Wuthering Heights

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[WARNING: this contains MAJOR spoilers.]

Wuthering Heights is Emily Bronte’s only novel, published in 1847 under the alias of “Ellis Bell.” The novel explores themes of agonized passion, destruction, ferocity and class distinction. It is the source of the famous “I am Heathcliff” and “Whatever our souls are, they are made of the same stuff.”  The novel follows Catherine Earnshaw and a homeless waif Heathcliff, who is adopted by the former’s father. The two grow up as playmates and close confidantes; this is simply the start of an all-consuming, destructive romance that brings misery to everyone around. Catherine’s presence dominates the first half of the book, while her daughter, Cathy, takes over in the second half. [She’s my personal favourite.]  There are two narrators—a rather daft man named Mr Lockwood and the Earnshaws’ servant, Ellen “Nelly” Dean. She served as confidant to Catherine, Heathcliff, Catherine’s brother Hindley, Catherine’s sister-in-law Isabella Linton and Cathy. Therefore, she is a very prominent character. She is seen as the central narrator.

The book begins in non-chronological order. In 1801, Lockwood, a wealthy young man from the south of England, who is seeking tranquillity, rents Thrushcross Grange in Yorkshire. He visits his landlord, Heathcliff, who occupies a remote farmhouse, Wuthering Heights. Lockwood is struck by the utter despair and gloom of the place. His landlord is an unfriendly, taciturn man; the mistress of the house is a young girl who looks to be about seventeen; a young man who seems to be a servant dresses and speaks like a member of the family. Snowed in, Lockwood is reluctantly allowed to stay and is shown to a bedchamber, where he notices books and graffiti left by a former inhabitant, Catherine. He drops off, and is aroused by a violent nightmare in which he sees a ghostly Catherine trying to enter through the window. Heathcliff berates him, but opens the window to allow Catherine’s spirit to enter. Unsurprisingly, no one enters. At sunrise, Heathcliff escorts Lockwood back to Thrushcross Grange.  After his return from the Heights, Lockwood asks his housekeeper, Mrs Ellen Dean, if she can satisfy his curiosity about the peculiarity of the occupants of Wuthering Heights; she answers that she knew Heathcliff when they were children, and was the caretaker of the young mistress. She then launches into the main narrative.

Thirty years earlier, the owner of Wuthering Heights, Mr Earnshaw, lives with his son Hindley and daughter Catherine. On a trip to Liverpool, he encounters a homeless boy and decides to adopt him. He names him “Heathcliff.”Catherine immediately warms to him, but Hindley fiercely hates him, while Nelly [who is as old as Hindley] is wary of him. Catherine and Heathcliff soon become inseparable, much to Hindley’s chagrin. Hindley is sent to university. Three years later, Earnshaw dies, and Hindley returns for the funeral, bringing a wife with him. He proves to be a very cruel master, delighting in torturing Heathcliff. Heathcliff mutely bears this for Catherine’s sake. On one of their little adventures, they encounter the Lintons, who live in Thrushcross Grange. The Lintons are landed gentry, and Catherine is influenced by their genteel ways. She mocks and scorns Heathcliff, laughing at his unkempt appearance. The following year, Hindley’s wife, Francis, gives birth to a healthy baby boy, Hareton; but the delivery takes too much out of her, and she dies. Hindley’s grief leads him to neglect Hareton; Nelly becomes his sole caretaker. Hindley begins to self-destruct, descending into drukenness. Two years later, Edgar Linton, the Lintons’ only son, visits Catherine and confesses his love for her. She does not reciprocate, but agrees to marry him because of the classs distinction between them [also the reason she refuses to marry Heathcliff.] She states that she loves Heathcliff : “I am Heathcliff; whatever our souls are, they are made of the same stuff.” Heathcliff does not hear this touching speech; he has already left the Earnshaw household.

Three and a half years later, Heathcliff returns, now a wealthy gentleman, only to find out that Catheine is happily married to Edgar. Beginning a convoluted plot of revenge, he seduces Edgar’s sister Isabella [Catherine had unwittingly told him about Isabella’s senseless attraction toward him.] They elope. Of course, Edgar is horrified, and immediately disowns his sister. He also refuses to let  Catherine see Heathcliff again. She throws a tantrum and locks herself up in her room. She is now pregnant with Edgar’s child. Heathcliff takes up residence at Wuthering Heights, where he begins teaching the young, impressionable Hareton gambling and other bad habits. He also mistreats Isabella, and slowly but surely cheats Hindley out of house and home.  Upon learning from Nelly that Catherine is dying, Heathcliff secretly visits her and the two share a passionate [but rather horrifying] reunion. The following day, Catherine gives birth to a daughter, Cathy. She dies soon after.

Isabella escapes from Heathcliff and takes up residence in London, where she gives birth to an ailing, peevish child, Linton. Hindley dies six months after Catherine, and Heathcliff finds himself the master of Wuthering Heights.  Following aforementioned convoluted plot of revenge against everyone who tried to tear him and Catherine apart, he begins to destroy Hareton [like Hindley did to him.] However, he does have a grudging affection for the lad. Hareton is unaware of how he has been cheated out of his inheritance, and loves Heathcliff as a father. Twelve years pass in this manner. Catherine’s daughter, Cathy, is now a high-spirited, beautiful young girl; she is the joy of her father and Nelly’s lives. Edgar learns that his sister is dying, so he leaves to adopt Linton in order to educate him. Cathy’s rebellious nature causes her to wander over to Wuthering Heights, where she learns that she has not one, but two cousins [Linton and Hareton.]  When Edgar returns with Linton, a frail, sickly boy, Heathcliff insists he live at Wuthering Heights.

Three years pass. Walking on the moors, Nelly and Cathy encounter Heathcliff, who takes them to Wuthering Heights to see Linton and Hareton. Heathcliff hopes that Linton and Cathy will marry, so Linton will become the master of Thrushcross Grange. The two youngsters soon grow very close. Nelly disapporoves of their growing friendship, but her opinions are ignored.  The following year, Edgar becomes very ill; but Cathy and Nelly are tricked by Heathcliff and Linton into entering Wuthering Heights, where Heathcliff keeps them captive to enable the marriage of Cathy and Linton to take place. After five days, Nelly is released and, later, Cathy escapes with Linton’s help. She returns to Thrushcross Grange one last time to see her father before he dies. Now master of both Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, Cathy’s new father-in-law, Heathcliff, insists on her returning to Wuthering Heights. Hareton tries to be kind to Cathy, but she withdraws from the world.

At this point, Nelly’s narrative catches up to the present day. Lockwood ponders over her story. Having grown tired of the moors, he informs Heathcliff that he will be leaving Thrushcross Grange. Eight months later, he stumbles across Thrushcross Grange –again. He finds Nelly at Wuthering Heights and enquires what passed after his departure. She explains that the housekeeper, Zillah, vacated her post, which was soon filled by her. Hareton has an accident and is confined to the farmhouse. During his convalescence, he and Cathy overcome their mutual antipathy and becme close. She teaches him to read and write; he proves to be an astonishingly quick learner. While their friendship develops, Heathcliff begins having visions of Catherine. He stops eating and, after four days, is found dead in Catherine’s old room. His face has lost its savage expression; the smile on his face is almost saintly. He is buried next to Catherine.

Lockwood learns that Hareton and Cathy plan to marry on New Year’s Day. As he gets ready to leave, he passes the graves of Edgar, Catherine and Heathcliff and pauses to contemplate the quiet of the moors.

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