“infobox Book “

name	Wuthering Heights
image
image caption	Cover of Penguin Popular Classics edition
author	Emily Bronte
country	England
language	English language
genre(s)	tragedy, Gothic
publisher	Penguin
release date	1847
media type	Hardback and Paperback
pages	279
isbn	0140620125

Against the wild stormy background of the Northern English Moors, the passion of Heathcliff and his love, Catherine Earnshaw, tears apart a family leaving death and destruction behind them. In her brooding novel, Emily Bronte paints a picture of two lovers whose attachment to each other is so strong that they cannot truly survive separation. The story is told mostly through the eyes of Nelly Dean, Catherine Earnshaw’s former servant. She tells the story to Lockwood, who has rented Thrushcross Grange from his neighbor, Heathcliff, of Wuthering Heights.

Wuthering Heights had once been owned by the Earnshaws and Catherine had been raised there. Her father had come home from a trip to Liverpool with a young orphan he had found. As Heathcliff joins the two Earnshaw children in their household, he is hated by the older Hindley but soon comes to love and be loved by the younger Catherine.

Catherine is beautiful but headstrong, always determined to get what she wants. Heathcliff and Catherine become inseperable. As Hindley continues to treat Heathcliff cruelly, his father sends him away, allowing Heathcliff to remain at home. This furthers Hindley’s hatred of Heathcliff and upon his father’s death Hindley returns home and Heathcliff finds himself a disliked servant rather than a family member, but he remains because of his love for Catherine.

However, when Catherine is hurt and must spend five weeks at neighboring Thrushcross Grange, then owned by the Lintons, she is entranced by their gracious lifestyle and becomes attracted to young Edgar Linton, damaging her relationship with Heathcliff. Hurt, Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights swearing to return someday and Catherine marries Edgar Linton, despite knowing that she truly loves Heathcliff.

Three years pass and no one hears of Heathcliff until he returns one day, mysteriously wealthy and planning revenge. He spends time with Hindley urging him to drink and gambling. His plan, which succeeds, is to get Hindley in debt to him and when Hindley dies, Heathcliff becomes the owner of Wuthering Heights.

Heathcliff begins to call on Catherine, who cannot deny her passion for him. Edgar becomes enraged forcing Catherine to choose between him and Heathcliff. Catherine cannot choose and dies giving birth to a daughter, Cathy.

Heathcliff, blaming Linton for Catherine’s death, takes revenge on him by wooing and marrying his sister, Isabella, whom he treats miserably till she runs away and later dies. He also takes revenge by abusing Hindley’s son, Hareton, who is in his custody and later also abusing his own son, Linton, by Isabella.

Heathcliff also arranges for the marriage of Cathy Linton to his own son Linton. Soon after this Edgar dies and Linton dies. Now Cathy is basically a servant to the malevolent Heathcliff. However while at Wuthering Heights, Cathy falls in love with the abused Hareton and the book ends as Heathcliff becomes increasingly obsessed with the belief that Catherine’s ghost is visiting him.

Heathcliff chases her ghost onto the moors and soon dies. Catherine and Hareton marry leaving Wuthering Heights for Thrushcross Grange, and supposedly the ghosts of Catherine and Heathcliff are still wandering the moors together.

Character Summaries

Catherine Earnshaw

The main female protagonist of the first half of the novel. Catherine is beautiful and head-strong, and loves the moors. She loves Heathcliff desperately, but does not marry him because of his low social status. She does love Edgar, but mainly marries him for his social standing.

Heathcliff

An orphan brought to the Earnshaw household by Mr. Earnshaw. Heathcliff is passionate, intelligent and vengeful. His love for Catherine, and his subsequent desire to get revenge on her and her family when she marries Edgar instead of him, consumes his entire adult life.

Hindley Earnshaw

The spoiled brother of Catherine. Hindley is a lazy alcoholic who loves to gamble and hates Heathcliff. He is the father of Hareton.

Hareton Earnshaw

Hindley’s son who is orphaned after both of his parents die. He is raised by Heathcliff and is denied an education and has to work all day. He and the second Catherine eventually fall in love and marry.

Edgar Linton

The first Catherine’s husband, and the second Catherine’s father. Edgar is the antithesis to Heathcliff, and the two are enemies for life. He is disagreeable as a child but much milder-mannered as an adult.

Catherine Linton

The daughter of Catherine and Edgar. She is as strong-willed as her mother. She at first pursues a relationship with Linton, but it is Hareton that is her true love. Their marriage ends the decades-long feud between the two families.

Linton Heathcliff

The son of Heathcliff and Isabella. He is sickly and whiny, and although he does love Catherine Linton their relationship is built on him often guilting her into spending time with him.

Nelly Dean

The Earnshaw’s faithful servant. She looks after both Catherines and cares a great deal for the families. She is the one who relates the story of Wuthering Heights to Lockwood.

Lockwood

Essentially a framing device for the story. He is being told the story of Wuthering Heights by Nelly when he moves to Thrushcross Grange.

Isabella Linton

Edgar’s sister and Heathcliff’s wife. She initially loves Heathcliff but runs away from him after he treats her horribly. The only reason he married he was as part of his revenge plan.

Mr. Earnshaw

The father of Catherine and Hindley. He is a kind-hearted man who came to love Heathcliff more than his own son – something that Hindley resents.

Mrs. Earnshaw

The wife of Mr. Earnshaw. She despises Heathcliff and agrees with Hindley’s negative opinion of him.

Frances Earnshaw

Hindley’s wife and Hareton’s mother.

Joseph

The old servant of Wuthering Heights.

Zillah

The housekeeper of Wuthering Heights in the second half of the book.

Chapter Summaries

Chapter One

In the present time of 1801, Lockwood writes in his diary about coming to his new home of Thrushcross Grange, which is an isolated manor somewhere in Yorkshire. He visits Mr. Heathcliff, who owns Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff is brooding and mysterious and distrustful of Lockwood – although the two eventually do get along. Lockwood has not received a warm welcome at Wuthering Heights but tells Heathcliff he will return the next day.

Chapter Two

Lockwood goes back to Wuthering Heights the next day. He is let into the house by a young man. He then meets a beautiful but rude young girl and assumes she must be married to Heathcliff, but Heathcliff corrects Lockwood that she is his daughter-in-law. Lockwood then assumes that the other young man is Heathcliff’s son, but Heathcliff says that no, that man is Hareton Earnshaw. The girl was married to Heathcliff’s son who has passed away.

Lockwood then is forced to travel through a blizzard to return to Lockwood. He borrows a lantern but when he tries to return it the next day, Joseph, the servant of Wuthering Heights, sicks Heathcliff’s dogs on him. Lockwood gets so angry he induces a nosebleed and is unfortunately forced to stay at Wuthering Heights until he recovers.

Chapter Three

Inside, the room where he is taken to recover in Wuthering Heights Lockwood finds the names of three different Catherines – Earnshaw, Linton and Heathcliff – scratched into the ledge. He then finds a twenty-five year old diary and begins to read it. The diary belonged to Catherine Earnshaw. The diary reveals that Heathcliff and Catherine were very close, and that Catherine’s brother Hindley hated Heathcliff. The diary also reveals that Catherine and Hindley’s father is dead.

After reading the diary, Lockwood experiences two nightmares. After waking up from the second one he sees the hand of a ghost and hears a strange voice crying out they are Catherine Linton and demand to be let in. Lockwood cuts the ghost’s wrists on the broken glass of the window and blood goes everywhere. He then tries to plug up the hole in the wall with books, but they fall down. Lockwood cries out in terror and Heathcliff comes into the room, begging Catherine to return. Strangely, when Heathcliff enters, there are no signs of a ghost at all in the room.

Lockwood then goes home, shutting himself away from everyone.

Chapter Four

The next day, Lockwood is lonely. He talks to his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, who tells him about the history of Wuthering Heights. She says that the Catherine at Lockwood now is actually the daughter of Catherine Earnshaw. Hareton Earnshaw is the nephew of that Catherine, and the cousin of the current Catherine. Nelly says that she was once the servant of Wuthering Heights, and knew both Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw, and Heathcliff, as young children.

She says that Catherine and Hindley’s father adopted Heathcliff when he was a child. The Earnshaws were the ones who gave him that name. Heathcliff is supposed to be raised as a member of the family, and while the children both hate him at first, Catherine and Heathcliff soon become firm friends. Hindley never desists in his hatred of the young orphan, however.

In regards to the parents, Mrs. Earnshaw always dislikes Heathcliff, but Mr. Earnshaw loves him more than Hindley. Mrs. Earnshaw dies two years after Heathcliff arrives.

Chapter Five

Years pass and as Mr. Earnshaw grows old and frail, he sends Hindley away to college because he is sick of him fighting with Heathcliff. When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Catherine and Heathcliff remain close. Hindley becomes the master of Wuthering Heights.

Chapter Six

Hindley returns to Wuthering Heights with his new wife Frances. Frances is silly and dotes on Hindley as if he is the most amazing man in the world. Hindley orders that Heathcliff work in the fields, believing it a fitting position for someone he believes to be so beneath him. Catherine and Heathcliff are still inseparable, however, and spend many happy hours together on the wild Yorkshire moors.

One day when the children are playing, Heathcliff returns to Wuthering Heights alone. This is because when they were spying on the Linton house, Catherine was bitten by their guard dog and has stayed at Thrushcross Grange to recuperate. The Lintons did not let Heathcliff in because they believed him too wild in appearance.

Mr. Linton arrives at Wuthering Heights and tells Hindley off for letting Catherine behave so wildly. Hindley is embarrassed and furious, and says that Heathcliff and Catherine must be separated forever because of it.

Chapter Seven

During her time at Thrushcross Grange, Catherine is transformed into a well-mannered young lady, and becomes used to the fine manners of the other Linton children. She returns to Wuthering Heights at Christmas but dismisses Heathcliff as being dirty. This deeply upsets Heathcliff, and he runs away, saying that he will do whatever he wants and doesn’t care what they think.

In order to impress the Linton children, who are coming over that following day, Nelly helps Heathcliff clean himself up. He says that he is going to change his ways, but Hindley says that Heathcliff is to be locked away in the attack, because the Linton children are only allowed to come over as long as Heathcliff doesn’t interact with them.

Before Heathcliff goes to the attic, he throws hot applesauce in the face of Edgar Linton, who makes a rude comment about his appearance. Catherine is upset at how Heathcliff is being treated by the others, and goes to visit him in the attic.

Heathcliff tells Nelly that he has vowed revenge on Hindley when she gives him supper at the end of the night and lets him out of the attic.

Chapter Eight

Nelly’s recount continues in 1778. Frances gives birth to Hareton but dies afterwards. Hindley is an absent father, becoming an abusive alcoholic. Nelly is the one who raises poor Hareton.

Heathcliff is happy that Hindley’s life is spiralling out of control. He still spends time with Catherine, who acts differently depending on if she is with him or Edgar Linton. Heathcliff and Catherine argue when he tells her that he is angry that she spends so much time with Edgar instead of him. Catherine cruelly retorts that she finds Heathcliff ignorant.

Edgar arrives alone to visit Catherine. She wants to spend time alone with him but Nelly has been instructed to act as chaperone. Catherine grows incensed, and pinches and slaps Nelly, and shakes a crying baby Hareton. Edgar is appalled at Catherine’s poor behaviour, and Catherine punches him in the ears. He runs away because he finds her behaviour disgusting but finds her so beautiful that he turns around and comes straight back inside.

Nelly leaves, and when she returns with the news that Hindley is returning, the two have confessed their true feelings to each other.

Chapter Nine

When Hindley returns home drunk, Nelly is trying to hide Hareton from him to protect the child. Hindley grabs him but then trips and drops Hareton over the banister, but thankfully Heathcliff catches him.

Catherine tells Nelly that she and Edgar have agreed to marry each other. Heathcliff, who has been hiding during the conversation, overhears Catherine tell Nelly that she cannot marry Heathcliff because of his low social status and the effects that it would have on her own standing. This devastates and humiliates Heathcliff, and he runs away before he hears Catherine tell Nelly that she loves Heathcliff more than anything or anyone in the entire world, but that she will still marry Edgar.

Heathcliff, in his rage and despair, runs away from Wuthering Heights. Catherine searches for him all night but gets a deadly fever. She recovers at Thrushcross Grange, but her illness infects the Linton parents and kills them. Catherine and Edgar get married three years later and Nelly comes to Thrushcross Grange to serve her. This leaves poor Hareton with only Hindley and Joseph to look after him.

Chapter Ten

Lockwood spends a month recuperating from an illness. Heathcliff visits him during this time, and the visit prompts Lockwood to ask Nelly about how the man made his fortune. Nelly says she isn’t sure, but that after three years away, Heathcliff returned to Wuthering Heights a rich man.

After Catherine and Edgar are married, Heathcliff returns, a distinguished and refined gentleman (albeit with an air of wildness still about him). Catherine is ecstatic to see him and this makes Edgar incredibly jealous.

Hindley has apparently invited Heathcliff to stay at Wuthering Heights, which is surprising. The real reason is because Hindley knows that Heathcliff is now very rich.

Both Catherine and Edgar’s sister Isabella spend a lot of time with Heathcliff. Isabella falls in love with Heathcliff, who encourages this affection despite still being in love with Catherine. This makes Nelly suspicious of Heathcliff’s true intentions.

Chapter Eleven

Nelly finds out that Heathcliff is having a bad influence on Hareton, who is growing up poorly without an education. She also realises that Isabella is in love with Heathcliff, and says that she will try to convince Edgar to let the two get married as long as Heathcliff has good intentions – although Edgar later tells her that she will be disowned if she marries him.

Heathcliff isn’t interested in this, though, he is only interested in getting revenge for Catherine marrying Edgar instead of him. Nelly tells Edgar about this, who angrily tries to get Heathcliff to leave. Heathcliff refuses to go, and Catherine locks herself, Edgar and Heathcliff in the kitchen. This means that Edgar has to confront Heathcliff, and Catherine antagonises him into physically attacking Heathcliff. Edgar is scared of Heathcliff, who is much stronger, and he runs away. Heathcliff also leaves because he is outmatched by the servants.

Edgar gives Catherine an ultimatum: him or Heathcliff. Catherine doesn’t choose, but locks herself in her room.

Chapter Twelve

Catherine finally eats after refusing to do so for several days. She becomes unhinged, ranting and raving about her time with Heathcliff, upset that Edgar will not visit her, and thinking that she must be dying. She opens her window to see Wuthering Heights, even though it is a terrible cold night. She says that although she is dying, she cannot ever be at rest without being with Heathcliff. Edgar eventually comes to see Catherine, who is very ill at that time, although the doctor says she will probably get better.

While all of this is happening, Isabella and Heathcliff run away and get married. Edgar is very angry and says that Isabella has disowned him as a brother.

Chapter Thirteen

Catherine is very ill for two months, but in that time becomes pregnant. Isabella sends Edgar  a letter asking for forgiveness a short time after her marriage, although the letter is ignored. Desperate, Isabella writes one to Nelly. Her life at Wuthering Heights is awful, with Heathcliff in charge of everyone, and that he is exacting the revenge on her that he really wants to inflict on Edgar.

She also says that Hindley is plotting to kill Heathcliff and take his fortune. Isabella wants desperately to escape from Wuthering Heights and admits to having  made a terrible mistake by marrying Heathcliff.

Chapter Fourteen

Nelly goes to visit Isabella at Wuthering Heights, as per Isabella’s request in her letter. Heathcliff asks Nelly about Catherine, but Nelly refuses to let him come to visit her. When Heathcliff becomes furious and says that he will never let Nelly leave unless she brings a letter from him to Catherine, Nelly has no choice but to agree.

Edgar continues to ignore Isabella’s plight and refuses to talk to or forgive her.

Chapter Fifteen

Catherine receives Heathcliff’s letter from Nelly but she is so sick by now that she is barely able to read it. Heathcliff also arrives, and he and Catherine get into an awful argument. Catherine says that her heart has been broken by both he and Edgar, and that she doesn’t want to die whilst Heathcliff lives. She is desperate for his forgiveness and says she can’t bear for them not to be together. Heathcliff does forgive her, in a way. He says that he forgives the pain she has caused to him, but that he doesn’t forgive her murderer, which he claims is her because of her own poor behaviour. She begs Heathcliff to stay even though Edgar has returned.

Catherine passes out when Edgar comes into the room, and Heathcliff demands that he look after her instead of fighting. He then leaves with Nelly (but decides to stay in the garden of Thrushcross Grange instead of going back to Wuthering Heights), and Nelly says that she will tell him how Catherine is in the morning.

Chapter Sixteen

After giving birth to her daughter, also named Catherine, Catherine dies. Heathcliff is told this news by Nelly, and he begs for the dead Catherine’s spirit to haunt him forever – he doesn’t care what she does, as long as he doesn’t have to be parted from her. A little while later he is able to sneak in to see Catherine’s body. He places a lock of his hair in the locket around Catherine’s neck. Nelly finds it and places both that lock and the lock of Edgar’s hair that was in their originally back in the locket.

The funeral occurs, and Hindley and Isabella are absent – Hindley of his own choice, Isabella because she wasn’t invited. Edgar instructs that Catherine is buried overlooking the moors. He is now buried beside her.

Chapter Seventeen

Isabella arrives at Thrushcross Grange, a little mad and begging for Nelly’s help because of a violent altercation between Hindley and Heathcliff. Hindley was wounded by Heathcliff after attempting to kill him.

After staying a while, Isabella moves away to London and has baby Linton, Heathcliff’s son, but dies when he is twelve. She keeps in contact with Nelly but nobody else. Heathcliff knows what has happened but doesn’t care to find his wife or son.

Hindley’s death swiftly follows Catherine’s. He dies in debt, addicted to alcohol and gambling (something he was able to continue despite having no money of his own because of loans from Heathcliff). Heathcliff becomes the owner of Wuthering Heights. He also becomes the master of Hareton, who has to work to support himself and loses all of his social status. Heathcliff also makes plans for Linton to come and live with him.

Chapter Eighteen

Thirteen years pass and Catherine grows up smart and beautiful, but also feisty her mother. She is never allowed away from Thrushcross Grange because Edgar doesn’t want her to have anything to do with the people at Wuthering Heights. When Edgar leaves to bring Linton back from London, however, Catherine seizes her opportunity to escape for a while.

She happens across Wuthering Heights, meets Hareton and instantly the two form a connection. Nelly finds her and tries to get her to return home, but Catherine won’t. Nelly tells her that Hareton is Catherine’s cousin, but not the heir of the owner of Wuthering Heights. This makes Catherine dislike Hareton.

Chapter Nineteen

Linton arrives at Thrushcross Grange. He is sickly and always moaning. As soon as Linton arrives, so does Joseph, informing Edgar that Heathcliff wants Linton to come and live at Wuthering Heights. He is to go there the next day with Edgar, accompanied by Nelly.

Chapter Twenty

Nelly and Linton go to Wuthering Heights, but Linton is upset about it. Nelly tries to comfort him, but Heathcliff is absolutely awful to his son when he meets him. Linton despairs, not wanting to have to live at Wuthering Heights, but Nelly leaves him there.

Chapter Twenty-One

Nelly, despite having to leave Linton at Wuthering Heights, doesn’t abandon him. She tries to find out whatever she can about his condition, and it is always bad news. Catherine is sad that Linton has left Thrushcross Grange despite having only just arrived there.

A few years pass and Catherine is sixteen. She happens upon Heathcliff and Hareton, and talks to them, having recognised Hareton. Heathcliff tells her that Hareton isn’t his son, but his own son is back at Wuthering Heights. He invites the two women over to see Linton, but Nelly says it isn’t a good idea. Catherine is strong-willed, though, and is interested to meet who she assumes to be someone new. They all go to Wuthering Heights.

Heathcliff wants Linton and Catherine to be married. Because so much time has passed, Catherine does not recognise Linton anymore. Linton is supposed to show Catherine around the property but refuses, so she goes with Hareton instead. Catherine makes fun of him. Linton is then forced by Heathcliff to go with the other two.

Later, Catherine asks Edgar about why her cousins were kept secret from her, and she realizes how much her father and Heathcliff hate each other. Catherine continues to write to Linton despite her father’s disapproval, but her letters are discovered and destroyed by Nelly, and she has to write to Linton to tell him to stop writing to her.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Heathcliff encounters Catherine and Nelly when they are walking near Wuthering Heights one day. He tells Catherine off for no longer writing to Linton. Catherine believes Heathcliff’s claims that Linton is despairing because of their broken communication, so much so that he is dying. Catherine agrees to visit Linton the next day, and Nelly is glad because it means that Catherine will realise that Heathcliff has been lying about Linton.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nelly and Catherine go to Wuthering Heights. Catherine becomes angry when Linton spends the entire time whining, and then asks Catherine about them getting married. Linton makes Catherine believe that she has made his poor health worse, and that she has to nurse him back to health. Both Nelly and Edgar then become ill, and Catherine has to look after them. She sneaks out at night to see Edgar, though.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Eventually Nelly finds out what Catherine has been doing. Catherine tells her what has been going on at Wuthering Heights. She says that one time Hareton showed her he was able to read his own name, but nothing more, and Catherine called him stupid. This made him angry, so he purposely ruined her date with Linton. Linton and Catherine then have an argument, and she says she will never see him again. This makes Linton plead for her forgiveness, and Catherine eventually relents.

Nelly tells Edgar about what Catherine has been doing. He invites Linton to Thrushcross Grange, but says that Catherine is never again to go to Wuthering Heights.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Nelly tells Lockwood that she thinks he  might fall in love with the younger Catherine. Lockwood concedes that she is beautiful, but that he doesn’t think she would love him and also that he wants to leave the moors eventually.

Nelly continues telling him her story.

Young Catherine and Linton stop seeing each other – she doesn’t sneak out to see him, and he never comes to Thrushcross Grange because he is too weak. Catherine is sad, and Edgar notices this. He says that she could marry Linton if it made her happy, even though he does not like the fact that that would make Linton heir of Thrushcross Grange.

Linton and Edgar continue to circle closer to death. Catherine and Linton eventually meet again out on the moors.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Linton’s health is failing rapidly. He and Catherine agree to meet again in a few days. They don’t discuss marriage yet – that is to wait until their next meeting.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Edgar is getting sicker, meaning that Catherine does not want to leave him to go to see Linton. She does decide to eventually, accompanied by Nelly. Linton tells her that Heathcliff is the one pressuring him to marry her, and that he doesn’t know what will happen to him if the marriage doesn’t work out.

Heathcliff then arrives, saying to Nelly that he thinks Linton might die before Edgar, in which case his revenge plot will be ruined. The group then all return to Wuthering Heights because Catherine and Nelly are too afraid to say no to Heathcliff.

At Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff imprisons Nelly and Catherine. He treats them and Linton cruelly, and they are all terrified of him. They are not allowed to leave until Catherine and Linton are married.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nelly eventually is freed by the housekeeper. She finds Catherine locked away, having been married to Linton. This makes Linton happy because he knows he will inherit Thrushcross Grange soon.

Nelly escapes back to Thrushcross Grange and gets a party of men to try and rescue Catherine, but they aren’t able to. Edgar is near death, and calls for Mr. Green, his lawyer, so that he may change his will. He wants to prevent Heathcliff from inheriting Thrushcross Grange.

Catherine returns (Linton having helped her escape), seeing her father one more time before he dies. Edgar is buried next to Catherine at Nelly’s insistence.

Twenty-Nine

After Edgar’s funeral, Heathcliff comes to take Catherine back to Wuthering Heights. He says that she will have to earn her keep at Wuthering Heights. Catherine tells him that he has nobody to love him, unlike her, and that despite his trying to get revenge, they will have the final laugh because they know all of his plans spring from his personal torment and that he can never know happiness.

Heathcliff tells Nelly that during Edgar’s funeral, he paid off a grave digger to open Catherine’s coffin so he could look at her. He says that he is going to be buried next to her, and that they will ascend into the afterlife together. He also says that he has been haunted by the ghost of Catherine every night since she died.

Young Catherine and Heathcliff then leave, with Heathcliff telling Nelly never to come to Wuthering Heights.

Chapter Thirty

This brings Nelly’s story up to the present day. Catherine lives a lonely existence at Wuthering Heights, forbidden to have any visitors or even kindness shown to her by Heathcliff. Linton has died. Catherine and Hareton have been constantly arguing.

Nelly says that she does not hear much information about Catherine, but that if she could get married again, she may be able to escape her torment.

Lockwood, having recovered from his illness, intends to leave Thrushcross Grange.

Chapter Thirty-One

Lockwood leaves and on his final day as tenant, goes to Wuthering Heights to tell Heathcliff. Nelly has written a note for Catherine, which Lockwood gives to her. Hareton has been trying to learn to read and improve himself, but Catherine continues to mock him. When he tries to read the note from Nelly, she gets upset.

Heathcliff tells Lockwood that Hareton resembles old Catherine so much he can hardly stand to look at him. After dining at Wuthering Heights, Lockwood leaves for good.

Chapter Thirty-Two

A few months later, Lockwood returns. He finds out that Nelly has returned to Wuthering Heights upon Zillah’s departure. Nelly tells him what has been happening since he has been gone.

Catherine and Hareton have fallen in love. Catherine realised the error of her ways in teasing him, and helped him learn how to read.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Heathcliff finds out about Catherine’s relationship with Hareton. He is angry at first, but the argument quickly ends unexpectedly. Nelly theorises that this is because young Catherine looks so much like old Catherine that Heathcliff couldn’t bare to hurt her.

Apparently he also no longer wishes vengeance on the couple, and Nelly believes it is because he keeps seeing Catherine in Hareton and young Catherine and has been mellowed.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Catherine and Hareton plan to leave Wuthering Heights, intending to marry and move to Thrushcross Grange.

Heathcliff dies after a period of not eating. Before he dies, he reveals to Nelly that one night when he was out wandering on the moors, he had an experience that seems to have moved him personally. As he is dying, he seems to be talking to a ghost. After he dies, his ghost and another are seen to wander the moors.

Lockwood leaves Wuthering Heights for the final time.

External Links

• Wuthering Heights Summary and Study Guide
• Wuthering Heights Lesson Plan
• Wuthering Heights summary, study guide with themes, quotes, character analysis, teacher resources