on the scale of
passion; Cathy and Heathcliff are the heaviest.

Is Mrs. Dean an unreliable narrator in Wuthering Heights?

First, an unreliable narrator, by definition, is untrustworthy due to a mental condition or a seriously skewed
perspective, such as Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe. Mrs. Dean is no Montresor.
She is not obsessed by her subjects, nor does she consistently lie, manipulate, or skew the truth. Her agenda, if
she has one, changes as circumstances change, in relation to the other characters, which is very natural and
human. Brontë draws her to be a fully developed character, and because she is human, with biases, opinions,
and preferences, at times she is unreliable. It is only because of her narration that the reader knows she can be
manipulative or spiteful: she tells Mr. Lockwood her negative feelings, hinting at her culpability in negative
plot events, and she relates how her perspective changes over 23 years. Admitting faults makes her trustworthy
more than it makes her unreliable. However, it is important for the reader to recognize that Mrs. Dean is not an
objective narrator; her version of the truth is subjective. In addition, her narration is problematic because Mr.
Lockwood's personality interferes, and it is impossible for the reader to know to what extent. It's also
problematic because Mrs. Dean reveals hardly any personal information about her own life outside of her life
as a servant. For instance, the reader only discovers at the very end of the novel that Mrs. Dean rents her own
cottage. The reader will never know when or why she lives there. Mrs. Dean only hints at her discontent with
being a servant. Without "seeing" her apart from Mr. Lockwood and the privileged characters, it is impossible
to know if she has a dual nature, acting differently in different environments. She does slide different speech
styles into the narration when she describes her conversations with Joseph and Zillah, but she is still relating
the story to Mr. Lockwood, and she keeps with a certain level of formality in the narration. In the end it is
impossible to categorize her wholly as an unreliable narrator.                     

Discussion Questions 11 - 20
How does Cathy's illness in Chapter 9 of Wuthering Heights change her character?
In previous chapters, Mrs. Dean repeatedly mentions hoping something will "check" Cathy's inclinations
toward arrogance, but her illness actually increases her sense of entitlement and selfishness. The doctor tells
the servants and Hindley that vexing Cathy is dangerous, and she takes the notion to the extreme, considering
"it was nothing less than murder" to be contradicted, thus confusing needs and wants with something
analogous to survival. Hindley, who was previously quick to control Cathy and act parental toward her, now
indulges her as the doctor orders. Just after recovery, Cathy's personality is made complete, and she is now
someone who must have her own way, as evidenced in her demand that Mrs. Dean accompany her to
Thrushcross Grange despite the narrator's tears and protestations.

What does Cathy mean when she says Edgar's soul "is as different from a moonbeam as lightning, or
frost from fire" in Chapter 9 of Wuthering Heights?
Cathy is using imagery to contrast Edgar's temperament with her and Heathcliff's temperament. She says she
and Heathcliff are like lightning and fire, which are both dangerous, hot-tempered, and wild. The heat of fire is
also indicative of the passionate love Heathcliff and Cathy feel. Lightning signifies Cathy's unpredictability
and Heathcliff's angry streak. Edgar, on the other hand, is like a moonbeam, which signifies a weak, gentle,
and reflective character. Cathy's description of his character as being like frost implies Edgar is cold or rigid,
unfeeling or reserved in temperament. It suggests he lacks passion. The comparison also alludes to Edgar's
physical appearance, as his hair is blond and his skin is pale like the moon's duller light.

In Chapter 9 of Wuthering Heights, what do the pony and ensuing storm represent in connection to
Heathcliff's leaving Wuthering Heights?
When Joseph returns from looking for Heathcliff, he mentions seeing the gate wide open and "miss's" pony
gone, having trampled a few rows of corn in the fields. Joseph is referring to Cathy's pony, the same black
pony she receives when she stays with the Lintons after their dog bites her on the ankle. It is likely Heathcliff,
who is always in the barn and brushes the pony immediately when Cathy returns, let the pony out of the barn
in angry haste. At least, it is meant to represent Heathcliff's departure, along with the night being too dark for
searching. Heathcliff is often referred to as dark in the novel, physically and emotionally. The storm verifies
Mrs. Dean's earlier hesitation to hear Cathy's dream, fearing "something from which I might shape a prophecy,
and foresee a fearful catastrophe." The storm produces an angry mood to match Heathcliff's rage and create a
sense of doom. It is like an orchestral accompaniment to Cathy's choice of Edgar, thus ignoring her own heart
and her own intuition. Either wind or lightning knocks over the tree, and both have symbolic associations with
Heathcliff, as Cathy compares him to "lightning" only hours before the tree falls.

How does Mrs. Dean's character change in Chapter 9 of Wuthering Heights?

Mrs. Dean, now in her early twenties, is stronger, bolder, and angrier than she has been in previous chapters.
She makes fun of Hindley when he puts a knife between her teeth and threatens to kill her. She openly dislikes
Cathy, and shows that she is intellectually and morally superior to Cathy, as well as more mature in matters of
love. She agrees with Joseph that the storm feels like "judgment," which she associates with Hindley being a
"Jonah" by running from his fatherly duty. Previously, she mocks Joseph's sermonizing. Generally, Mrs. Dean
has grown more religious, also shown in her unwillingness to hear Cathy's dreams. Her feelings of being a
"foster-sister" to Hindley and Cathy have dissipated as her role of servant has solidified.

In what way, if any, is Mrs. Dean responsible for Cathy's death in Wuthering Heights?
Mrs. Dean is so worried that Heathcliff means harm to Cathy, Edgar, and Isabella that she riles Edgar up to
start a fight with Heathcliff, which spurs Cathy to make herself sick. Cathy accuses Mrs. Dean of being a
"traitor" when Mrs. Dean fails to pity Cathy and assist in softening Edgar toward her. Then she calls Mrs.
Dean a witch when Cathy realizes the truth. It is difficult for Mrs. Dean to feel pity for Cathy's insanity
because she feels so strongly that Cathy is faking her illness for attention, and out of pity for Edgar, Mrs. Dean
lets Cathy alone to make her own choices. Cathy, not having the benefit (as the reader does) of knowing Mrs.
Dean's true feelings, expects Mrs. Dean to always be working for her benefit. However, Mrs. Dean thinks
Cathy is arrogant, that she made the wrong decision when she chose Edgar, and that she is in the wrong in her
marriage with Edgar and the way she treats Isabella. Mrs. Dean knows they humor Cathy, even though Cathy
believes she yields to them for their happiness. Mrs. Dean never tells Cathy the truth, but she often judges
Cathy privately. Mrs. Dean's absence of pity at a crucial moment, justified as it may be, leads directly to
Cathy's illness and subsequent death, as a lack of pity usually has negative results in Wuthering Heights.

Why does Heathcliff think Isabella is a dishonor to the Linton name in Chapter 14 of Wuthering Heights,
and what does Heathcliff's view of Isabella reveal about his character?
Isabella's love for Heathcliff disgusts him because he can abuse her and she will continue to love him. The fact
that Heathcliff hung Isabella's dog and she still agreed to run away with him makes him suspect she has an
"innate admiration" for brutality. He says it took the "labour of Hercules" in the form of incessant cruelty to
make her hate him. He sees her devotion in the face of ill treatment as degrading behavior for a woman of her
social status. Mrs. Dean's comment earlier in the chapter corroborates Heathcliff's viewpoint when she notices
circumstances "altered their positions" and Heathcliff seems like a gentleman compared to Isabella, who
appears a "thorough little slattern." Isabella has degenerated by being in the harsh environment of Wuthering
Heights. It is significant that Isabella matches Heathcliff's negative character traits much more than Cathy ever
did, yet Heathcliff thinks Isabella is not a good love match for him. It also shows that he really believes he has
become a gentleman.

Why is it significant that Mrs. Dean asks Heathcliff if he understands what the word pity means in
Chapter 14 of Wuthering Heights?
When Heathcliff cries out "I have no pity! I have no pity!" it implies he feels anguish over lacking pity, which
actually suggests a kernel of pity within him. The way he elaborates on his inner nature, saying "the more
worms writhe, the more I yearn to crush out their entrails," conveys the idea that Heathcliff does know the
difference between right and wrong; he is capable of experiencing guilt from all the pain he is constantly
inflicting. He calls his own instincts "moral teething," and he says he "grinds with greater energy in
proportion ... to the increase of pain" he produces in his victims. This implies anguish on a biblical level, as
gnashing and grinding of teeth references a hellish state for the spirit cast away from God after biblical
judgment. Then Mrs. Dean asks the significant questions that elevate the conversation to a thematic level. She
wants to know if Heathcliff understands "what the word pity means" and if he has ever felt "a touch of it" in
his life. This seems purposely constructed to make the reader consider whether a person for whom no pity has
been shown can ever feel it for another person. It forces the reader to consider that Heathcliff's character might
represent the answer to the question. Having lived a brutal life, his ability to empathize with others is stunted.
Heathcliff's lack of empathy causes him pain, but it is as if he cannot help himself or be a better person.
What does Heathcliff mean by "infernal selfishness" in Chapter 15 of Wuthering Heights?
Cathy, clearly dying, has no pity for Heathcliff. She accuses him of killing her and enjoying it. She mentions,
"How strong you are!" and bitterly asks, "How many years do you mean to live after I am gone?" She is dying,
and she is speaking in a way that will cause him maximum pain long after her death. Her words convey intense
anger that he will live on and she will be gone. In this moment, Heathcliff wanted to believe Cathy will be at
peace in death, but she says, "I shall not be at peace," and takes away any chance to feel comfort Heathcliff is
hoping for. He, still living, will have to bear her last words and her accusations, which will cause him torment.
This is what makes him accuse her of "infernal"—meaning hellish—selfishness.

In Chapter 16 of Wuthering Heights why does Heathcliff want Cathy to haunt him after she dies?
Cathy and Heathcliff both identify their own feelings and souls with the other. They believe they can
communicate when separated from each other and that they are each other in spirit, so the idea of Cathy being
in a different emotional state, one of peace, is unbearable to Heathcliff. He also alludes to feeling guilty at
having been partially the cause of her death, and he believes he should be punished for his actions. "The
murdered do haunt their murderers," he says to Cathy's spirit. She did accuse him of killing her before she
died, and he is grappling with her last words.

What does the locket that Cathy's corpse wears represent in Chapter 16 of Wuthering Heights?
Heathcliff ripping out a lock of Edgar's hair from the locket around Cathy's neck shows his possessiveness and
jealousy over Cathy. It also represents Heathcliff's passionate belief that Cathy was meant to be his wife, not
Edgar's, and vice versa, as Cathy did reject Edgar in the end and admit to Heathcliff she is dying for whatever
she did wrong. Mrs. Dean's twisting the two locks together and placing them back inside the locket represents
the relationships and intertwining destinies between the members of the household of Wuthering Heights and
Thrushcross Grange, as well as the associations of dark and light, being entwined creating a sense of peace.

Discussion Questions 21 - 30
What does Cathy's gravesite location imply in Chapter 16 of Wuthering Heights?
Cathy is buried in a corner of the churchyard overlooking the moors. Cathy is not buried with the Lintons, near
the chapel, nor with her own family, the Earnshaws, which surprises the servants. No reason is given for this
choice of burial location, but it suggests Cathy never found her true destiny and place of belonging while alive,
and she will not find it in death either. It forebodes and foreshadows the wandering and forlorn spirit she will
become. Not being buried by the chapel reflects how Cathy rejected religion and heaven; being buried by the
moors and not with the Lintons reflects how she felt torn between the expectations of upper-class society and
her love for Heathcliff, since they spent all of their free time together on the moors when they were children.

What is significant about the fact that only servants attend Cathy's funeral in Chapter 16 of Wuthering
Heights?
Isabella, Heathcliff, and Hindley do not attend Cathy's funeral. A lack of mourners who are related to Cathy or
truly love her signifies the discord and doom created by Cathy's choosing to go against her heart and
Heathcliff's diabolical leanings toward revenge: not having a proper relationship, there is no hope for a proper
goodbye. It also signifies the futility of Cathy's ambitions to be an upperclass, wealthy lady. Besides Edgar,
only servants attend her funeral—this is the sad culmination of all Cathy's ambitions. When Cathy was alive,
she expected servants to obey her, like her, and care about her, yet she was oblivious to Mrs. Dean's true
feelings, and she failed to recognize Mrs. Dean's humanity and humility because of her pride. Yet Mrs. Dean
loyally attends Cathy's funeral, cries for her, and tells the story of her life. This is a poignant moment in the
novel, showing the humanity and dignity of servants who are not given the dignity they perhaps deserve in
return.
How does Isabella feel about Heathcliff when she leaves him in Chapter 17 of Wuthering Heights?
Isabella is in conflict, fighting the love she still feels for Heathcliff even as she escapes Wuthering Heights.
Her words suggest her jealousy toward Heathcliff's love for Cathy, which significantly surfaces and spills over
in front of Isabella after Cathy's death, despite how it makes Isabella feel. Isabella uses Heathcliff's pain to
taunt and mock him, which implies agonizing feelings of jealousy. Right after she tells Mrs. Dean that "he has
extinguished my love," Isabella admits she can remember the love she had for Heathcliff and can "dimly
imagine that I could still be loving him." Then she cries out "No, No!" She does not let Hindley kill Heathcliff,
and she does tell the truth when Joseph threatens to ask the magistrate to investigate Heathcliff for trying to
murder Hindley. Even though she has found the strength to leave, she does still imply love and desire for him.

How does Brontë leave the possibility open to suspicion that Heathcliff kills Hindley in Chapter 17
of Wuthering Heights?
It is doubtful, but not impossible, that Heathcliff actually murders Hindley at the end of Chapter 17. The
situation in which Hindley dies is exactly like the night Isabella recalls in detail for Mrs. Dean when Hindley
locked Heathcliff out of the house. Heathcliff reacted brutally to being locked out and almost killed Hindley
that night. This shows Heathcliff capable enough of violence, yet, he stops himself, and when he calms down
he tends to Hindley's wounds. The night Hindley died, Heathcliff says Hindley had intended to drink himself
to death. Joseph does not dispute Heathcliff's statement, and they did wait until the morning to break in, but
Joseph does say he wishes Heathcliff ran for the doctor because Hindley was not anywhere near death when
Joseph left. Heathcliff pays for Hindley's funeral and attends it, looking mournful, but Mrs. Dean implies
Heathcliff is faking mourning, and she explicitly says she saw something like "exultation" in Heathcliff's
mood. There is a tremendous amount of evidence to arouse suspicion that Heathcliff kills Hindley.

What is the significance of the imagery Mrs. Dean uses to describe Hareton in Chapter 18 of Wuthering
Heights?
Mrs. Dean discusses Hareton's character in relation to natural elements, such as crops and soil, which ties in
with the weather, wind, and tree symbolism throughout the novel. Trees represent children, and the wind
represents the characters—and often violent experiences—that shape the children's personalities and lives. Had
Hareton, who has "good" qualities "lost amid a wilderness of weeds," grown up in "wealthy" soil, Mrs. Dean
comments, he might "yield luxuriant crops." The symbolism is specifically tailored for Hareton, as he works
mostly as a farmer, and Heathcliff has not physically abused him. Heathcliff takes revenge by never correcting
Hareton or teaching him how to read and write, hence Mrs. Dean's use of "wilderness of weeds."

What is the significance of Joseph's interaction with Hareton as described by Mrs. Dean in Chapter 18
of Wuthering Heights?
Mrs. Dean says that she has heard gossip that Joseph "pets" and "flatters" Hareton because he is the remaining
"head of the old family." This moment is the first inkling given of Hareton's possibility of turning into a
sympathetic character with heroic qualities. Joseph also allows Heathcliff to "ruin" Hareton because he
believes Heathcliff will go to hell for it. This is a complete contradiction, and as Joseph is sometimes shown to
be a religious hypocrite, his conflicted dealings with Hareton reflect his paradoxical behavior. Considering
how close Joseph and Hareton will become in the future, it is almost humorous, and aptly so, that Joseph
accidentally protects Hareton by trying to injure Heathcliff in this way. Mrs. Dean says that had Joseph
"instilled into him a pride of name ... and of his lineage ... he would have fostered hate" between Hareton and
Heathcliff.

In Chapter 21 of Wuthering Heights what does it mean that Heathcliff is willing to tell Mrs. Dean his
plan for Catherine to marry Linton?
Heathcliff tells Mrs. Dean that he wants Catherine and Linton to marry, and he's "acting generously to [Edgar
Linton]: his young chit has no expectations ... she'll be provided for at once as joint successor with Linton."
Mrs. Dean, who does not trust Heathcliff, reminds him that if the sickly Linton should die, Catherine will
inherit Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff is honest in telling Mrs. Dean Thrushcross Grange will be his because
there is no clause in the will. This is the first clue that Heathcliff plans revenge. Mrs. Dean adds she was
foolish to believe him, hinting at events to come in the story. However Heathcliff clearly does not fear that
anyone can stop him from being successful in getting what he wants. Catherine could get Thrushcross Grange
if a clause is placed in the will, so there is significant risk in exposing his plan. It is possible Heathcliff's desire
for revenge is losing steam, or he is partly sincere when he says he is being generous because Catherine will be
provided for.

In Chapter 21 of Wuthering Heights does Heathcliff lie to Catherine or tell the truth when he explains
why he and Edgar Linton are enemies?
Heathcliff tells Catherine that Edgar thought he was too poor to wed Isabella and their marriage hurt Edgar's
pride. Edgar tells Catherine it was "because Mr. Heathcliff dislikes me; and is a most diabolical man,
delighting to wrong and ruin those he hates." The truth is rooted in their childhood experiences. Isabella and
Edgar and the older Mr. Linton and Mrs. Linton despised and degraded Heathcliff the very moment they met
him, and they sent him home without Cathy because they thought he was unworthy of entering their
household. In this sense Heathcliff is telling the truth. However, Heathcliff did injure Isabella as revenge for
the childhood experiences the Lintons made him suffer, so Edgar is also telling the truth, but not the whole
truth.

Why does Catherine believe Heathcliff's version of the truth in Chapter 21 of Wuthering Heights over
Edgar and Mrs. Dean's explanations of the disputes between the households?
Catherine believes Heathcliff because she has just caught Mrs. Dean and her father in a lie, which is that they
kept Linton's whereabouts from her for several years. This happens soon after Heathcliff cleverly sets up the
whole situation to look as though he has nothing to hide: he brings Catherine to Wuthering Heights so she can
see her cousin Linton again, and then when she wants to regularly come back and visit, Heathcliff casually
tells her that he and Edgar do not get along. The fact that Heathcliff will allow Catherine to be friends with
Linton and spend time at Wuthering Heights makes him appear the nobler and more morally just man. She
also, as Mrs. Dean explains, cannot understand the capacity for hatred and slow revenge Heathcliff harbors
because none of those negative traits are in her own personality. Unlike the reader, without access to the past
and the real history between Heathcliff and Edgar, Catherine is in no position to understand the truth her father
is trying to tell her.

How does Heathcliff feel about Hareton in Wuthering Heights?

Heathcliff definitely has strong feelings of approval toward Hareton when he says, "Twenty times a day, I
covet Hareton ... I'd have loved the lad had he been someone else." This is coming very close to a feeling of
love—to say he would have loved. Heathcliff's actions in Chapter 21 also suggest paternal feelings of love
toward Hareton. When Catherine whispers something "uncivil" into Heathcliff's ear about Hareton, Heathcliff
spares Hareton's pride, pretending not to remember exactly what Catherine says; he lies, saying it is
"something very flattering." He also advises Hareton how to act with Catherine to make her like him.
Heathcliff's feelings of repulsion toward his own son indirectly suggest Heathcliff loves Hareton—by way of
contrast—because the repulsion for Linton clarifies the qualities Heathcliff admires, and these are qualities
Hareton possesses. At the end of the book, Heathcliff sees Catherine teaching Hareton to read, and seems
moved rather than upset; immediately after, he tells Mrs. Dean that he no longer feels the same desire for
revenge, suggesting that Heathcliff finds the possibility of redemption for himself in Hareton's happiness with
Catherine.                      
Discussion Questions 31 - 40
What is the significance of the contrasting imagery between Linton's and Catherine's versions of a
perfect way to spend a day in Chapter 24 of Wuthering Heights?
The contrasting imagery accompanying Linton's and Catherine's descriptions of what each believes would be
the "most perfect idea of heaven's happiness" serves the purpose of reflecting the characters' dispositions and
highlighting how they are not really suited for each other. Linton's perfect day includes seeing only one type of
bird; Catherine, who is more curious, desires many types of birds. There is no movement in the imagery
associated with Linton's ideal, but Catherine's trees are "rocking," the "wind blowing," and the clouds are
"rapidly moving," reflecting how Linton is sickly and cannot suffer to move around much, but Catherine likes
to be active. When Catherine mentions wishing for a variety of birds, she lists the cuckoo bird among her
preferences. This connects back to Chapter 5 when Mrs. Dean tells Mr. Lockwood that Heathcliff's history is a
"cuckoo's." A real cuckoo bird will invade another bird's nest, lay its eggs, and leave the responsibility of
hatching and raising its chicks to the other bird. This is an apt reflection of Heathcliff's character and
Wuthering Heights as a whole. Catherine does not mention the unusual breeding habits of the cuckoo bird. The
other meaningful interpretation in the contrasting imagery between Catherine and Linton comes through in the
contradiction of lovers fighting over the "perfect idea" of how to spend time together.

What do Catherine and Linton's interactions during the game they play in Chapter 24 of Wuthering
Heights mean in relation to the past?
Catherine suggests they use the toys with the initials H. and C., standing for Heathcliff and Cathy, no doubt, to
match their own names, which effectively links the event in the present with the past. Therefore, when Linton
demands the better toy, this recalls when Heathcliff, used to being pampered by Mr. Earnshaw, demands the
better horse from Hindley. Throughout the novel, history repeats itself, but it contorts, reflecting the
personalities of the characters in the next generation. This device creates dramatic irony, so that the reader
knows more than the characters. It almost serves as a special effect, as in a film, and it adds to the quality of
the novel as a ghost story. Just as Cathy's spirit is at the window early in the novel and is thought to be
watching throughout, the view is of the ghost, lingering and capable of seeing more than is possible in one
lifetime.

Why is Catherine hateful to Hareton in Chapter 24 of Wuthering Heights?

The most obvious reason Catherine is hateful to Hareton is because she can tell he likes her and wants to be
near her, but she is trying to show loyalty to Linton. Under the surface, she is attracted to Hareton because they
are similar and both share a love of animals and exploring nature, but she perceives him as inferior to her
socially, and she is offended by his ignorance—the bond they share is one of physicality and nature, not of
intellect. They have shared memorable moments of kindness, and before Catherine knew Hareton was related
to her, she was happy to meet him. Further, Catherine is ignorant of the past; she cannot, as Mrs. Dean advises
her, understand the idea of his ignorance being an injustice, not an innate character flaw. Catherine is not a
good judge of character. She is equally blind to Linton's faults, as she is to Hareton's qualities.

How do the female characters in Wuthering Heights find ways to empower themselves?

The female characters in Wuthering Heights live in a time period when women had very little political,
personal, or financial power. Yet each female character finds her own way to gain influence or some type of
personal power over the male characters. Unfortunately Cathy is the most tragic character because she exerts
power through injuring herself. Because she possesses an innate power to arouse love and desire in Edgar and
Heathcliff, it follows that her weapon against them is to make herself disappear. Isabella's power corresponds
to the male characters in the same way. She arouses disgust in Edgar and Heathcliff, and once she realizes the
truth, she uses their negativity and apathy to empower herself by running away and freeing herself from them.
Mrs. Dean empowers herself more craftily than Isabella and Cathy; she makes herself indispensable as a
servant, acts "in her place" most of the time, and works her influence in hidden ways; it also helps that she has
childhood roots with Hindley, Heathcliff, and Edgar, and she helps to raise all of their children, further
securing her position by stepping into the role of a mother. Catherine empowers herself by pleasing her father
naturally, standing up fearlessly to Heathcliff's bullying and threatening, and aligning with Hareton against
Heathcliff. She also uses Joseph's own superstitious fears against him, causing him to fear her in return, even
though she does not actually practice witchcraft, which shows how savvy she is in protecting herself.
What does Catherine's agreement to marry Linton in Chapter 27 of Wuthering Heights suggest about
her character?
Even though Catherine tells Linton, "I love papa more than I love you," she is desperate to not disturb her
dying father, so she yields to Heathcliff, showing heroic qualities under pressure in maintaining a calm
demeanor to reach her noble goal. She is being set up as a character willing to do her "duty" when demands are
made on her. Mrs. Dean says she gives in to "indulgent tenderness." She shows patience, forbearance, and
vigilance in sickness, all qualities with strong religious associations. Linton begs her, "Leave me, and I shall be
killed!" Perceiving what Linton's confusing implications are leading to when he asks, "You will not go then? ...
perhaps you will consent" before she truly grasps his evil plan, Catherine responds, "To stay! tell me the
meaning of this strange talk, and I will!" This suggests she already knows what Heathcliff is forcing Linton to
do and why, and it is actually her choice to go back to Wuthering Heights—to save her cousin. She does not
fully realize how dangerous Heathcliff actually is or how cruel Linton really is, but, still, Catherine's character
shows through her actions that she is willing to be brave, merciful, and dutiful whether Linton deserves help or
not.
What are Linton's true feelings toward Catherine in Wuthering Heights?
Linton's terror is more prominent than his love, but he does show love for Catherine at times, such as when
"her magnamity provoked his tears," he kisses her hand, begs for her forgiveness, and passionately displays
self-hatred for his cowardice and betrayal. Also, the first thing he says when he sees Catherine is "Is not your
father very ill? I thought you wouldn't come." This subtly suggests he harbored a hope she would not come,
and then he would not have to betray her. Later, when she asks him, "You wouldn't injure me ... you wouldn't
let any enemy hurt me, if you could prevent it?" her words include trust in him, and Linton does tell her the
essence of the truth, enough to warn her, which can only be motivated by some genuine fondness or love for
her, considering how terrified he is of his father's abuse.

How is Linton's behavior in Chapter 27 of Wuthering Heights related to the theme of violence and
revenge?
As soon as the threat of violence is alleviated, Linton turns callous and perverse in a way typical for the
"indulged" children in Wuthering Heights, conveying a core message about violence in terms of apathy: as
long as the violence is happening to someone else, all is well. Linton's demand for a new cup of tea because
Catherine's tears have fallen into his cup makes this point very effective. Catherine is taking abuse on his
behalf, but he will not drink her tears, meaning share kindly in her sorrow. Linton's change in mood from
"intense anguish" outside of Wuthering Heights to what Mrs. Dean describes as "the little wretch's composure"
once he felt safe illustrates the power of fear to create apathy toward violence and produce cowardice
incapable of standing up to violence.
Why does Heathcliff ask Catherine, "How do you feel?" right after Linton dies in Chapter 30
of Wuthering Heights?
Heathcliff is not inclined to ask other characters the nature of their feelings, so it is particularly noticeable
when he asks Catherine how she feels. Since in the previous chapter Heathcliff has been utterly consumed by
Cathy's death and living in painful torment from his pursuit of seeking a visible glimpse of her ghost, it is
likely the intention is to continue the idea of Heathcliff's obsession with death by having Heathcliff ask a
strange and out-of-character question. He is at least curious about Catherine's feelings for some reason. That
Heathcliff's relentless cruelty toward Catherine abates briefly after she answers the question suggests he has
found some satisfaction in Catherine's response. She says she has felt so "alone" for so long with death, she can
"see only death" and feels "like death." Contented that she feels as he does toward death, Heathcliff leaves
Catherine alone and orders Zillah to wait on her. In an earlier chapter, Heathcliff blames Catherine for Cathy's
death. Perhaps he feels satisfied from having exacted revenge by making her feel as he did.

How is Zillah similar to or different from Mrs. Dean in Chapter 30 of Wuthering Heights, and how do
the differences or similarities relate to bigger ideas in the novel?
In the past, Mrs. Dean tries to help young Heathcliff clean up and impress Cathy the same way Zillah wants to
help Hareton impress Catherine. In the past, Mrs. Dean wants Cathy's arrogance to be checked, so her pride
will diminish the same way Zillah says about Catherine, she "should love well to bring her pride a peg lower"
in the present. They are alike except Zillah sees Catherine as Mrs. Dean saw Cathy. Since Zillah is looking in
from the outside, in a sense, judging Catherine without knowing as much about her as Mrs. Dean or the reader,
the juxtaposition here leads the reader to wonder if perhaps Mrs. Dean gave an incomplete or unfair
assessment of Cathy in the past. Maybe she judged her unfairly the way Zillah unfairly judges Catherine.
However, there is one point that comes through powerfully since Mrs. Dean and Zillah both corroborate it:
however different Catherine is from her mother, she is exactly like Cathy—repeating Cathy's treatment toward
Heathcliff—when it comes to Hareton—through both Mrs. Dean and Zillah's eyes. Through the servants'
juxtaposed perceptions, Catherine's one true flaw as seeing herself superior to Hareton stands out prominently.

In Chapter 31 of Wuthering Heights how has Catherine's character changed since the first time Mr.
Lockwood meets her before his illness?
When Mr. Lockwood enters, Catherine is in the act of preparing vegetables for dinner. The last time Mr.
Lockwood saw Catherine she was awkwardly attempting to make tea. This suggests she is more comfortable in
Wuthering Heights than she was previously. Catherine carves "birds" and animals out of the turnip parings,
which is a significant contrast to the previous occasion when she threatens Joseph that she will make "wax
modells" of everyone in the house to use to practice magic. This suggests Catherine is less angry and
rekindling her true, kind nature, even if slowly. She actually speaks to Hareton, as if they are becoming
friendlier when she dreamily wishes to be riding her horse and spending time outside, telling him she's bored.
Catherine is still uninterested in Mr. Lockwood and socializing with an outsider. In the beginning
of Wuthering Heights, Catherine fought with Joseph, but in Mr. Lockwood's second visit, she chooses to eat
dinner in the kitchen with Joseph, and the way Heathcliff gives her permission implies it is a preferred dining
choice, suggesting she and Joseph have moved closer to being civil to each other. She does fight with Hareton
and degrade him ruthlessly, so, in this way, Catherine's character has not grown or changed since Mr.
Lockwood first met her.

Discussion Questions 41 - 50
What do Mr. Lockwood's observations of Catherine and Hareton suggest about his character in
Chapter 31 of Wuthering Heights?
The first observation Mr. Lockwood makes upon seeing Catherine is that she is beautiful but not "amiable,"
leading to his conclusion she is not an "angel." Since Mr. Lockwood has learned from Mrs. Dean all Catherine
has been through, his observation suggests that he is apathetic to Catherine and generally lacks empathy.
However, he empathizes greatly with Hareton later on when Catherine humiliates Hareton about trying to learn
to read. Also, Mr. Lockwood shows himself to be a hypocrite. He chastises Catherine for looking down on
Hareton, yet, later, when Catherine chooses not to have dinner with him, Lockwood inwardly calls Hareton "a
clown," looking down on him for being uneducated—the same crime he chastises Catherine for committing.
He approves when Hareton hits Catherine for having "a saucy tongue," reinforcing Mr. Lockwood's violent
side, which has been hinted at in earlier chapters. However, Mr. Lockwood's approval of violence seen first
hand mixed with his desire for Catherine and understanding of her life story takes his mean streak to another
level. Mr. Lockwood is also prideful and conceited, believing Catherine is not interested in him because she is
beneath him, not because of flaws or unattractiveness in his character.
How do Mr. Lockwood's descriptions of the scenery reflect and foreshadow events in Chapter 32
of Wuthering Heights?

As Mr. Lockwood nears Wuthering Heights, he passes a grey church that "looks greyer," and he says "the
lonely churchyard lonelier;" this foreshadows how he will feel by the end of the chapter. The first live being he
sees is "a moor-sheep cropping the short turf on the graves." This detail foreshadows Heathcliff's death and
Mr. Lockwood's hearing about it from Mrs. Dean. In Chapter 4 Mrs. Dean refers to Heathcliff as an
uncomplaining "lamb" when he is very young and has the measles. Considering the vast number of biblical
references in Wuthering Heights, Brontë intends for the reader to associate Heathcliff with ideas of sacrificing
for the greater good, or perhaps being a lost soul. On Mr. Lockwood's journey between Thrushcross Grange
and Wuthering Heights his descriptions change to sun and moon imagery, reflecting the idea of the beginning
and ending of the novel: "the glow of a sinking sun behind, and the mild glory of a rising moon in front,"
casting a tone of hope. Then Mr. Lockwood says, by the "beamless amber light"—introducing the idea of light
associations—"I could see every pebble on the path, and every blade of grass, by that splendid moon." This
foreshadows the light, or happiness, Mr. Lockwood will soon witness between Cathy and Hareton, and how all
will be clear (see every pebble) as the novel comes to its end (the sun sets) and the moon rises.
Why does Mr. Lockwood enter the house through the kitchen after spying on Catherine and Hareton in
Chapter 32 of Wuthering Heights, and what does it suggest about his character?
Mr. Lockwood's character has not changed much since learning about the journeys of the Wuthering Heights
and Thrushcross Grange characters, but his choice to not risk injuring the love he sees growing between
Catherine and Hareton suggests some character growth. However, that he thinks his presence would cause
injury to their happiness proves Mr. Lockwood is still conceited. He admits to being "curious and envious" as
he watches Catherine and Hareton interact romantically, and Mr. Lockwood "bites his lip in spite" at throwing
away his opportunity for romance. This suggests a strong attraction to Catherine and a lingering fear of love. In
an earlier chapter Mr. Lockwood explains the event leading him to retreat to the country, and it involved his
lack of courage in exposing his feelings to a woman.

What is the purpose of Mrs. Dean and Joseph's religious banter in Chapter 32 of Wuthering Heights?
Mrs. Dean is singing a song called "Fairy Annie's Wedding" when Joseph condemns her, saying he'd rather
hear Catherine and Hareton swearing at each other and fighting than have them listen to Mrs. Dean's advice,
which most likely refers to Catherine and Hareton getting married—alluded to by the wedding song. Brontë is
reinforcing the idea of religious hypocrisy, which Joseph represents throughout the novel, through Joseph
confusing love with wickedness, encouraging hateful behavior, and being generally mean and nasty. Mrs.
Dean's reply to "read your Bible like a Christian" has a double meaning. It can be taken as though she is telling
him to stop yelling and go read, or to read his Bible accurately and truly understand the meaning contained
within it. There is another connection to the idea of Joseph's lack of religious understanding later when Joseph
lays "dirty bank notes" on top of a Bible, alluding to religious ideas about not placing money above God.

What is the figurative significance of Catherine and Hareton's garden in Chapter 33 of Wuthering
Heights?
The garden serves as a metaphor for the uniting of the two houses of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross
Grange in Catherine "importing" plants from her childhood home to Hareton's home. Hareton being involved
in the process reinforces the idea of union. Catherine, persuading Hareton to "make that mess at her
bidding!"—as Mrs. Dean puts it—adds another layer of meaning to the garden as a metaphor for the transfer of
power over Hareton from Heathcliff to Catherine. Hareton, who is raised to be like a watchdog for Heathcliff,
becomes Catherine's symbolic dog when he protects her later at dinner. However, Catherine ultimately sets
Hareton free by understanding he loves Heathcliff as a father, so she relinquishes the power she has and they
become equals. Brontë also draws a comparison between the story of Adam and Eve, alluding to it in
references to the supplanted trees being the apple of Joseph's eye. Joseph is like the snake; Catherine and
Hareton like Adam and Eve; and like Adam, Hareton is willing to take the blame for the destruction of the
garden.
How does Mrs. Dean's role in the lives of the Lintons and Earnshaws change throughout Wuthering
Heights?
Mrs. Dean begins as a poor child, yet is treated like a foster sister. Next she turns into a typical servant,
working grueling hours with no power over her life and forced to bend to the whims and desires of all her
masters; everyone is her master, but she educates herself with books in the library. She raises Hareton but must
give him up, and she raises Catherine but must give her up, as she is only a servant. From all of her years
earning wages there comes a moment when she can afford her own cottage and even rescue Catherine, but she
stays. This reflects her change into a person who has power over her own life; she stays because she doubts
Heathcliff would allow Catherine to live with her, and rather than save herself as she could, she chooses to be
close to the child she loves. Next, she is referred to as mistress, implying she has become more than just a
servant, and she is given the post of mistress at the family's table, treated finally as worthy of consideration.
Around the same time she sees Hareton and Catherine as "in a measure, my children." She is truly like family
by the end of the novel.

Why can't Heathcliff eat or rest in Chapter 34 of Wuthering Heights?

One of the reasons Heathcliff cannot eat or rest is because he is distracted by his obsession with Cathy. The
first time Heathcliff tries to eat he sees something outside, so he leaves. Catherine, Hareton, and Mrs. Dean see
him walking to and fro in the garden. It is most likely Cathy's ghost he is seeing, as this is the source of his
"joy" and "glittering, restless eyes" throughout the chapter. However, there is another implication that
Heathcliff longs to die, and this is making him unable to eat or rest when he tells Mrs. Dean that "My soul's
bliss kill's my body, but does not satisfy itself." Another possibility is the actual ghost of Cathy is stopping him
from eating and purposely trying to kill him so they can be together. The first clue comes when he says he is
hungry yet "seemingly, I must not eat," as if someone or something is ordering him or forcing him. This
happens again later. In fact, every time Mrs. Dean entreats Heathcliff to eat and he attempts to touch the food,
"his fingers clenched before he reached it," as if something is physically stopping Heathcliff from eating.

How and why does Heathcliff's attitude toward Catherine transform throughout Wuthering Heights?
When Heathcliff first meets Catherine he behaves gruffly when she is haughty, but he is kind to her also,
perhaps to entice her to come to Wuthering Heights and see Linton, but it is only after she is mean to Hareton
that Heathcliff begins to dislike her personally, as well as for being Cathy and Edgar's daughter. His dislike
turns to violence and abuse when she defies him and acts unafraid of him. During this time, leading up to
Heathcliff forcing Catherine to marry Linton, Heathcliff blames her for Cathy's death, and he sees her as an
extension of her father and a means to hurt Edgar. After Linton's death when Heathcliff sees a transformation
in Catherine—a surge of depth after experiencing death—he withdraws from actively tormenting her. Around
the time she and Hareton become friendly, Heathcliff begins to see Cathy in Catherine, saying to her at dinner,
"What fiend possesses you to stare back at me, continually, with those infernal eyes?" Considering Catherine is
never associated with devils, hell, or evil, and that Heathcliff accused Cathy of possessing "infernal
selfishness," it is very subtle, but the implication is that Heathcliff, led by insanity or not, sees Cathy's ghost
when he looks at Catherine. The implications increase as he nears death. In a way, this change in Catherine,
this infusion of strength, which coincides with Heathcliff's changing perception, aids Catherine in defeating
Heathcliff's hatred. Near the very end, before Heathcliff dies and Hareton has just come from checking on him,
Hareton tells Mrs. Dean, "He wondered how I could want the company of anybody else"—meaning Catherine.
Once Heathcliff truly sees Cathy in Catherine and himself in Hareton, he loses the will to complete his
revenge.

How does the second half of Wuthering Heights, after Cathy's death, differ from the first half of the
novel?
In the second half of the novel, the tone gradually lightens, incorporating a few humorous moments along the
way, as Mrs. Dean's narration is more lighthearted. However, there are still intense and abusive events
interspersed throughout the second half, such as Catherine's imprisonment in Wuthering Heights and
Heathcliff's and Linton's deaths. Brontë's use of pathetic fallacy also changes in the second half: there are not
as many storms and more bright skies. In the first half of the novel the moor is used to symbolize uncivilized
wildness, freedom from social distinctions, and freedom from the abuse that Heathcliff and Cathy suffer at
home; in the second half, they serve more as a literal setting than a symbol; many more scenes actually happen
on the moors, as Catherine and Mrs. Dean look for birds' eggs or travel to meet with Linton in the sunny heat
of summer. Linton, being the stranger brought to Wuthering Heights in the second half of the novel, contrasts
when Heathcliff arrives in the first half, and he and Hindley engage in a dark and violent battle of wills. Linton
is too physically and emotionally weak to be taken as a serious threat. A particularly noticeable moment is
when, in Chapter 32, Linton throws a temper tantrum to keep Cathy from leaving by sliding off his chair and
thrashing about on the floor for attention; Heathcliff never indulged in frivolous or childish behavior, and his
temperament made the tone in the first half much more menacing. Another aspect creating a stark difference
between the two storylines is found in Catherine's nature as opposed to Cathy's nature; having been primarily
raised by a gentle father and a humble servant, Mrs. Dean, Catherine is ultimately able to rise above her
attitude of superiority over Hareton, whereas Cathy's attitude created feelings of injustice and discord among
Heathcliff and the servants in the first half of Wuthering Heights. Generally, in the second half of the novel
Catherine's predominantly good qualities diminish the sense of doom that began the novel.

In what ways does the novel suggest that Cathy and Heathcliff communicate with each other even when
they are apart in Wuthering Heights?
There are more instances to suggest Cathy and Heathcliff can communicate telepathically or spiritually, so to
speak, than not, in Wuthering Heights. In Chapter 12 when Cathy is delirious, looking out of the window
toward Wuthering Heights, she acts as though Heathcliff is speaking to her though he is not there, telling Mrs.
Dean, "He's considering—he'd rather I'd come to him!" Even if this takes place when Cathy seems insane,
digging further back in the narrative to when she is sane, Cathy seems to know Heathcliff ran away after
overhearing her conversation with Mrs. Dean long before she should. Almost immediately, Cathy begins
"pacing" and "fretting" while Mrs. Dean thinks Heathcliff is simply hiding in the hayloft as he always does.
Cathy cannot be "persuaded with tranquility," and she "kept wandering ... in a state of agitation ... heedless of
[Mrs. Dean's] expostulations and the growling thunder ... she remained, calling at intervals ... and then crying
outright." This suggests intense connection between Cathy and Heathcliff. Once Cathy is dead, the thread is
lost until Heathcliff describes how he has been able to feel her spirit for 18 years even though he cannot see
her. Whether he has gone mad or not, it seems, at the end, as if she is with him in spirit as he goes insane. And
afterward, the very last image of them, as seen with the child with the lambs, is of the two of them together. As
much as Brontë demonstrates that the two characters have an extraordinary love and connection between them,
the whole plot, in the end, rests on the times when they are out of sync with each other. Cathy spoke about
Heathcliff, unknowing he was right there listening, and she said hurtful things about him. Also, Cathy finds
happiness in the beginning of her marriage, living at Thrushcross Grange, and in her friendship with Isabella.
And as much as she loves Heathcliff, she often perceives him as being beneath her, and she cultivates her
relationship with Edgar right under Heathcliff's nose, knowing how deeply it hurts him.
             

Discussion Questions 51 - 51

Describe the narrative structure of Wuthering Heights as well as its purpose.

The narrative structure of Wuthering Heights is layered. The novel is Mr. Lockwood's journal in which he
records the story he hears from Mrs. Dean. In so doing Mr. Lockwood filters Mrs. Dean's story through his
perspective as a man who erringly judges Heathcliff to be "a capital fellow" and who believes that Catherine
might ever have a romantic interest in him. In the instances where Mrs. Dean is not present to give a first-hand
account, she introduces information provided by eyewitnesses or documents, even allowing other characters to
narrate for brief periods. Mrs. Dean provides several clues that reveal her status as an unreliable narrator. First
Mrs. Dean characterizes herself as a gossip, and she goes to great lengths to assert that she is a self-educated,
well-read woman: "You could not open a book in this library that I have not looked into." This detail suggests
that some of Mrs. Dean's narration may be informed by the drama or symbols of her personal reading material,
such as when she suggests to Heathcliff, "Who knows but your father was Emperor of China, and your mother
an Indian queen?" Mrs. Dean also enjoys the double status of both narrator and character so her accounts of her
own actions may be more favorably portrayed than occurred in reality. By presenting the narrative in a layered
chorus of voices, Brontë achieves achieves the effect of allowing readers to know more than any one narrator
as they navigate the world of Wuthering Heights.
                     

10 Things You Didn't Know

Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë's only novel, is considered one of the most romantic novels ever published.
Released in 1847, the book's descriptions of tortured lovers, nature, and obsession all spring from the Gothic
traditions of the late 18th century.
Although Wuthering Heights shocked readers when it was first published, it has gone on to become
tremendously popular. Its influence can be seen in the work of later writers such as the English writer and artist
D.H. Lawrence and poet Thomas Hardy. When the Guardian listed its list of 100 Best Novels in 2013, it
ranked Wuthering Heights number 13. The novel has been adapted into numerous film and television
versions, radio plays, a musical, a ballet, and operas.

1. Brontë initially had to self-publish Wuthering Heights.

The Brontë sisters sent out three novels for publication in 1847, one by each of them and all under
pseudonyms. Publisher Thomas Newby agreed to accept two of the novels, Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Newby charged the sum of £50 for publishing the books. However,
he postponed publication until Charlotte Brontë had published Jane Eyre elsewhere. Seeing its success, he
rushed the other books to press, ignoring the authors' corrections.

2. Early critics called the book "wild" and "a compound of vulgar depravity."
On its publication, Wuthering Heights struck reviewers as tremendously shocking. The Examiner, in January
1848, called Wuthering Heights "wild, confused, disjointed, and improbable." The Atlas claimed it presented
"shocking pictures of the worst forms of humanity." Graham's Lady Magazine, an American publication,
stated, "It is a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors" and wondered how the author could have
refrained from suicide."

3. Wuthering Heights was the inspiration for a chart-topping song.

British singer-songwriter Kate Bush released the song "Wuthering Heights" in 1978, when she was 19.
Inspired by the book and film, she sang,
  How could you leave me
When I needed to possess you?
I hated you. I loved you, too. 

The song rose to number one on the charts around much of the world and was covered in the United States in
1980 by Pat Benatar.
4. Wuthering Heights inspired a Monty Python skit.
One of the Monty Python comedy troupe's most-loved skits is "The Semaphore Version of Wuthering
Heights." The story is told with semaphore flags (flags used to send signals over distances). In the skit,
Heathcliff and Cathy communicate across the moors by dramatically waving their flags. Everyone in the skit
uses semaphore flags, including a baby, who uses them to communicate crying.

5. The house in Wuthering Heights may have been based on a real one.

The farmhouse known as Top Withens, now a ruin, has long been considered the inspiration for the
Earnshaws's home on the moors. While there is no evidence connecting the farm to the Brontës, its location
matches the vivid descriptions of the moors Brontë included in the novel.

6. Emily Brontë died believing Wuthering Heights was a failure.

Emily Brontë died in 1848 of consumption at age 30. She never knew her novel was a success. Wuthering
Heights had been published almost exactly a year earlier, and the reviews she had seen were uniformly
negative, calling her work depraved and unnatural. Several clippings of reviews were found in her desk after
her death.
7. The domestic violence in Wuthering Heights reflected concerns of the mid-1800s.
When Wuthering Heights was published, domestic violence against women and children was a topic of great
interest in Victorian England. When the Offenses Against the Person Act had been passed in 1828, debates
about domestic violence became more public. In the novel, Heathcliff suffers abuse as a child and inflicts it as
an adult; these depictions are seen by many as a criticism of the popular worship of middle-class Victorian
domesticity.

8. Sales of Wuthering Heights increased dramatically thanks to the Twilight series.

The best-selling vampire novels by Stephanie Meyer known as the Twilight series had a strong impact on
sales of Wuthering Heights. In the third novel of the series, main characters Bella and Edward both refer
to Wuthering Heights as their favorite book. Sales of Brontë's novel quadrupled, though some Twilight readers
were disappointed. One reader wrote, "I found only five pages out of the whole book about there [sic] love and
the rest filled with bitterness and pain and other peoples stories."
9. Renowned British actor Laurence Olivier complained about repeated retakes
on the film set of Wuthering Heights.
In the 1939 film version of Wuthering Heights, directed by William Wyler, Laurence Olivier was cast as
Heathcliff. Best known as a stage actor, Olivier brought the broad gestures of the stage to the film set.
Complaining about Wyler's multiple takes, Olivier said, "For God's sake, I did it sitting down. I did it with a
smile. I did it with a smirk. I did it scratching my ear. I did it with my back to the camera. How do you want
me to do it?" Wyler is said to have responded, "I want it better."

10. A 2011 film was the first to include a mixed-race Heathcliff.

In the novel, Bronte describes Heathcliff as "a dark-skinned gypsy" and a "lascar" (an Indian sailor) but never
says specifically where Heathcliff is from. The actors who played Heathcliff in earlier movie versions were all
white, but in 2011 director Andrea Arnold cast African-Caribbean actors Solomon Glave and James Howson
in the role. The film garnered mixed reviews but did well at the box office.
Suggested Reading
Here are some suggested reading materials and online resources to help you get a better understanding of
Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. In addition, we've listed some articles and other books that are similar
to Wuthering Heights that you may enjoy.

Reading Materials
Brontë, Emily, and Daphne Merkin. Wuthering Heights. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2004. Print.
Girdler, Lew. "Wuthering Heights and Shakespeare." Huntington Library Quarterly 19.4 (1956): 385–92.
Print.
Miller, Lucasta. The Bronte Myth. New York: Knopf, 2003. Print.
Woolf, Virginia. The Common Reader by Virginia Woolf. U of Adelaide, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.