Wuthering heights
Plot Summary
It is 1801 and Thrushcross Grange has a new
tenant, Mr. Lockwood. He visits his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff, who lives atWuthering Heights, the neighboring property. Mr. Heathcliff is
out, and his young relatives, Mrs. Heathcliff and Hareton Earnshaw, are very
disagreeable. It starts to snow, but no one is willing to help Mr. Lockwood get
home, or to let him stay. He is attacked by a dog while leaving, and in his
bloody state, Mr. Heathcliff begrudgingly allows him to stay.
Mr. Lockwood passes his time reading from the
journals of a young girl
named Catherine. He starts to dream. In the dream he quarrels with a preacher,
and the parishioners attack him. A tapping awakens him,and he breaks a window in his attempt to quiet it. He grabs the hand of a
ghost child, who calls herself Catherine Linton. Terrified, his scream awakens
Heathcliff, who calls for the ghost to reappear. Heathcliff escorts Mr.
Lockwood home through the snow-covered moors, but he still catches a bad cold.
Sick for several weeks with this cold, Mr.
Lockwood asks Nelly Dean, his serving woman, to tell him about the inhabitants
ofWuthering Heights. She was once their housekeeper, and she
has lots of stories to tell. Mrs. Heathcliff, who was married to Heathcliff's
son, is the daughter of Mrs. Dean's late master, Edgar Linton. Hareton
Earnshaw, the nephew of Mrs. Linton, is Mrs. Heathcliff's cousin. Mr.
Heathcliff was married to Mr. Linton's sister, who bore Linton, Catherine's
husband. Heathcliff was an orphan Mr. Earnshaw found wandering the streets of Liverpool. Hindley, the
eldest child, was very jealous of him. When Mr. Earnshaw died two years later,
Hindley made Heathcliff work in the fields. Catherine and Heathcliff remained
close friends. One day, while spying on Thrushcross Grange, they saw two
children, Isabella and Edgar, nearly tearing a puppy to pieces in a selfish
rage. One of the Linton's dogs attacked Catherine when they tried to run. She
stayed for several weeks to heal, and when she returned from the Lintons, she
was well mannered and nicely dressed, which annoyed Heathcliff.
In 1778, Hindley's wife gave birth to Hareton,
then died soon after. Hindley, crazed with grief, could not care for him.
Despite their differences, Edgar and Catherine grew closer. Catherine agreed to
marry Edgar, telling Nelly that Heathcliff was too inferior to marry.
Heathcliff heard this, and disappeared without a word.
Catherine became sick, but when her health
improved, she and Edgar married and moved to the Grange. The marriage was good
until Heathcliff returned. Edgar's sister Isabella fell in love with
Heathcliff, but he despised her. Heathcliff kissed Isabella to hurt Catherine,
and they had a big fight. During the fight, Edgar came in, demanding Heathcliff
leave his house. Disgusted by both of them, Catherine shut herself in her room
for three days, becoming ill and mad.
Isabella ran off and married Heathcliff, but she
hated her new life atWuthering Heights. One night, Catherine gave birth to
Catherine Linton, and died. Soon after Catherine's death, Isabella escaped to
the Grange. She moved to London and had a child, named Linton, and died twelve
years later. Hindley died six months after his sister.
Upon Isabella's death, Edgar tried to keep
Linton, but Heathcliff sent for him. A few years later, when wandering near the
Heights, Cathy met her cousin. But Cathy's father forbids
the relationship. She starts a secret correspondence with
Linton, and they think they are in love.
Mr. Earnshaw finally agreed the two cousins may
visit if they do not go onto the Heights land. Linton coerced Nelly and Cathy
to enter the house. Once inside, Heathcliff imprisoned them until Cathy agreed
to marry Linton. With her father dying and escapeimpossible, Cathy
relented. After her father died, Heathcliff moved his daughter-in-law to the Heights. Linton
died soon after thewedding, and
Catherine befriended Hareton, teaching him to read.
The following year, 1802, Mr. Lockwood returns to the Heights. He learns from
Nelly that Heathcliff died unexpectedly after a strange and restless madness.
He was buried next to Catherine, but several people believe they see he and
Catherine wandering the moors. Cathy and Hareton are in love and plan to marry,
then move into the Grange.
Major Characters
Mr. Lockwood: One of the narrators. He rents Thrushcross Grange from Mr.
Heathcliff, and his housekeeper is Nelly
Dean. After a disastrous visit to Wuthering Heights, in which he is visited by the ghost of Catherine Linton, Mr.
Lockwood asks Nelly to tell him about Heathcliff and the Earnshaw family.
Mr. Heathcliff: The orphan boy Mr. Earnshaw found in Liverpool. He becomes Mr.
Earnshaw's foster son, and the foster brother of Catherine and Hindley. He
looks very different with his dark skin, hair, and eyes, and his speech is at
first incoherent. He becomes best friends with Catherine, but Hindley hates
him. Father favors Heathcliff, and becomes furious when he is treated poorly.
They form a sort of team, though Heathcliff never shows much love or appreciation. He eventually becomes selfish and mean from
all this attention, and his favored spot means he can get what he wants from
his brother and sister. After
Mr. Earnshaw's death, Hindley returns and makes Heathcliff a servant, refusing
him the right to speak to Catherine. Life becomes miserable, and the little
outsider blames Hindley; revenge becomes his only goal in life. Grown evil and
cruel, he gets his chance when Hindley becomes mad after his wife's death, and
Heathcliff is able to take Wuthering Heights from him. Catherine, his love,
marries Edgar Linton and dies in childbirth. To revenge himself against the
Lintons, Heathcliff marries Edgar's sister, treats her terribly, and raises
their son only because he can help further his revenge. And when he forces
Catherine's daughter to marry Linton, his revenge is nearly complete.
Heathcliff is a man on the edge:
spiteful, mad, and insecure. He went mad after Catherine's death, when he asked
her to haunt him until he died. From her death until his own, he believes himself haunted by her ghost.
Prior to his own death, he withdrew from everyone, wandering the moors. After his
death, people claim he became a ghost himself, wandering the moors with
Catherine.
Joseph: The self-righteous servant at Wuthering Heights. He feels that everyone
is bent for hell except himself, and
he is constantly pushing his morality. He is unkind and cold, and
cares only for Hareton; he somehow feels he was meant for a greater destiny.
Hareton Earnshaw: The son of Hindley and Frances Earnshaw, and the cousin of Cathy
and Linton. He is the rightful heir of Wuthering Heights, but his father's
gambling debts allow Heathcliff to take over as the new owner. Hareton doesn't
know what he lost, and is made to work in
the fields, without education, manners, or affection. He is not dumb, but
his gifts have gone uncultivated. He begins to teach himself to read, hoping to
gain the approval of the young Catherine, but she constantly insults him,
thinking him too vulgar to be her cousin. After the death of Linton, Catherine
warms to Hareton. She helps him with his learning and his manners, and the two
fall in love, planning to marry soon. Despite his poor treatment, Hareton loves
Heathcliff like a father,and he is the
only one who mourns him when he dies.
Catherine Linton
Heathcliff: The
daughter of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw, and the cousin to Hareton and
Linton. She is a sweet, loving girl, and her father is the most important
person in her life. She can be cruel; she makes fun of Hareton's ignoranceand then his attempt to improve himself.
Heathcliff locks her up until she agrees to marry Linton. Her beloved father
dies soon after, and she becomes cold and uncaring under the influence of Heathcliff, Hareton, and
Joseph. But when Linton dies and she is forced into their company, she forms an alliance with Hareton. She treats
him nicer, and the two fall in love, and plan to marry.
Catherine Earnshaw Linton: The daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Earnshaw, sister to Hindley and
Heathcliff. She can be wild and impulsive, and she likes to make trouble.
Though mischievous, she is not a cruel person. She can love tenderly, but her
temper can often override her loyalty. As a child, she befriends Heathcliff,
and she loves him and feels he is a part of her. But she chooses to marry Edgar,
which infuriates Heathcliff. Despite her marriage, she still loves him, though
they are divided and he is still hurt by her marriage. After a tumultuous visit, Catherine
refuses food, hoping to become ill. She goes mad and dies, after giving birth to
a baby girl, Catherine. Though dead and buried near the moors, Catherine's
ghost wanders, haunting Heathcliff and even appearing to Mr. Lockwood.
Hindley Earnshaw: The son of Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, brother to Catherine and
Heathcliff. He hates Heathcliff, who is father's favorite. When he returns from
college after his father's death, he and his new wife become the heads of the
house. He turns Heathcliff into a servant, and treats his other sibling like
she is an annoyance. His wife dies after Hareton is born, and Hindley cannot
stand the grief. He is a selfish man, and he cannot understand why someone so important was taken from him. He
ignores his new son, and starts drinking. He becomes more drunken, crazy, and
violent as time wears on. He loses Wuthering Heights to Heathcliff, and dies
soon after his sister.
Nelly Dean: The Earnshaw's maid. She tells Mr. Lockwood the story of the
Earnshaws and the Lintons while he is sick with a cold. She knows the story
well because she has been at the Heights or the Grange all her life. Her mother
was a servant for the Earnshaws, and Nelly grew up with Catherine, Hindley, and
Heathcliff. Therefore, she is less reserved and formal with her master and
mistress, treating them more as family than bosses. She has lots of advice to
offer, and she likes to meddle.
Edgar Linton: The son of Mr. and Mrs. Linton, brother to Isabella. He is a
delicate boy, a contrast to Heathcliff. He and Catherine Earnshaw fall in love
and marry. He indulges his tempestuous wife, and lavishes her with affection.
But she does not love Edgar the way she loves Heathcliff, and she scorns her
husband's nonviolent nature. After Catherine's death, Edgar is a caring and
protective father to Cathy. He is afraid Heathcliff will get his revenge
through Cathy, and he tries his best to keep his daughter away from the Heights.
Linton Heathcliff: The son of Heathcliff and Isabella Linton, and the cousin of young
Catherine and Hareton. He is weak and sickly, and his good nature is soured
during his time at Wuthering Heights. He becomes selfish and complaining, and he is so
cowardly that he agrees to help his father imprison Cathy. He and his cousin
marry,and he does not
even treat her well. After the marriage, his father loses all interest in his
passive son, and Linton dies.
Isabella Linton Heathcliff: The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Linton, sister to Edgar Linton. She
falls in love with Heathcliff despite his ill nature. Her brother disapproves,
so she runs away with him. At first she is dazzled by Heathcliff, and turns a
blind eye to his violent and cruel tendencies. Her own violent and cruel
tendencies come out, and she finally escapes from Heathcliff. She moves away
and secretly has their child, Linton. She dies twelve years later.
Minor Characters
Mr. Earnshaw: The father of Catherine and Hindley, foster father of Heathcliff.
He loves his children, but wishes Catherine and Hindley were better behaved.
Catherine is too wild, and Hindley is often mean to Heathcliff, his favorite.
When he dies, the property falls to Hindley, who treats the former favorite as
a servant.
Frances Earnshaw: The wife of Hindley Earnshaw, mother of Hareton Earnshaw. A silly
woman, she at first pampers her new sister, then tires of her. She eventually
shares in her husband's tyrannical rule of the house. She fears death, and soon
after giving birth to Hareton, she dies, leaving her husband to become mad with
grief, and her child an uncared for pauper.
Mrs. Earnshaw: The mother of Catherine and Hindley. She is not happy to see that
her husband has brought home a strange orphan boy for them to raise.
Mr. and Mrs. Linton: The parents of Isabella and Edgar, and the owners of Thrushcross
Grange. They like Catherine, but are disgusted with Heathcliff and his vulgar
language. They visit Catherine when she is ill, then fall ill themselves and
die.
Objects/Places
Thrushcross Grange: The
Linton family home, four
miles away, is very different from the Heights. It is more lavishly decorated,
and the Linton family seems happy and loving. When Catherine marries Linton,
her property, the Grange, is
transferred to her husband. Then when he dies, it goes to Heathcliff, Linton's father. A married woman's property belonged to her husband and his
family, even if the husband died. Therefore, Heathcliff became owner of the
Heights, Catherine his dependent, and Mr. Lockwood was afforded the opportunity
to rent the Grange.
Wuthering Heights: Thefamily home of the
Earnshaws since 1500. When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley takes over and rules the
house like a tyrant; when he goes mad, Heathcliff takes over and behaves just
as badly. Heathcliff, desiring revenge against the Earnshaw's, takes advantage
of Hindley, who gambles away hisfamily home. The Heights becomes the source of
Heathcliff's revenge, as he turns Hindley's son, who would have been the master
of the Heights, into an ignorant servant. Dark and dingy, the Heights is best
suited for the hardened soul. After Mr. Earnshaw died, there was no place for a
sensitive or delicate soul here; hence, Isabella and Linton have difficulty
surviving at the Heights.
moors: A field of open infertile land. There are usually grasses but no
trees, due to the strong winds that roll across the hills. They can also be wet
wastelands full of peat, moss, and heath. They make up the area between and
around Wuthering
Heights and theGrange. Wuthering
Heights received
its name from the strong winds that blow across these barren hills. Catherine
Earnshaw and Heathcliff loved to play in the moors, and it also becomes a spot
of silent, sorrowful wandering for Heathcliff after Catherine dies. The moors
can be dangerous even for those who are familiar and a bad storm can make them
nearly uncrossable.
Seventy Times Seven, and
the First of the Seventy-First: The title
of a book Mr. Lockwood reads at the Heights. It is on Catherine's bookshelf,
and it was probably a forced
gift from Joseph. Mr. Lockwood dreams that the preacher of this sermon, Jabes Branderham, is at the nearby chapel, and he and Joseph are going to hear him. He believes
that he, Joseph, or the preacher are guilty of the 'First of the
Seventy-First.' The preacher goes on and on, for four hundred and ninety sins.
To reach so high a number, he defines acts that Mr. Lockwood never imagined as
sins. And when Mr. Lockwood accuses the preacher of being guilty of the last
sin, the preacher turns the congregation against him. They start to attack Mr.
Lockwood with their pilgrim sticks while the preacher beats the pulpit.
Liverpool: A port city in northwest England. During a business trip here, Mr.
Earnshaw finds a dark-skinned, inarticulate boy wandering the streets. He cannot find any relatives, so he brings it
home to Wuthering
Heights. They name him Heathcliff. No one, even the
boy, knows his ancestry or country of origin. Being that he was found
in a port city, he could have come off a boat from a foreign country, making
his history even more uncertain.
Penistone Craggs: A rock formation that can
be seen from theGrange. Cathy wants to see it, but her father warns
that it is too dangerous. When Cathy sneaks away to find the Craggs, she passes Wuthering Heights and is
forced to enter when Hareton's dogs attack her own.
the Fairy cave: A cave
out on the moors, under Penistone Craggs. In her delirium, Catherine Earnshaw
imagines that her sickbed is inside the cave, and that Nelly is planning to
hurt her. Years later, when Catherine's daughter hears about the Fairy cave, she is intrigued.
pilgrim sticks: Sticks carried by pilgrims, who are religious travelers. In Mr.
Lockwood's dream, Joseph has one but he does not. And when Mr. Lockwood stands
up to the preacher, the parishioners start to attack him with their holy
sticks.
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