CONTEXT 0

SUMMARY 1
THEMES 2
Social Class 2
Revenge 3
Love 4
Religion 5
CHARACTERS 6
Heathcliff 6
Catherine 8
Edgar Linton 10
Nelly 11
Lockwood 13
Hindley 14
Frances 14
Isabella 15
Hareton 15
Cathy Linton 16
Linton 16
LITERARY TECHNIQUES 17
Symbols 17
Houses 17
2. Moors 18
3. Ghosts 18
4. Catherine's Locket 18
5. Windows and Doors 19
6. The Oak-Paneled Bed 20
7. Canines 21
Motifs 21
Doubles and Opposites 21
OTHER ONES 22
NARRATIVE 22
PLOT DEVELOPMENT 24
SETTING 25
THEORIES 26
Psychoanalytic Theory 26
Feminist Theory 28
QUOTES 28
CONTEXT

● Emily loved Gothic novels which were extremely fashionable at the time. They usually
contained medieval castles, ghosts, madness and mystery.
● Education was a key issue for Victoria's
● Christianity was the primary religion during the Victorian period and was often used as a form
of social control
● Marriage was seen as the social norm and the proper goal for any healthy woman.
● ''Wuthering Heights'' opens in 1801 and covers the thirty years or so prior to that date as well.
● Heathcliff's arrival at Wuthering Heights and his adoption into the Earnshaw family is a sign
of the times in which the novel was set. (It is worth noting that around the time Emily Brontë
was writing the novel, her brother Branwell went to Liverpool on a visit and returned with
tales of wretched, starving people crowding the streets and of orphaned children wandering
unattended.
● The property rights of female heirs were generally in the hands of their husbands and brothers
until IR.
● Favoured eldest son for inheritance

SUMMARY

Many people, generally those who have never read the book, consider Wuthering Heights to be a
straightforward, if intense, love story — Romeo and Juliet on the Yorkshire Moors. But this is a
mistake. Really the story is one of revenge. It follows the life of Heathcliff, a mysterious gypsy-
like person, from childhood (about seven years old) to his death in his late thirties. Heathcliff
rises in his adopted family and then is reduced to the status of a servant, running away when the
young woman he loves decides to marry another. He returns later, rich and educated, and sets
about gaining his revenge on the two families that he believed ruined his life.
THEMES

Social Class
● Earnshaws and Lintons members of gentry. In late 18th/19th century, gentry’s position is
precarious (underneath royalty and aristocracy), as it is unestablished and fluid.Lockwood for
instance, is puzzled by their position.
● Considerations of class status inform much of the characters’ decisions. Catherine marries
Edgar so she can be ‘the greatest woman in the neighbourhood.
● Heathcliff represent shifting status making transition from homeless waif to gentleman's,
although Lockwood remarks that he is similar only to a gentleman in ‘dress and manners,’
● At the time when ''Wuthering Heights'' was written, social standing and property ownership
went hand in hand. You could not have one without the other.
● Another aspect of class distinctions which may seem unusual to the modern reader is the way
servants are treated. As those who were born into the upper classes tended to stay in their
social grouping, by and large, so those in the serving classes had little chance to better their
status.
● Social mobility was still relatively unheard of and Nelly Dean, for example, would not have
expected that she would ever be treated as an equal by Mr. Lockwood, the Earnshaws or the
Lintons Hindley treats Heathcliff appallingly and makes him sleep with the animals because
he is ''only'' a servant and nobody questions his right to do this, even though they might
disapprove.
● If a father wanted to leave his property to his daughter, he had to go to a solicitor and change
his will, naming his daughter as the inheritor of his estate. - Gender Discrimination
● Although masters (and mistresses) ultimately have the upper hand of their servants, it is
noteworthy how much power servants exercise within the sphere of domination to which they
are subject. The tendency of servants to be insubordinate for one reason or another highlights
the problem of a hierarchical society while raising certain questions of peculiar moral interest
● Heathcliff lost his love because he was not from the right social class. Catherine did not want
him as her husband for he did not have a social class like the Lintons. He lived with her
family at her father’s and brother’s mercy. So, until he has grown rich he is a classless orphan.
● Social class also affects how the characters behave. Hindley is rich and spoilt. He abuses
Heathcliff after his father’s death. Edgar is civilized, has received a noble upbringing and yet
he is frail and cowardly. He is from a rich family and not toughened like Heathcliff. On the
other hand, despite having gotten rich, Heathcliff cannot forget his poor days at the Heights.
The misery and ignominy he had been made to bear at Hindley’s hands are always fresh in his
mind. He cannot forget either that it was because of his social class that he lost Catherine. All
the things make him feel more miserable and turn him savage. However, the misery that
follows Heathcliff’s return is also rooted in social class.
● Though the Bronte sisters really did not have too much social interaction, being in a large
family; they did not “actively seek companionship from other children”, but rather had an
“intense” relationship to each other as sisters (Glen, 20). Even in the introduction in the
Wuthering Heights book, written by Daphne Merkin, she repeatedly points out how the
Bronte sister’s lived in “strikingly isolated circumstances” and how they were “cut off from
the local goings on” (Bronte, xiv). Merkin also writes that the Bronte family did not have the
most “secure social class” (Bronte, xiv). This cannot but remind me of the relationship
between the children in Wuthering Heights and the social standing in which they initially live
in. Heathcliff, Cathy, and Hindley live pretty much cut off from the outside world at
Wuthering Heights and their only friends are the people who live there.
● When Catherine returns from Thrushcross Grange, she returns a “very dignified person” who
“looks like a lady” and a “graceful damsel” (Bronte, 52-53) while Heathcliff has “thick
uncombed hair” and “clothes which had seen three months’ service in mire and dust” (Bronte,
53).
● Thrushcross Grange houses the societally elite Linton’s, whose son, Edgar Linton, is
ultimately the man that Catherine chooses to marry. It is seen though that Heathcliff, when
finding that Catherine will not marry him due to his social standing, goes off to make
something of himself, returns, and eventually becomes the owner of Thrushcross Grange,
signifying Heathcliff reaching the top of the societal ladder
● Readers can see that Bronte was blunt in her interpretation of the societal pressures she faced
when writing her novel, and expressing those very pressures through her writing. Though
Bronte’s novel has remained a classic due to more than one reason, the social pressures that
drive the main plot line throughout the novel, can still be seen as prevalent in today’s society.

Revenge

● Both explored through social view of novel; close knit community where hierarchy is firmly
established
● 2 houses symbolise the sheltered and protected world of the upper class and the exposure of
the Earnshaws is brought about by decline of household. Heathcliff however, corrupts
Thrushcross Grange and slowly erodes it.
● Heathcliff’s status as ‘gypsy’ lacking in social status or a name changes to owner/heir of both
TG and WH.
● Money/power essential to survival.
● Heathcliff’s revenge for thwarted passion is based upon acquiring social status and power.
This is perhaps reflective of Victorian society where status is all.
● Heathcliff presented throughout as an outside, forcing his way in literally and symbolically.
His power represented by association with fire/storms; fierce love and implacable hatred. He
is even described as devilish/ vampire/ it/ ghoul suggesting he is outside humanity altogether.
● Narrators are also socially placed despite the fact they are in control of the story; they anchor
the wildness of the story itself.
● Bronte proves there is no peace in eternal vengeance, and in the end self- injury involved in
serving revenge’s purposes will be more damaging than the original wrong. Heathcliff never
finds peace through his revenge. In face the only time he truly find happiness is when he gives
up his plan for retaliation.
● Hindley’s loss of Wuthering Heights to Heathcliff and his mysterious death reflect how
revenge does not make anything better, only worse. Bronte corroborates that revenge is not
only a harsh and rash way to live life, but is counter-productive and hurtful.
● Heathcliff is revengeful because of his unrequited love for Cathy. His revenge is shown
through his actions towards the Earnshaws, a family that degraded him, the Lintons, the
people he believes stole Cathy away from him, and Cathy herself, the woman he feels
betrayed her heart and his love. He felt that he did not have Cathy's love, when all the time he
truly owned her heart. Heathcliff did everything for his unrequited love.

Love
● Different types of love presented throughout the novel. The Greeks classified different types
of love to include agape (altruistic, charitable love), ludus (the playful affection of children
and lovers), pragma (the understanding that exists between a long married couple, storge (the
love that develops between comrade or sibling after they have been through much together)
and finally mania (obsession) which was strongly linked with eros (sexual passion)
● Book is structured around two parallel love stories
● Separation of those who should be together brings havoc and misery. Love presented as one-
ness and inseparability, rather than two separate people caring for each other.
● Emotions verge between passionate love and hatred/rage. Arguably the two are
interdependent, hence the extremity of the language and actions of protagonists and
vivid/forceful imagery.
● Catherine and Heathcliff’s passion seemingly the centre of novel. Passion condemned as
immoral by Nelly and Victorian readers but could interpret as a love that transcends social
boundaries and idealise them as romantic hero/heroine.
● Catherine and Hareton’s love is less dramatic but restores harmony and equilibrium.
● It is based on growth, change and mutual improvement. Love denies difference and is perhaps
asexual. However, Lockwood is forced to recognise the strength of their love: ‘Together, they
were afraid of nothing...Together they would brave Satan and all his legions.

● Romantic love takes many forms in Wuthering Heights: the grand passion of Heathcliff and
Catherine, the insipid sentimental languishing of Lockwood, the coupleism of Hindley and
Frances, the tame indulgence of Edgar, the romantic infatuation of Isabella, the puppy love of
Cathy and Linton, and the flirtatious sexual attraction of Cathy and Hareton.
● The love-relationship of Heathcliff and Catherine, but not that of the other lovers, has become
an archetype; it expresses the passionate longing to be whole, to give oneself unreservedly to
another and gain a whole self or sense of identity back, to be all-in-all for each other, so that
nothing else in the world matters, and to be loved in this way forever. This type of passion-
love can be summed up in the phrase more--and still more , for it is insatiable, unfulfillable,
and unrelenting in its demands upon both lovers.

HEATHCLIFF AND CATHERINE- love interpretation

● Soulmates : Their love exists on a higher or spiritual plane; they are soul mates, two people
who have an affinity for each other which draws them togehter irresistibly. Heathcliff
repeatedly calls Catherine his soul. Such a love is not necessarily fortunate or happy.
● Transcending isolation : Their love is an attempt to break the boundaries of self and to fuse
with another to transcend the inherent separateness of the human condition; fusion with
another will by uniting two incomplete individuals create a whole and achieve new sense of
identity, a complete and unified identity. This need for fusion motivates Heathcliff's
determination to "absorb" Catherine's corpse into his and for them to "dissolve" into each
other so thoroughly that Edgar will not be able to distinguish Catherine from him. Freud
explained this urge as an inherent part of love: "At the height of being in love the boundary
between ego and object threatens to melt away. Against all the evidence of his senses, a man
who is in love declares ‘I' and 'you' are one, and is prepared to behave as if it were a fact."
● Love as religion : Love has become a religion in Wuthering Heights,providing a shield
against the fear of death and the annihilation of personal identity or consciousness. This use of
love would explain the inexorable connection between love and death in the characters'
speeches and actions.
● Love as addiction : An addictive love wants to break down the boundaries of identity and
merge with the lover into one identity. Lacking inner resources, love addicts look outside
themselves for meaning and purpose, usually in people similar to themselves.

Religion
● Religion is more personal and related to ‘this world’ than the next (see Cathy’ speech to
Nelly about her idea of heaven)
● Characters have variety of outlooks:
1. Joseph; emphasis on hell/damnation/sin which is a possible parody of evangelical attitudes
prevalent in Victorian period
2. Edgar; representative of conventional morality/ reunion of souls after death o Nelly; believes
in higher power, perhaps because of her social position. She constantly reminds that it is not
our place to judge/moralise/ take revenge as it is God’s privilege.
3. Catherine and Heathcliff; heaven is within the moors and within each other, hence their
longing for death so they can be together.

CHARACTERS

Heathcliff
● Origins are a mystery; only has one name, given to him by the ‘master’, Earnshaw. First
meeting he is described as ‘it’, ‘gipsy brat and that ‘not a soul knew to whom it belonged.
● Subsequent to the death of Mr Earnshaw, Hindley is able to treat Heathcliff in any way he
desires and therefore relegates him to the status of servant and seems to encourage others to
do the same. Whilst Heathcliff wishes (if only temporarily) that he ‘”was dressed and behaved
as well”’ as Edgar, he cannot avoid acting out his violent nature when Edgar is rude to him.
Heathcliff seems to have learnt some of his bad behaviour from Hindley whose ‘bad ways and
bad companions formed a pretty example for Catherine and Heathcliff’ after the death of
Frances.
● Whilst the treatment meted out to Heathcliff by these characters is obvious prejudice, it does
not particularly affect him. It is only when Catherine declares that ‘”It would degrade me to
marry [Heathcliff] now”’ that he fully appreciates the fact that his social position is a
hindrance to his progression in life. Leaving the area, he goes away for three years and
returns, having tried to better himself. This does not, however, alter the fact that certain
people still refer to him as ‘the plough boy’. It seems, therefore, that he cannot escape from
his origins, or rather the lack of them.
● Powerful, amoral, worldly, profoundly romantic; a paradox perhaps. He recognises drive,
personality and passion rather than class.
● Heathcliff takes romantic conventions and manifests them into a new form with Cathy. His
love is all consuming and in the end, it does indeed consume him, but this is apparent
throughout the novel e.g. Ch29, ‘Heathcliff paused and wiped his forehead; his hair clung to
it, wet with perspiration... a painful appearance of mental tension towards one absorbing
subject.’
● Heathcliff often presented using savage animal imagery representing his untamed side,
particularly where his love for Catherine is concerned (‘he gnashed at me and foamed like a
mad dog, and gathered him to her in greedy jealousy...I [was not] in the company of a creature
of my own species.
● The main point of sympathy is perhaps after the death of Cathy. One of the most noticeable is
the way in which his speech is presented within the text. In order to demonstrate the fact that
he is confused and lacking in concentration, Brontë has him speaking in an extremely
fractured manner, using short sentences with many pauses, for example: “Be with me always
 – take any form – drive me mad!” This suggests to the reader a deep sense of loss – he cannot
even formulate complete sentences, such is his despair.
● Negative points include:
1. He destroys Hindley. He doesn’t care that his wife has died and does not feel any guilt about having a part to
play in Hindley’s premature death.
2. He uses Isabella as a vehicle for his revenge. He does not treat her as a human being.
3. He treats Linton and Hareton badly and is glad when Edgar is dead
4. He hangs Isabella’s dog (chapter 12) and this is a warning of the violence that exists between the two families
and clearly shows the Gothic side to his character.
● This evolvement of the character and the fact that he is merely described by three narrators
and never makes a clear statement of his own makes him one of the most fascinating
characters in literature.
● His tenant has just returned from a visit, and he describes him as a “solitary neighbour that I
shall be troubled with” and hints about him being a misanthropist. This is all fairly vague in
comparison to the much stronger statement: “A capital fellow!” and the fact that the tenant’s
heart warmed towards him, leaving us with the impression of a strong, but just man although
we sense that there are some hidden menace lurking in the background.
● Heathcliff does not speak – he growls. He does not smile – he grins, and even sneers on
occasion. In the tenants narrative the uses of adjectives like “diabolical” certainly gives an
extra flavour to the reader’s interpretation of the character. The effect of the choice of words
is further enhanced by putting his dogs in the scene with him early in the novel, and thereby
creating a link between the dogs and himself, and an image of him not being man-like. And
indeed, dogs are just the thing for portraying a man like this, as dogs can be both dirty and
pitiful, and strong, powerful sentinels or even predators at the same time – mirroring the
general development of the character.
● There are primarily two factors behind this change – Catherine whom he loves marries Edgar
Linton and Hindley harasses Heathcliff after Mr Earnshaw’s death.
● While all the characters in Wuthering Heights are unique, it is especially Heathcliff who
despite his ill-tempered and cynical attitude engages with his intense emotions. Readers
cannot help sympathizing with him for beneath his sinister behaviour they can feel the
presence of a romantic hero. His frustration for not finding his love has made him sadistic and
evil. At several points, it appears like he uses his vicious attitude to hide his real emotions and
his longing for Catherine. However, it also seems that he is authentically bent at punishing
others around him. At least it so appears because he does not hesitate to demonstrate through
his cruelty that he is truly as cynical as he appears. Still, despite his arrogant attitude it is his
longing for his lost love that proves him a hero.
● He longs for his love, praying for Catherine to return. He cracks his whip on everyone whom
he believes is liable for his loss or is even distantly connected with it. Bronte’s perspective on
love is gloomy, growing so dark at points that it resembles a ghost story. Even the settings
appear haunted.
 ● Heathcliff himself thinks of nothing but revenge and it has turned him monstrous. Bronte has
masterfully carved her characters. Even important are the settings that add to the gloom and
bitterness of the story.
● Heathcliff is portrayed as a hero who is driven by his desire to avenge. Catherine who
betrayed his trust and married Linton and Linton himself are dead. He amuses himself
sadistically by punishing Isabella, Edgar’s sister whom he married to pursue his vengeful
intentions
● Heathcliff used to be a happy man till he lost Catherine to the good and cultured Edgar
Linton. He goes away for three years after which he returns wealthy and dressed as a
gentleman
● It is his love and longing for Catherine Earnshaw which shows why he is the way he is.
● He cleverly gains the ownership of both Heights and Grange. There is a lot about Heathcliff
that is not understandable but that is what actually makes him unique.
● Heathcliff has undergone a major change but then his frustration is well understandable,
especially in the light of his love for Catherine. Yet, it is Heathcliff’s pain that makes the
novel so interesting and engaging despite all the gloominess in it.

Catherine
● When we first hear about Cathy as a child (although we have already met her as a ghost) we
hear of her ‘wild, wicked’ side. Her childish, perverse character is revealed through her initial
response to Heathcliff.
● As a child, she is always ‘in mischief’ but she is also manipulative and manipulates people to
be the same (‘plaguing everybody who would not do the same.’). The contrast between this
‘wicked’ nature and her ‘sweetest smile’ and ‘meaning no harm’, Brontë allows us to see how
her character develops after events with Heathcliff and Edgar.
● Cathy’s early childhood rebellion against religion and her elders would have been highly
condemned during the Victorian period and could reflect Brontë’s own childhood where she
and her siblings were always trying to escape her dogmatic aunt.
● During childhood, Nelly’s language suggests how fond she was of her (‘she had the bonniest
smile’) however when she spends time with Heathcliff her rougher side is emphasised and
when she visits the Lintons, this contrast between her two sides becomes more apparent.
(‘instead of a wild, hatless little savage jumping into the house... there lighted from a black
pony a very dignified person, with brown ringlets.’
● Juxtaposition and binary oppositions form a large part of how the reader perceives Cathy.
Nelly’s descriptions of her seem conflicted from the time she meets Edgar onwards. The
deterioration of Cathy is perhaps due to this psychological turmoil inflicted by a clash
between civilisation and nature. The fact that she is buried between the two on the moors is
 representative of this; however, it is significant that after death, it is WH not TG she tries to
return to. In death, she longs for union with the wildness of the Heights and indeed, with
Heathcliff. Perhaps this because in death she is free from social restraints.
● Catherine Earnshaw is a character at war with herself. Her conflicting turns of character make
her at once complex, confusing and interesting.
● Catherine contains a little of both: there is some of Heathcliff, the passionate ruffian in her,
and there is also a touch of the effete nobleman that Edgar represents in her character. The
battle for dominance of these two characters within Catherine is responsible for her fickle
personality
● We can divide Catherine's dominant personality traits into those that are reflections of
Heathcliff and Edgar, and those that are unique to Catherine and result from the combination
of her suitors' characters.
● The two most notable traits that should be considered in this latter category are Catherine's
self-absorbed narcissism and her surprisingly powerful and accurate powers of introspection.
Both of these traits are the result of a combination of Heathcliff’s personality with Edgar's
that make Catherine narcissistically blind to herself and yet also give her such a limpid
understanding of her feelings.
● f. Nelly tells us that Catherine is "never so happy as when we were all scolding her at once,"
(Ch 5, pg 35) a quote which indicates Catherine's desire to be the center of attention. Even
more surprising is the scene where Heathcliff erupts in anger over Catherine's preferential
treatment of the Lintons, and Catherine scolds Nelly, saying "you've combed my hair quite
out of curl," (Ch 8, pg 58) interrupting her conversation with Heathcliff and making us
wonder if she's more worried about her childhood friend or her beautiful hair. This sort of self
absorption is not observable in Heathcliff. When Nelly tells Heathcliff that she thinks he
might envy Catherine, Nelly reports that Heathcliff finds the notion of envying Catherine
"incomprehensible". Heathcliff's inability to be wounded by Nelly's statement is evidence not
of a humble nature, but rather of his lack of self consciousness.
● Catherine combines the passionate but reckless sensibilities of Heathcliff with the calm,
withdrawn manner of Edgar to arrive at a mean where her passion can be mitigated while
avoiding the torpor that Edgar regularly sinks into. This combination of Heathcliff and
Edgar's characters grants her qualities that neither of them is capable of possessing on the far
ends of the spectrum
● Catherine Earnshaw is the dominant female spirit which prevails the novel
● Catherine is double in the way that she is torn between two men and whether to stay with her
childhood love Heathcliff or become an adult and marry civilized Edgar Linton. In
psychoanalysis one could say that both of them are parts of Catherine. Catherine is the ego,
Heathcliff the id and Edgar the superego.
● Catherine possesses a wild, passionate nature which initially is presented when she spat at
Heathcliff on discovering that he was the reason for her father loosing the whip she was to
get.
 ● While Catherine is wild, wilful and passionate, she also possesses a double character. Her five
week sojourn at the grange awakens in her an appreciation of the civilised world. When she
returns to the Heights, both manner and appearance have changed and is shocked in
appearance of Heathcliff and Edgar. From then on, Catherine adopts a split personality - an
amusing lady-like disposition in the company of the Lintons and returning to her wild
passionate self when accompanied by Heathcliff.
● She declared her wish to be 'the greatest lady in the neighbourhood" as the materialistic side
to her personality begins to assert itself. For the first time in the novel, Catherine worries how
others see her and she confesses to Nelly it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff. The
duality of Catherine's character revealed a crisis point with her marriage to Edgar - the one
event in the novel above all others which determines the futures of the central characters.
● Catherine's marriage to him is a betrayal of her nature. Not only has she broken with her
kindred spirit, Heathcliff, but she has physically removed herself from the wildness and
freedom from the Heights and the crags. This choice made by Catherine favoured wealth,
civilisation and social position over her natural affinity with the untamed, uncivilised world
represented by Heathcliff.
● A significant feature of Catherine's character is her wish to dominate both situations and
people.

Edgar Linton

● As a child Edgar can be seen as in opposition to Heathcliff; however in the second part of the
novel, his subsequent care for his daughter reveals a different side to him.
● Descriptions of Edgar emphasise his ‘doll’ like appearance next to Heathcliff as well as his
‘light hair and fair skin’. The focus on appearance by Nelly at an early stage may suggest he
lacks depth, however it is important to remember that at this point in the novel, Nelly is very
much on Heathcliff’s side (think how she helps him to dress up when the Lintons come to
visit and encourages him to pursue his affections for Cathy)
● His behaviour as a child is unappealing; he ‘cried for mama at every turn and trembled if a
country lad heaved his fist against you’ and the effeminate/melodramatic language used about
and by him also reflects this. Brontë/Nelly ensures the reader will prefer Heathcliff.
● Later in the novel, Nelly’s presentation of Edgar is far more sympathetic, perhaps because he
is her ‘master’ now.
● The profound sense of grief at Catherine’s death represents a turning point in our perception
of Edgar; similarly his passion for new born daughter demonstrates his ever-present capacity
to love- a quality Catherine inherits as shown through her love for Linton in spite of his
weakness.
● His conventional, solitary love for his wife after her death contrasts with Heathcliff. He pays
‘solitary visits’ to her grave and ‘recalled her memory with ardent, tender love’. Victorian
 readers would have appreciated this, as it was seen as the ‘proper’ way to mourn and indeed,
love.
● Sweet, loving, and kind, Edgar is the picture of a country gentleman; he is very handsome and
dotes upon both wife and daughter. He initially appears fragile, but, in fact, he is quite strong
in a quiet, introspective way. He's not pure goodness, however: he despises Heathcliff and can
be unforgiving.
● Edgar is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Linton, the heir to the estate of Thrushcross Grange and most
importantly a foil to Heathcliff, everything about the two boys/men is different and their one
common denominator, being their love for Catherine Earnshaw.
● Edgar is portrayed as a petty and precocious child. His attitude to Heathcliff's first visit to the
Grange reflects his sense of superiority, he is petty and sullen and is seen weeping as a result
of a quarrel over a little dog.
● Although he becomes the master of the Grange, the local magistrate, the husband of Catherine
and in many eyes, the greatest man in the neighbourhood, is generally cowardly when faced
with Heathcliff, so much so that Catherine refers to him as a "sucking leveret".
● Another feature of Edgar's character is his fear of Catherine's temper, and in the light of this,
his willingness to cater to her every whim. Nelly suggests that he had "a deep rooted fear of
ruffling her humour". It was this fear that forced him to give in to Catherine's request that
Heathcliff be allowed to visit at the Grange. His fear is again evident as he gives in to
Catherine's request that two tables be set up in the dining room rather than have Heathcliff eat
in the servant's quarters which is what Edgar would have liked. Catherine speaks of his
passive love saying "I have such faith in Linton's love that I believe I might kill him and he
wouldn't wish to retaliate". Edgar's ultimatum to Catherine to choose between he and
Heathcliff "I absolutely require to know which you choose" comes to nothing in the face of
Catherine's anger.
● Despite this naivety there is much to admire in the character of Edgar Linton.
● Much of this is associated with his civilised living, gentle nature and pleasant manner. His
devotion to Catherine during her illness is an admirable aspect of his character. His love and
devotion to her is beyond question. His willingness to take responsibility for young Linton
after Isabella's death shows his generous nature particularly as Heathcliff, who he abhors, is
the boy's father. He is willing to allow Cathy marry Linton if it would allow her to be
consoled after his own death. Her chance of possible happiness is more important to him than
Heathcliff gaining control of Linton. Edgar, like Heathcliff, is affected by Catherine's death
and looks forward to a reunion with her after his own death, however the intervening 17 years
for Edgar are marked by resignation rather than torment as was the case with Heathcliff.

Nelly

● Various critical views of Nelly; Gossip, confidante, villain, sentimental Puritan, local
historian, servant, story teller.
● Active narrator; her narrative is largely unfolded through the words of other character. Sense
of actuality is conveyed through her use of concrete detail.
● Brings us close to the action of the stories/events she describes. Arguably, she is reliable
because she has lived there her whole life.
● However, she is emotionally attached to character, so possibly biased. She can also choose
which event to omit, or elaborate on. Brontë’s inclusion of lot of dialogue from the principal
characters however, ensures that a sense of objectivity is not lost.
● Narrator reports past from present so has the benefit of hindsight.
● Take great pride in housework and has respect for social conventions (‘an elderly woman and
a servant merely’)
● Despite her assertions that it is not her place to moralise, she often passes judgement
throughout with her sayings/ Yorkshire born values (‘proud people breed sad sorrows for
themselves’/ ‘a good heart will help you to a bonny face’). She also offers a glimpse of the
differences between rural and urban life through both her values and her speech- particularly
when compared to Lockwood’s narration.
● Not always honest (‘I invented and reiterated at intervals throughout the way’)
● Surprisingly knowledgeable for a servant; ‘You could not open a book in this library that I
have not looked into,’ she tells Lockwood. This serves to establish our trust in her as a
narrator.
● Immersion in reality of day-to-day events leaves her unable to comprehend the love of Cathy
and Heathcliff.
● A sensible, intelligent, and compassionate woman, she grew up essentially alongside Hindley
and Catherine Earnshaw and is deeply involved in the story she tells.
● She has strong feelings for the characters in her story, and these feelings complicate her
narration.
● Nelly is an eyewitness-first person participant-main narrator of Wuthering Heights. Nelly
Dean’s narrative has an extraordinary sometimes breathless energy as if she were describing
events that she had witnessed an hour ago, every moment of which is vividly present to her.
● Nelly’s narrative is an art of stark immediacy - of making the past live for us in the present.
● She brings us very close to the action and is in one way deeply engaged in it. The intimate
affairs of the Grange and the Heights have taken up her whole life, however, her position as a
professional housekeeper means that her interests in events is largely practical.
● She provides the inner frame of the narrative and we see this world of the successive
generations of Earnshaw’s and Linton’s through her eye’s, although much of the dialogue, in
the interests of objectivity, is that of the characters themselves. As a narrator reporting the
past from the present, she has the benefit of hindsight and can therefore depart from the
straight chronological narrative to hint at the future.
● There is an ambivalence in Nelly’s attitude and this combined with her meddling nature
renders her moral stance inconsistent and even hypocritical. Despite these shortcomings, she
is vigorous, lively narrator with a formidable memory whose energy and unflagging interests
allow the reader an insight into the lives of characters.
 ● As a narrator, her language is lively, colloquial and imaginative, this has the effect of bringing
characters to life and providing the reader with many vivid and precise images, an example of
this is her reference to Heathcliff’s life "It’s a cuckoo’s, sir - I know all about it, except where
he was born, and who were his parents, and how he got his money at first.

Lockwood

● Frame narrator; we quickly become aware of his limited point of view.

● Brontë would be aware that many of her readers would have sympathised with Lockwood
being young, wealthy, educated and from the south of England but it becomes clear that he is
a parody of the typical fictional 19 th century hero. The three opening chapters are subversive social
comedy, arguably on a par with Jane Austen.
● Brontë’s imitation of his stilted middle class speech is incredibly effective; language is used
as a shield by him to protect himself from the cruel, inhospitable nature of the Heights. For
instance.
1. ‘inspecting the penetralium’; going indoors
2. ‘atmospheric tumult’; storm
3. ‘Bracing ventilation’; strong wind
4. ‘Constrained to demand assistance’; called for help
5. ‘With vexatious phlegm’; angrily
6. ‘A lusty dame’; fat
7. ‘She turned her vocal artillery’; she shouted
● Presents himself as a Romantic hero; sensitive, disillusioned. Compared to Byronic hero that
is Heathcliff, he is a shallow parody. He is searching for a ‘hero and heroine’, to the point he
hijacks the narrative to tell what he considers to be the point of high romance in the novel
when Cathy and Heathcliff unite as she lies dying
● He compares himself to Heathcliff (both ‘misanthropists’), which is ironic as he is clearly the
opposite. When he ‘realises’ this when he leaves Yorkshire, proclaiming it ‘godforsaken’ and
miserable, it is amusing.
● Misinterprets events throughout the novel
● He emphasises the power of Nelly’s narrative. Even his responses to the story are bland and
unemotional; ‘In truth, I felt rather disposed to defer the sequel of the narrative myself’,
emphasising the ‘style’ and ‘manner’ of the story, rather than connecting with the
emotions/characters.
● His lack of interpretation forces the reader to take responsibility; we listen when he does, but
we have cannot help but correct the perception he lacks. He even notes, ‘What a realisation of
something more romantic that a fairy-tale it would have been for Mrs Linton Heathcliff had
she and I struck up an attachment.’
● He finished the tale unable to imagine ‘unquiet slumbers for those sleepers in that quiet earth’,
which is arguably ridiculous when the reader has experienced the emotional turmoil of the
past few hundred pages.
Hindley

● ‘Rightful heir’ of Wuthering Heights but is soon usurped by Heathcliff when it is clear when
that his father prefers him. Earnshaw ‘took to Heathcliff strangely’.
● Hindley’s childhood jealousy of Heathcliff turns far more sinister when he returns with
Frances. He becomes the landlord/master who treats him vindictively. Brontë represents this
change physically; he has ‘grown sparer, and lost his colour, and spoke and dressed very
different.
● However, he also reflects 19th century attitudes; most readers would have understood his
actions/attitudes in banishing the servants, Heathlcliff included, to the ‘backquarters’ of the
house.
● Nelly does not allow us to feel sympathy for Hindley, comparing his attitude towards his son
after his wife’s death to Edgar’s.
● Descriptions of Hindley become increasingly dehumanised; he is the ‘worse and weaker
man’. Perhaps because he rejects religion/Christian values.
● The difference between Hindley and Edgar emphasises the spiritual divide between the two
houses; they are ‘so opposite in similar circumstances’ She illustrates the evil of Hindley by
balancing it up against the good of Edgar. The concept of men taking a certain path seems
spiritual, something Victorian readers would have been able to relate to; ‘they chose their own
lots and were righteously doomed to endure them.
● The violence inflicted upon Hindley in Chapter 17 removes all sympathy for Heathcliff and
although it is ‘revenge’ fulfilled, we cannot help but pity Hindley, whom modern audiences
may recognise as a depressed alcoholic. Even sadder is that Heathcliff continues to exact his
revenge on Hindley long after he is dead.

Frances

● Described as young, ‘rather thin’ and ‘so afraid of dying’; strong suggestion she will die soon
through descriptions of ill health. Strong sense of foreboding created around her. Supports
Nelly as a ‘storyteller’ with hints of what is to come.
● Nelly thinks her ‘half silly’ and long list given describing her hyperactive personality- she
would ‘express such joy’ at the merest trifle, ‘kissed’, ‘ran about’ and ‘prattled with Cathy’.
She reflects the stark differences between more childlike, innocent characters and the wiser,
wordly ones.
● Her birth/origins also unexplained; compare to Heathcliff.
● She dislikes Heathcliff (perhaps because she is similar in status to him?) but she is the reason
Hindley becomes increasingly cruel to him.
● We don’t in general take to foreigners here’ is said with reference to Frances and again, is
indicative of the insular, elemental world of Wuthering Heights.
 ● Frances’s death sparks the deterioration of Hindley, the abuse of Heathcliff and the rejection
of Hareton. Facilitates the plot and the events that follow.

Isabella
● Sister of Edgar and initially presented as ‘shrieking’ with Edgar. It would be easy to condemn
her as shallow/superficial. She is described as ‘terrified and repelled’ at Cathy’s passion.
● She is drawn to Heathcliff’s uncivilised, rugged appearance; perhaps comparable to
Lockwood’s perception of the Romantic hero.
● She however, does not allow social prejudice to ruin her love for Heathcliff as Cathy does;
she elopes and is isolated from her family, home comforts, social protection.
● Isabella’s letter after she has married Heathcliff and the intervention of her dialogue in
Chapter 17 before she leaves Heathcliff add a varying viewpoint to Nelly’s narrative and
reassure us that Heathcliff is as monstrous as Nelly suggests.
● She draws attention to the wild uncivilised nature of the Heights, offering another outsider’s
perspective. She asks Nelly, ‘How did you preserve the common sympathies of human nature
when you resided here?’
● She can be viewed as a strong female character. She leaves Heathcliff, which in the Victorian
period would have been unheard of. She brings her son up alone and unsupported.

Hareton

● Raised by Heathcliff as an uneducated savage and is used by him to gain revenge on Hindley.
● Hareton is illiterate and quick tempered but easily humiliated, yet shows a good heart and
desire to better himself, culminating in his marriage to Catherine Linton.
● In Chapter 11, he is described as an ‘apparition’ of Hindley; ‘elf locked...brown eyed... ruddy
countenance’. Despite Nelly’s attempt to embrace him (after all, she did raise him), he rejects
her, moving out of ‘arms way’ and picks up a ‘large flint’ to throw at her, demonstrating his
degradation at the hands of Heathcliff.
● Hareton can be seen as a symbol of the suffering Heathcliff endured as a child. He is directly
compared to Heathcliff as a man- full of ‘malignity’, corrupted as a toold for adult revenge. A
Victorian audience would have been incredibly shocked by a child behaving in this way.
● Hareton refers to Heathcliff as ‘devil daddy’ and is surprisingly attached to him. He weeps
when he dies and in spite of the treatment meted out to him by Heathcliff, does not reject or
him, or seek revenge.
● It is Catherine Linton who begins to penetrate Hareton’s persona. He attempts to improve
himself for her sake. The final image of Hareton is ‘civilised’ and he is presented as a
 ‘softened man’ who is ‘respectfully dressed’- even to the point that Lockwood doesn’t
recognise him. He can finally gain his rightful inheritance.

Cathy Linton

● Arguably, she has inherited the best qualities of her parents

● First description appears in Chapter 2; she is inhospitable towards Lockwood,although the
fact that she holds her own in such a male dominated environment may be seen as admirable
by the reader. Harsh language emphasises her mannerisms with adverbs/adjectives such as
‘scornfully’ and ‘snapped’. There is also irony in initial presentation as Lockwood describes
her as an ‘amiable hostess’. Reader realises she is unhappy though; in her eyes is a ‘kind of
desperation’.
● Much of Catherine’s positive qualities are filtered through Nelly’s narrative; biased motherly
perspective perhaps?
● She has the capacity to love deeply/ unconditionally, much like her father Edgar. She loves
Linton despite the fact the reader cannot help but despise him. She says of her father also, ‘I
love him better than myself’, offering a contrast to Heathcliff and Cathy’s selfish, all-
consuming love.
● She stands up to Heathcliff (‘you have nobody to love you; and, however miserable you
make us, we will still have the revenge of thinking that your cruelty arises from your greater
misery’) and reconciles her apparent hatred for Hareton because of his status by educating
him. Arguably succeeds where her mother fails.

Linton

● Son of Heathcliff and Isabella and presented by Nelly as a sickly, whining ‘effeminate’ man.
He cannot survive Wuthering Heights and is constantly described as ill (‘languid, and his
form extremely slight’)

● Linton mocks Hareton for his inability to read and ‘giggles’. He also tries to play Master,
remarking, ‘You can’t open your mouth without me. Do try to behave like a gentleman, now
do!’
● Brontë presents him as extremely self-pitying and almost gently satirising his weakness.
April Van Angelis’s production in 2008, presented him as a comic figure in fact. It is also
clear that Nelly does not like him so this influences the reader’s level of sympathy for him
(‘the invalid complained of being covered in ashes’).
 ● Heathcliff rejects him completely: ‘a pitiful, shuffling, worthless thing.’
● He is increasingly wicked as the novel progresses, particularly towards Catherine.
● Linton who as Nelly reminds him, has done nothing but love him. Very little time is given by
Nelly to his death which suggests how she feels about him.

LITERARY TECHNIQUES

Symbols

1. Houses
Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are in many ways set in opposition to each
another. The Heights lacks hospitality and domestic comforts: chairs lurk, meats hang
from the ceiling, and the kitchen, like unwelcome guests, is "forced to retreat altogether"
(1.14). "Wuthering," as Lockwood tells us, is "descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which
its station is exposed in stormy weather" (1.12). Thrushcross Grange, on the other hand,
represents refinement, class, cultivation, and propriety. It's the house Catherine aspires to
socially, the house that will make her a "lady." The Heights sits exposed on a stormy hilltop,
but the Grange is calm and protected down in the valley. With all the crazy intermixing that
goes on in the novel, though, these neat thematic oppositions start to get confused. When the
novel opens we learn that Heathcliff owns both houses. But when Lockwood notices that the
inscription over the doors reads "Hareton Earnshaw," we know that the family has lost the
house; the laws of inheritance have been violated. (Remember, even though Heathcliff was
taken in by Mr. Earnshaw, he was never named Heathcliff Earnshaw). Figuring out how this
happened becomes one of our goals as a reader.Wuthering heights has the
characteristics of being a very strong, prominent structure and is described by Mr Lockwood
as being a
misanthropist's heaven. It is a very desolate and lonely place up on a hill exposed to stormy
weather with no real beauty and can be seen as an uncivilised place to live. Thrushcross
Grange is a very classy, civilised estate and living in a place like this would bring a lot of
status with it. It is quite a sheltered place down in the valley and this is something that is
common with its children - they tend to be sheltered and spoilt. Thrushcross grange is
comfortable and decorative whereas Wuthering Heights is basic and down to earth. Whilst
Wuthering Heights has great power in its commanding position up on the hill, it will never be
in the same class as the Grange. Wuthering Heights lacks class, hospitality and domestic
comforts: “Kitchen is forced to retreat altogether into another quarter”(3)
 2. Moors
Moors play an important part in establishing the mood of the novel.
Moors are open areas, wet, wild, and infertile. As the novel opens Lockwood fears
walking through the moors at night. Catherine and Heathcliff spend much of their
childhood rambling on the moors, symbolizing their wild inclinations. Both Catherine
and Heathcliff are buried on the moors, because of their fondness for them and their
fondness for the wildness they represent.The Moors also represent danger. Nelly and Catherine
Linton are feared to have drowned in the moors. In addition, they are very difficult to navigate
and easy to lose oneself. Just as the moors represent danger and are difficult to navigate, the love
between Catherine and Heathcliff endangers everyone associated with them through their
recklessness and becomes difficult to figure out.Catherine's dying wish to be released onto the
moors reinforces Heathcliff's analogy of Catherine as an oak contained by the strictures of
Thrushcross Grange:"I wish I were out of doors—I wish I were a girl again,half savage and
hardy
[…] I'm sure I should be myself were I once among the Catherine's dying wish to be release onto
the moors reinforces Heathcliff's analogy of Catherine as an oak contained by the strictures of
Thrushcross Grange:"I wish I were out of doors—I wish I were a girl again, half savage and
hardy […] I'm sure I should be myself were I once among the heather on those hills. Open the
window again wide […]." (12.46)heather on those hills. Open the window again wide […]..
(12.46)

3. Ghosts
The inhabitants of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are haunted
by past events. Heathcliff craves the past and longs for the ghost of Catherine to haunt
him. Lockwood, during the first few days of his residence, is awakened by Catherine's
ghost as he slumbers at Wuthering Heights. It is apparent that Lockwood will be
imposed upon by the abnormal goings on of the Heights and Thrushcross Grange. At
the end of the novel, rumors persist that both Heathcliff and Catherine's ghosts roam
the moors at night. Although the veracity of such events remain ambiguous, there is no
doubt Heathcliff's life has made an impact on the still living

4. Catherine's Locket
Catherine has on her neck a locket containing a lock of Edgar's
hair. After seeing the dead Catherine, Heathcliff removes it, throws it on the ground,
and replaces it with his own hair. His act symbolizes his desire to supplant Edgar and
his belief that Catherine is rightfully his. Nelly takes Edgar's lock of hair, intertwines it
with Heathcliff's lock of hair, and puts it into the locket, symbolizing how the two
nemesis' lives intertwine.

5. Windows and Doors

Wuthering Heights' characters are often impeded by locked
doors and windows, symbolizing the damaging effects of revenge. Lockwood (I don't
think his name is coincidental) finds Wuthering Heights locked as he arrives. Nelly
and Catherine are locked in rooms to assist Heathcliff's thirst for revenge. At other
times doors and windows are intentionally left open--Heathcliff opens the window to
let Catherine's ghost in; Nelly leaves the window open to let Heathcliff enter
Catherine's room; the sexton opens the side of Catherine's and Heathcliff's coffin to let
them mingle in death.
From the very first pages of Wuthering Heights, Lockwood is anxious to cross the
threshold and enter the house, while Heathcliff seems intent on keeping him out. "Even
the gate over which [Heathcliff] leant manifested no sympathizing movement […]"
(1.6). Lockwood personifies the gate, implying that, like Heathcliff, it does not want to
let him in. Even Lockwood's name reflects his failure to gain access. (But since he is
not one to pick up on hints, he charges in anyway.)
In his first descriptions of the house, Lockwood observes its unwelcoming
architecture: "Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow
windows are deeply set in the wall, the corners defended with large, jutting stones"
(1.12). Constructed in 1500, this home is clearly designed to be impenetrable. The
window in the oak-paneled bed is a critical boundary in the novel, symbolizing a space
of violation and violence. Even though Catherine's name is scratched on its surface, the
window does not provide entry for her wailing ghost – thanks in large part to
Lockwood's lack of sympathy. The bloodshed from Catherine's wrist "rubbed [. . .] to
and fro" on the pane suggests that there is profound violence involved in crossing
thresholds. Later in the novel, the young Cathy escapes Heathcliff from the same
window:
She dare not try the doors, lest the dogs should raise an alarm; she visited the empty
chambers, and examined their windows; and luckily, lighting on her mother's, she got
easily out of its lattice, and onto the ground by means of the fir tree, close by. (28.66)
Remember that same fir-bough scratching on the window as Lockwood emerged from
his nightmare?
There are numerous incidents in which the two houses are referred to as prisons and
their inhabitants as prisoners. When domestic harmony finally returns to Wuthering
Heights at the novel's end, Lockwood finds that the whole prison vibe is gone:
"I had neither to climb the gate, nor to knock it yielded to my hand [. . . ]. Both doors
and lattices were open [. . .] what inmates there were had stationed themselves not far
from one of the windows. I could see them and hear them talk before I entered, and
looked and listened in consequence, being moved thereto by a mingled sense of
curiosity and envy that grew as I lingered. (32.26)
Obviously, Lockwood is still a major snoop; the problems caused by his past boundary
violations do not hinder him from imposing himself yet again.
Throughout the novel, characters gaze and spy through windows, open windows, or
break them. Not surprisingly, the large drawing room window of Thrushcross Grange
appears ample and cheery compared to windows at Wuthering Heights. Rather than
being "narrow" and "deeply set," it provides accessible views out onto the garden and
green valley and, conversely, into the home's interior.
When Catherine and Heathcliff venture out to spy on Edgar and Isabella, the drawing
room window provides a view onto a different world – one that eventually welcomes
Catherine but rejects Heathcliff. Thrown out of Thrushcross Grange (as he will be
many more times), Heathcliff is left to make his observations through the glass
partition: "I resumed my station as a spy, because, if Catherine had wished to return, I
intended shattering their great glass panes to a million fragments unless they let her
out" (6.39). The many symbolic meanings of windows extend even to Heathcliff's
appearance, as Nelly describes his eyes as "a couple of black fiends, so deeply buried,
who never open their windows boldly" (7.42). Again, windows prevent rather than
provide access.

6. The Oak-Paneled Bed

This piece of furniture is the symbolic center of Wuthering Heights – both the novel
and the house – and provides the setting for two of the novel's most dramatic events.
Residing in Catherine's childhood bedroom, the bed is described by Lockwood in the
following terms:
a large oak case, with squares cut out near the top, resembling coach windows. . . . In
fact, it formed a little closet, and the ledge of the window, which it enclosed, served as
a table. (3.5)
The "ghost story" is set into action the tormented night Lockwood spends in the oakpaneled
bed. Before his nightmares, Lockwood sees it as a place where he can feel
"secure against the vigilance of Heathcliff and everyone else" (3.6). In this sense, it
symbolizes a place of protection, security, and retreat. As Lockwood soon finds out,
though, the oak-paneled bed was also a retreat for young Catherine, whose books
became impromptu journals as she hid from Hindley some twenty-five years before.
Lockwood experiences a haunting series of nightmares in the bed, suggesting that he
has violated a hallowed place. Because the space was Catherine's, it is sacred to
Heathcliff, who is furious when he finds Lockwood sleeping in his "sanctum."
The supernatural powers that surround the bed become more intense when Heathcliff
dies there, transforming the bed into a kind of symbol of a coffin where Heathcliff is
finally "reunited" with his love. Where Lockwood tried to keep the bed's window
closed, Heathcliff is found dead with the window wide open, almost as though his
spirit has escaped. So for both Lockwood and Heathcliff, in very different ways, the
bed is a protective boundary and haunted space.

7. Canines
The dogs in Wuthering Heights represents how Heathcliff rarely associated with outsiders. It also reveals their
savage-like and bitter behaviours.“Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house that I and my dogs, I am willing to
won, hardly know how to receive them’’(7). Nelly found Isabella dog hanging on the wall. How Heathcliff hung
Isabella dog and allowed it to suffer showed how he will let Isabella suffer in their marriage. “The first thing she
saw me do, on coming out of the Grange, was to hang up her little dog; and when she pleased for it, the first
words I uttered were a wish that I had the hanging of every being belonging to her, except one: possibly she that e
exception for herself.”

Motifs
Doubles and Opposites
What's with all of the doubles and opposites in the novel? Wuthering Heights versus Thrushcross Grange,
civilization versus nature, Edgar Linton versus Heathcliff are just some of the oppositions. The family tree is very
symmetrical, but the families blend and the opposition between the houses becomes less clearly distinct. Among
the novel's many doubles, Catherine and Heathcliff are the most important. Their love is based on being spiritual
twins. Recall Catherine's confession to Nelly Dean that she can't marry Heathcliff because, as she explains, "he's
more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Linton's is as different as
a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire" (9.92). She concludes with one of the most memorable lines i
the novel: "Nelly, I am Heathcliff" (9.101). Heathcliff is not Catherine's only double – there's also her daughter,
the other Catherine, better known as Cathy. All of these names can get really confusing, leading you to wonder
couldn't they come up with any new names?! There are many Lintons and Earnshaws, even several character
with the name Heathcliff, though only one goes exclusively by Heathcliff (like Prince or Madonna). There are
two Hareton Earnshaws, though one from way back in 1500. Heathcliff has another double too: Hareton
Earnshaw. Both were placed into a servile position and deprived of an education by the ruthless master of the
house. Just how vengeful Heathcliff is comes out with Hareton, because rather than feeling compassion that the
young man has no sympathetic father figure, Heathcliff repeats the same crummy treatment on Hareton that he
received from Hareton's father, Hindley.Among the many examples of repetition in the plot, the scenes with the
two Catherines and their respective suitors, Edgar Linton and Linton Heathcliff, reveal that mother and daughter
are both feisty and self-indulgent. Let's briefly look at the repetition in two scenes. In the first, Catherine boxes
Edgar Linton on the ear. When he tries to leave Wuthering Heights, she becomes a master manipulator, shouting,
"No . . . not yet, Edgar Linton –sit down; you shall not leave me in that temper. I should be miserable all night,
and I won't be miserable for you!"(8.77). Moments later, Edgar proposes marriage and Catherine
accepts.Roughly twenty years later, Cathy pushes Linton Heathcliff after a fight about their parents. Though
Cathy apologizes, she also blames him, just like her mother blamed Edgar. She does not want to leave Wuthering
Heights carrying the blame for the scene: "Don't let me go home thinking I've done you harm!" (23.49).
Daughter, like mother,
cannot control her temper and yet does not want to bear any of the responsibility.

OTHER ONES

Dramatic Iron y: irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by
the characters
Ex- When Catherine tells Nelly that she has accepted Edgars proposal and Heathcliff overhears the negative
things that he wouldn't want to hear, but when she says that she and Heathcliff are kindred spirits and how much
she loves him, he is already gone. If he would've listened a little longer the whole thing may have been avoided.

Foreshadowing: Be a warning or indication of (a future event) In Wuthering Heights at the beginning Lockwood
goes to the house and sees the carving over the door. He will later find out the story behind the craving.
Ex- On Ch.1 pg.2 "Before passing[...] inspecting the penetralium."

Tone
The tone of Wuthering Heights varies often because of the many different characters. Heathcliff is bitter and
angry, Catherine is brash, Nelly animated and strong, and Mr. Lockwood is calm. However, the overall tone of
the story is at first pessimistic and then optimistic. The tale begins on a cold and curious tone and, by the end, is
more cheerful.

Imagery is a reoccurring device in Wuthering Heights. Bronte goes into great detail describing the characteristics
of the main characters in the story and also the environment to better help the reader picture the story.

Personification
The use of personification allows the audience to witness the love between happy and lively Catherine and lonely
and shy Heathcliff. "Her tongue was always going-singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do
the same.

Similes
Through the use of similes the audience is able to visualize Catherine's beauty, and further understand
Heathcliff's passion for her. " I imagined her as little likely to die as myself. She was rather thin, but young, and
fresh-complexioned, and her eyes sparkled as bright as diamonds.

NARRATIVE
● Emily does not belong to the literary directions of that time, her novel making an exception
from the literary movements of that time.
● The novel is constructed by a technique and a unique literary style that makes her narrative
increasingly more compelling and more dynamic
● There are three narrative levels in "Wuthering Heights":
1. Primary: The dates 1801 and 1802 in Chs 1 and 32 clearly indicate that the entire novel is a written record of
all the incidents narrated to Lockwood by Nelly Dean. He is thus both the primary narrator and the primary
narrator [the person to whom the story is told]. The method of narration is the first person past written
method.
2. Secondary: Nelly Dean is the secondary narrator who narrates all the incidents to Lockwood. The method of
narration is the first person past/present spoken method. Nelly Dean begins telling the story in Ch. 4: "before
I came to live here, she commenced." Most of the incidents she narrates have already taken place, but when
she reports the exact words of a character especially during an intensely emotional scene (Ch11) Emily
Bronte creates the illusion that the incident is happening just then.
3. Tertiary: Some of the incidents are first narratred by the different characters first to Nelly the secondary
narrator who in turn narrates them to Lockwood the primary narrator: Heathcliff's oral accounts in Chs. 6 and
33; Isabella's letter in Ch13 which is read out aloud to Lockwood thus, combining the written and the oral
method; Isabella's oral account in Ch17 ; younger Cathy Linton's oral account in Ch24; and Zillah's oral
account in Ch30.
● Multiple Narrators: Nelly narration provides the internal narrative, which is focused in the
past. Other characters provide important narration through their dialogue to Nelly. By using
Lockwood as the external narrator, Bronte creates some distance from the events. Then, when
introducing Nelly's narrative, supported by the other characters' narratives, the novel takes on
the tone of a stage drama. All of the narrators are considered unreliable, creating more
intrigue around the suspenseful story.
● Multiple Narratives: In addition to using multiple narrators, the novel also uses multiple
narrative devices. For example, Catherine provides significant narration through her diary, as
does Isabella in a letter that she writers to Nelly. Each of these devices allows the characters
to provide extensive, first-person narration, which gives important intimate details about the
story. Catherine's narration reveals her conflicted feelings about Heathcliff, showing his softer
side. Meanwhile, Isabella's letter reveals the lengths to which Heathcliff will go for revenge,
revealing his darker nature. These internal narrative devices help to provide more nuance into
the already complex series of events.
● Time Shift: The shift between Lockwood and Nelly's narratives also represents a shift
between past and present. The novel starts in the present day, when Heathcliff appears to be
an irredeemable and evil man and Catherine is only a ghost, whether just haunting Heathcliff's
mind or physically haunting the manor, as he suggests. By starting in the present day, the
novel shows just how desperate the situation has become. The reader knows from the start
that the story will not end happily. This creates suspense about how the events will unfold.
● Gloomy Setting: The choice of setting is another significant narrative technique. The moors
are dark, stormy and gloomy, which reflects the tone of the story. The novel begins and ends
with gloomy circumstances. There are few moments of levity throughout, and even those are
overshadowed by a sense of foreboding, such as Catherine knowing that she will never marry
Heathcliff, even though she loves him. The narrative's interior is just as stormy as the moors
outside.
● Throughout the novel, Emily BrontE! intensifies the sharpness of definition upon the Heights
world by making the rest of Britain singularly vague and of no account to her story.When
Heathcliff arrives with old Mr Earnshaw from Liverpool, for example, how Heathcliff was
found, why he was brought and even why a Yorkshire farmer should find it necessary to go to
Liverpool in the first place, are treated by the author as circumstantial matters of no
importance, other than that they occurred.
● Emily Brontë employs several narrative devices: She uses the voices of two minor characters,
Mr. Lockwood and Nelly Dean, to give eyewitness accounts of the lives of the main
characters.When neither Lockwood nor Nelly can observe what is happening, Brontë
describes events through letters or diary entries of the main characters

PLOT DEVELOPMENT
● Exposition = The entire story is essentially the diary of Mr. Lockwood. In the very
beginning, Lockwood meets Mr. Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights because he's asking for a
place to stay at Thrushcross Grange. When he spends the night at Wuthering Heights, he
meets Catherine Linton's ghost. After that, he was able to be moved into Thrushcross Grange.
● Rising Action = The rising action is very short because the climax, Catherine's illness, takes
up a large chunk of the story. Catherine and Heathcliff sneak down to Thrushcross Grange to
spy on the Lintons. When the two sneaky children are discovered, they are brought in the
house. The Linton children warm up to Cathy, but shun Heathcliff. When young Catherine
grows up and actually "meets" the Linton family, she becomes more social. This leads her to
believe that although her true love is Heathcliff, he would not allow her to be a "lady" of the
house, so she ends up marrying Edgar. Also, the rest of the rising action is while Catherine is
growing up and becoming less socially awkward.
● Climax = The climax is Cathy's illness, which keeps her locked away in her room over a
long duration of time. During this time, she encounters Heathcliff several times and gets into
arguments with him in her mentally ill state. These arguments were about his newfound love
for her. After she had basically told him no, he marries Catherine's sister, Isabella, so that he
would still have a chance to get Wuthering Heights. By marrying Isabella, Heathcliff knows
that when Catherine dies Isabella will inherit Wuthering Heights, therefore giving it to
Heathcliff.By this point in the story, it is safe to say that Heathcliff has gone mad, and is
going on the warpath; he wants to find ultimate revenge. Catherine gives birth to "Cathy"
Linton, and sadly Catherine, the mother, dies. Heathcliff is now heartbroken because the love
of his life is deceased, so he asks Catherine's ghost to haunt him for the rest of his days.
● Falling Action = This section of the story is very exciting, because Heathcliff is now going
on the warpath. Yes, lots of people die, however it adds a cool sort of action and "flavor" to
the story. Heathcliff directs most of his "war' towards Hindley, who made Heathcliff's
childhood a nasty one. The other part of Heathcliff's war consists of Heathcliff trying to get
 Hindley to marry Catherine so that Heathcliff can get Thrushcross Grange. (Heathcliff is
trying to kill Hindley so if he gets Hindley to marry Catherine, he will kill Hindley and get
Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff also already owns Wuthering Heights since his wife died.) As
soon as he forced Hindley into the grave, which used every single bit of energy Heathcliff
had, he acquired both Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. However, "sadly" he died
almost right after he admitted to Nelly that he was extremely tired from his rampage, socially
and mentally, as well as physically.
● Resolution = When Heathcliff dies, the houses go back to their proper owners, Hareton and
Cathy. Hareton gets Thrushcross Grange and Cathy gets Wuthering Heights. They both end
up getting married, but Heathcliff and Catherine are rejoiced after death.

SETTING
● The entire story of ''Wuthering Heights'' takes place in a few square miles of Yorkshire moor.
● The setting is very important as the area's isolation, the forbidding countryside and the harsh
climate all go to mould the characters in the novel. This is a wild country and the people are
wild too
● The setting shapes the characters in the novel. eg : Heathcliff is a prime example of this. (K) It
is easy to regard him as a monster, particularly in his quest for vengeance and his
determination to make the children of his enemies suffer, even though those children are
innocent of any wrongdoing. We may ask ourselves if it is possible for such a villain to exist.
● Emily Bronte has positioned the houses in opposition to each other. She achieves this by
using dissimilar settings
● WH is the epitome of the storm as can be seen in the description given by Lockwood in
Chapter 1. He says that the name comes from a local word which is “descriptive of
theatmospherictumulttowhichitsstationisexposedinstormyweather”. SoWHis representative of
that which is wild and uncivilised.
● Lockwood also describes the surrounding vegetation of this house – “by the excessive slant
of a few stunted firs at the end of the house and by a range of gaunt
thornsallstretchingtheirlimbsonewayasifcarvingalmsofthesun.” Thestunted plants reflect the
inability of anything to grow or flourish at WH, just as characters find it difficult to fulfil their
own strong passions and seek aid from outside sources to realise their needs.
● When Lockwood sees the interior of the house for the first time, he notes that the “corners
[were] defended with large jutting stones” , that the “kitchen [was] forced to retreat altogether
into another quarter” and that “the chairs [were], high-backed, primitive structures ... one or
two heavy black ones lurking in the shade”
● Bronte gives the house human characteristics (personification) using detailed descriptions to
give the impression of a defensive and unwelcoming environment. Therefore, the protagonists
themselves can be seen in this way.
● Bronte’s language gives WH the powerful impression of a passionate human pulsating with
the same energies as its inhabitants.
 ● Thrushcross Grange on the other hand is more enclosed and surrounded by hills. In a deeper
sense, the walls of the Grange protect the Lintons and Catherine from the dangerous
influences of Heathcliff and the Heights itself.
● It is also described as being “buried in trees” - the plants flourishing in a more welcoming
environment, just as the characters are more able to grow beyond their initial differences
which impeded their neighbours.
● Really this is pointing at Heathcliff as he hasn’t been able to grow due to the tragedies in his
life, so he prevents the other characters in his household from growing themselves.
● The natural setting of garden and flowers which brings forth the sense of cheerfulness, beauty
and hope that is lacking in WH.
● The Grange was first seen by Heathcliff and Catherine exudes a more luxurious and pleasant
atmosphere – “... a splendid place carpeted with crimson, ... a shower of glass drops hanging
in silver from the centre, and shimmering with little soft tapers.” (chapter 6) This description
shows a warm, wealthy household which is a complete contrast to WH, just as the characters
are more sedate and cultured.
● Further on in the book, it is clear that this cultured background is all a façade and the reader
is able to see the shallowness and even brutal violence that emerges.
● The Grange lures Catherine and Heathcliff in but once inside, they cannot escape from its
influences.
● The characters in the Grange are in complete contrast to those at WH.

THEORIES

Psychoanalytic Theory
● The novel has always presented material for different critical approaches
● The superego seems to stand outside the self. It is in the shape of a father, or an ideal model, or religious
institution, making moral judgements and orders (Peterson 304-5). The id stands for the unconscious, which
is in conflict with the superego; it seeks desire and follows instincts. The ego balances the superego and the
id. It stands for the conscious self, seeks a balance between these two parts of the psyche, and it defends itself
against the unconscious mind where the repressed thoughts and desires lie. In the defense of the ego, there are
certain processes in the conscious human mind. These processes are the defense mechanisms which include
repression, sublimation, denial, reaction formation, isolation, projection, regression, intellectualization
(Michael Ryan 94-5)
● the primary traits which Freud ascribed to the id apply perfectly to Heathcliff: the source of psyche energy;
the set of the instincts ‘particularly sex and death
● Heathcliff’s suffering throughout the novel has created a conflict between his conscious and unconscious
mind. This suffering results in the adoption of defense mechanisms; these are repression, denial, sublimation
and projection. Heathcliff has been influenced by these four types of defense mechanisms which have made
him behave and act in a certain way. Moreover, these defense mechanisms have even affected other
characters, such as his son Linton.
● Catherine : In fact, this character is as ambiguous as Heathcliff. The contrasts between what she says and how
she behaves are clear and have generated different critical opinions. On the one hand Catherine says: “I am
Heathcliff” (Emily Brontë 92 ), but, on
● the other hand, she decides to marry Edgar Linton, the rich sophisticated gentleman who loves her. In this
respect, Georges Bataille argues concerning Catherine: “Her marriage with Edgar Linton does, admittedly,
retain an element of ambiguity” (19). When Catherine tells Nelly Dean, her maid: “it would degrade me to
marry Heathcliff” (Brontë 91), and that she will marry Edgar Linton, it has been interpreted as the radical and
crucial event which determines the events that follow throughout the novel. Here, Catherine’s decision is due
to a certain conflict within herself, the thing which results in some of the defense mechanisms which make
her, in the end, decide her approach to life. This event and other events that follow will be interpreted in
relation to concepts of repression, denial, sublimation and projection. This will exhibit a side of Catherine’s
character, unseen even to herself.
● “Isabella [is], as weak as Catherine is strong, as conventional as Catherine is unconventional, as superficially
attracted to Heathcliff as Catherine was to Edgar” (93). As a matter of fact, critics have not given this
character as much attention and analysis as they have given to Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. Isabella is
only considered as a tool used by Heathcliff to revenge her brother Edgar Linton because he has married
Catherine, Heathcliff’s beloved. However, although Isabella might seem a clear character to the reader, there
are certain feelings within herself which are the result of certain defense mechanisms, such as repression and
denial, which have made her choose her approach and take the decisions that have determined her life.
● Therefore, Catherine, here, is in a conflict between choosing Heathcliff and Edgar. She tells Nelly that her
problem lies in her heart and mind, and that she would rather follow her mind by choosing Edgar although
she feels she is making a mistake (Brontë 91). This conflict has led Catherine into denial by imagining that in
marrying Edgar she is doing the right thing and that through this marriage she can raise Heathcliff, for
Heathcliff at this time is poor and humiliated by her brother Hindley. She tells Nelly: “If I marry Linton, I can
aid Heathcliff to rise, and place him out of my brother’s power” (92). Here, Catherine tries to convince
herself that she is making the right decision in her life, whereas she should have known Heathcliff very well;
that is to say, she must have known that in marrying Edgar she will destroy Heathcliff, for in the same
conversation with Nelly, Catherine tells her: “I am Heathcliff” (92). In other words, she tries not to see the
consequences of her marriage with Edgar regarding Heathcliff and herself. She has just created a false vision
of the future, in which she will help Heathcliff by this marriage. In this respect, Arnold Kettle argues:
“Catherine betrays Heathcliff and marries Edgar Linton, kidding herself that she can keep them both”.
● When Catherine betrays her own and Heathcliff's deepest self by marrying Edgar Linton she creates a
disorder in their souls which spreads to the entire society around them. Tragically, by her misguided choice of
Edgar as her husband, she places herself and Heathcliff in a situation which exacts from each the most
atrocious frustration and suffering and, in consequence, brings out the worst in both of them
● Although Isabella might seem a clear character to the reader, there are certain feelings within herself which
are the result of certain defense mechanisms, such as repression and denial, which have made her choose her
approach and take the decisions that have determined her life.
Feminist Theory
● Examined through Feminist literary criticism to rediscover the novelist’s obsession on the repetition of names
Catherine and the sexual suppression, male revenge are also presented in such a way that women characters
do not get enough scopes to be an individual figure. So the character Catherine was also in the minds of
confusion to whom she will choose for her husband Edgar or Heathcliff. Catherine develops a double
standard to accommodate her feelings for both Edgar and HeathCliff as Hindley degrades Heathcliff more
and more, Ellen says she was full of ambition and was anxious to ingratiate herself with the Lintons.
● Emily Bronte uses three female characters to display the theory of feminism. Catherine Earnshaw, Isabella
Linton and Catherine Linton are three of the greatest examples.
● Catherine's father says " “She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for
her was to keep her separate from him.” (35)"
● "My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes
the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but
necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am
always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being. So don’t talk of our separation again: it is impracticable,”
(70)
● Emily shows Catherine off to be naive and gives women a negative reputation.
● "I love him more than ever you loved Edgar: and he might love me, if you would let him,” (86). Isabella says
this to Catherine when she tries telling her about Heathcliff's plan.

QUOTES
1. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now ; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not
because he’s handsome. Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am
2. “Let me in !”
3. “I am Heathcliff”
4. If so, if he mad ?
5. I meditated this plan- just now to have one glimpse of your face a state of surprise perhaps and
pretended pleasure; afterwards settle my score with Hindley and then prevent the law by doing
execution on myself.
6. Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living- you said I killed you- haunt me then!
the murdered do haunt their murders
7. “God won't have the satisfaction that I shall ”
8. I love my murderer- but yours! How can I ?