"Whatever our souls are, his and mine are the same."
Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë. Her only novel is the story of inseparable soulmates Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw and how betrayal, revenge and brutality led them down a dark path. Published in December 1847, the novel was met with negative feedback due to its inappropriate and controversial content and its challenges against strict Victorian classes and ideals.
Brontë died just a year after publication, but Wuthering Heights would be regarded as one of the greatest classic novels and an example of Gothic literature.
Plot Summary[]
In 1801, a gentleman named Mr. Lockwood stayed as a tenant at a stately house in the Yorkshire moors. He meets his landlord: a dark, brooding man named Mr. Heathcliff, who lives in the nearby house of Wuthering Heights. While visiting his landlord's home, Lockwood gets snowed in and is forced to spend the night at the Heights. He stays inside a mysterious room where a ghostly woman tries to break through the bedroom window. After returning to Thrushcross Grange, Lockwood becomes ill and is confined to bed. While he is cared for by the housekeeper, Nelly Dean, she tells him the story of Heathcliff and the family of Wuthering Heights.
Thirty years earlier, Mr. Earnshaw was the Heights owner in the mid-1770s, and he lived there with his wife and two young children, Hindley and Catherine. Nelly grew up with the Earnshaws and would later be their servant. One day, Mr. Earnshaw goes to Liverpool on a business trip and brings home an orphaned, homeless boy he found on the streets. He names the child Heathcliff and adopts him into the family. Catherine and Heathcliff become close, while Hindley is jealous of the boy. Both Heathcliff and Catherine grew into romantic soulmates.
After Mr. Earnshaw’s death a few years later, Hindley becomes the Heights' new owner and lives there with his new wife, Frances. He mistreats Heathcliff and makes him a servant.
Heathcliff and Catherine often enjoy exploring the moors together, but one night, he returns to the Heights, not Catherine. He explains to Nelly that he and Catherine sneaked to the Grange and spied on the Linton family's children, Edgar and Isabella, who lived there. They were spotted and tried to flee, but Catherine is bitten by Linton's guard dog and is taken into the Grange to be looked after.
Five weeks later, Catherine returns and behaves more ladylike, even criticizing Heathcliff's dirty appearance. When the Lintons come over to the Heights, Heathcliff tries to impress Catherine, but he tries to fight Edgar, and Hindley humiliates him by locking him up. After Nelly releases him, Heathcliff vows revenge on Hindley.
The following summer, Frances dies of consumption after giving birth to a son named Hareton. Hindley becomes an alcoholic, Catherine spends more time with Edgar than Heathcliff, and she and Edgar fall in love. She accepts his marriage proposal and confesses to Nelly that she cannot marry Heathcliff, for she would degrade herself due to his low social status and illiteracy. But she says she still loves Heathcliff so much that they are essentially the same person with connected spirits. Heathcliff hears this conversation of Catherine not wanting to marry him and flees from the Heights.
Three years later, Catherine and Edgar married and moved to the Grange. Heathcliff returns as a wealthy, polished gentleman shortly afterwards, and Catherine is delighted to see him again, except Edgar. Heathcliff stays at the Heights, where he gambles with Hindley, offers him large sums of money, and teaches his son Hareton bad habits. In addition, Hindley wastes his money away and goes deeply into debt.
Meanwhile, Isabella has fallen in love with Heathcliff, but he doesn't love her back. But he would pretend to return his feelings to her as revenge. Catherine argues with Heathcliff about this, and when Edgar finds out, he forbids her from seeing him again. Catherine locks herself up, and her health starts to fail. She is also pregnant.
Heathcliff and Isabella elope, but he mistreats her. When he finds out Catherine is dying, Nelly helps him go to the Grange to see her, where they have an emotional reunion, and Heathcliff has a hard time forgiving her. Later that night, Catherine dies after giving birth to a daughter named Cathy Linton. Heathcliff becomes insane and demands Catherine's spirit to haunt him forever. His wife Isabella flees and seeks refuge in London, where she has a son named Linton Heathcliff. Hindley dies six months after Catherine, and Heathcliff becomes the new owner of Wuthering Heights.
Thirteen years later, Cathy grows into a beautiful, lively girl. After hearing that Isabella is dying, Edgar goes to London to retrieve her son Linton and bring him back to the Grange. While he is gone, Cathy sneaks out of the house and explores the moors. She comes across the Heights and meets her cousin Hareton, who lives there as a servant. Linton arrives, but Heathcliff wants to keep him in his custody. After he brings him to the Heights, Heathcliff becomes more abusive and cruel to the boy, just like he was to his mother.
When Cathy is 16 years old, she and Nelly encounter Heathcliff on the moors, and he brings them back to the Heights for Cathy to meet Linton. Cathy and Linton have a secret relationship until Nelly finds out, and Heathcliff hopes they will marry. He forces Linton to court Cathy and marries her so he can claim the inheritance of the Grange. Edgar's health worsens the following year, and he is dying. Nelly and Cathy are out on the moors when Heathcliff tricks them into coming over to the Heights, where he holds them hostage and won't release them until Cathy has married Linton. Nelly is removed after five days, and Linton helps Cathy escape so she can see her father on his deathbed.
Heathcliff now owns both houses and has Cathy live at the Heights as a servant. Linton dies after marrying her, and both she and Hareton bond. After Nelly's story catches up to the present, Lockwood ends his tenancy and leaves Yorkshire.
Six months later, Lockwood returns and continues his tenancy again, where he learns the latest information while away. Nelly is now living at the Heights after one of the servants left, and she took her place. Hareton and Cathy have fallen in love, while Heathcliff starts acting strangely. He stops eating, wanders the moors alone, and has thoughts of Catherine. Nelly later finds Heathcliff dead in his room and is buried in the same cemetery as Catherine and Edgar.
Cathy and Hareton plan to marry on New Year's Day and live at the Grange together. As Lockwood leaves, he stops to view the graves of Catherine, Edgar and Heathcliff and ponders the peaceful quietness of the Yorkshire moors.
Characters[]
Heathcliff- The main protagonist/anti-hero. Discovered on the Liverpool streets as an orphaned, homeless child by Mr. Earnshaw, he is taken into Wuthering Heights and treated as a member of the family. He falls deeply in love with his foster sister Catherine but is abused and bullied by his foster brother Hindley. When betrayed and left out, he immediately plans revenge on everyone who has wronged him over the years, even if it involves inflicting abuse and hatred on them.
Catherine Earnshaw- The daughter of the Earnshaws. She was raised at Wuthering Heights and became close to her adoptive brother Heathcliff, and they developed into inseparable, romantic soulmates. She is a quick-tempered, rebellious and arrogant young woman, and after she lets down Heathcliff by marrying another man, she is forced to choose whom she loves the most.
Edgar Linton- A well-bred, handsome, aristocratic man living at Thrushcross Grange. He is in love with Catherine and marries her, but he hates Heathcliff as he sees him as a threat to his family. He is also a coward and cannot fully protect his family home from Heathcliff's act of revenge.
Nelly Dean- A housekeeper, longtime servant to the Earnshaw family, and a mother figure to Hareton and Cathy. She narrates most of Heathcliff's story to a tenant named Lockwood and is one of the main narrators. She is a kind, sympathetic woman to everyone she has served, even to the two tragic main characters, Heathcliff and Catherine.
Mr. Lockwood- A gentleman from London who stays as a tenant at the Grange. He is fascinated by Heathcliff's dark demeanour and the haunting setting of the Heights. He is the chief narrator of the novel and documents it all in his diary. He learns the story of Heathcliff from Nelly and copies it down.
Catherine "Cathy" Linton- The daughter of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw. She is a beautiful, free-spirited girl with the same personality traits as her mother: arrogant, fiery and mischievous but also more passionate and gentle. She is curious about life outside her home, the Grange, but later finds herself a prisoner and servant to Heathcliff. She is forced to marry Linton Heathcliff but falls in love with her cousin Hareton.
Hareton Earnshaw- The son of Hindley Earnshaw and a loyal servant to Heathcliff. As a child, Hareton was uneducated and instead was used to inflict mean and cruel behaviour on others by Heathcliff. In the following years, Hareton became a stable boy and a servant to his master. Despite his gruff, unkempt appearance, he is a good-hearted, sensitive young man with little contact with the outside world. He finds solace in himself when he falls in love with his cousin Cathy.
Linton Heathcliff- The son of Heathcliff and Isabella Linton. He is a sickly and whiny young man who constantly demands and is very irritable with those around him. He once lived a happy and safe life in London with his mother, but he is sent back to live with his father after her death. Heathcliff forces him to marry Cathy and have his father claim Thrushcross Grange's inheritance. His health worsens, and he dies shortly after marrying.
Hindley Earnshaw- The brother of Catherine Earnshaw and a mortal enemy to Heathcliff. After his foster brother is taken into the family home for the first time, Hindley is immediately jealous of him. When he becomes the new owner of the Heights, he abuses Heathcliff and makes his life miserable. However, Hindley drinks heavily and loses his money as Heathcliff takes revenge on his longtime opponent.
Isabella Linton- The sister of Edgar Linton and wife of Heathcliff. She is a beautiful, witty woman raised alongside her brother in an aristocratic, noble lifestyle. She falls in love with Heathcliff but is warned by her sister-in-law that he is a bad influence. Isabella ends up ruining her own life by marrying him and being oppressed by Heathcliff and his servants. Her relationship with him results in the conception and birth of a son, Linton.
Mr. Earnshaw- The patriarch of the Earnshaw family and the original owner of Wuthering Heights. He discovers young Heathcliff and adopts him as his son. He treats the boy with love and affection and lets Heathcliff and Catherine be close together until he passes away.
Mrs. Earnshaw- Mr. Earnshaw's wife. She is disapproved and not impressed when her husband brings home an orphaned boy and doesn't show any love or affection to him. She died less than two years later.
Frances Earnshaw- Hindley's silly, simpering wife he met and married at college. She died of consumption soon after the birth of their son, Hareton.
Joseph- A longtime, elderly servant at Wuthering Heights. He is known to speak with a thick, Yorkshire accent.
Mr. and Mrs. Linton- The parents of Edgar and Isabella. They treated Catherine like a proper woman and introduced her to their lavish, wealthy lifestyle.
Zillah- A servant at Wuthering Heights.
Writing History/Reception[]
Brontë may have started working on Wuthering Heights around 1846-47 at her parsonage home in Haworth, England. Following the publication of her and her sisters' poetry collection, which wasn't well received, Brontë and the sisters decide to write their own novel and publish it under male pseudonyms, with Brontë using Ellis Bell.
The publisher Thomas Cautley Newbey accepted Brontë's work, but it wasn't published until a few months after her sister Charlotte's novel Jane Eyre became a best seller. When Wuthering Heights was published, it was met with negative and criticized feedback. Many critics panned its violence, passionate but brutal characters, and amoral story. It wasn't even considered the most proper novel for any Victorian lady to read. The critics also condemned the pen name "Ellis Bell" (and even Brontë herself) for being cruel, savage and insane to write such a thing. Readers were shocked when they first read it, as its content was never featured in any other novel they had ever read before.
After Brontë's death the following year after publication, Charlotte edited the original manuscript of her sister's controversial novel and added a preface, revealing the true identity of the novel's pen author, Ellis Bell, as well as a biographical article as a way to defend her sister and her family name from being condemned by criticism. The preface was written and published in the 1850 edition.
Brontë had passed away, knowing that her only novel would be a failure and a disgrace to society. Over 150 years after its publication, Wuthering Heights would be regarded as one of the best novels in English literature. Her novel has even invented such unique Gothic words as "Wuthering" and "Heathcliff."
Themes[]
Intense Romance[]
Heathcliff and Catherine may have a passion for one another, but as Nelly and even Brontë had described, their relationship is far from being passionate. This often questions readers and critics about the kind of romantic love the author depicts and how it works out. An example is that they are soulmates with an over-the-top, intense infatuation. Heathcliff refers to Catherine as his "soul" and is driven mad after her spirit possesses him, while Catherine states that the both of them share the same soul and claims she is Heathcliff as her being. Their extreme romance is one of the reasons why Wuthering Heights is not a typical love story, unlike other romance stories before its publication.
Love versus Hatred[]
The relationship between the two love interests sparks a battle of love versus hate with the majority of the characters in the novel. Heathcliff and Catherine are an unusual couple since their attraction is mysterious and strange to others. He isn't just in love with the woman he grew up with; he is obsessed with her, and his obsession causes him to become more insane and demented. Catherine is naïve but self-centred, and even though she betrays him for not wanting to marry him, she still has affectionate feelings for him and his troubled soul. Heathcliff's presence sparked hatred and resentment toward various characters around him. Hindley and Mrs. Earnshaw resented him for his Gypsy appearance and him being affectionately loved by Mr. Earnshaw and Catherine. Edgar despised Heathcliff for returning to Catherine's life and taking his home and family away. His intense disapproval causes Heathcliff to turn his fearsome hatred toward those who have opposed him and die thinking he would be loved again by his soulmate. The theme of love vs. hate also played out in the younger generations, mainly towards Hareton, Cathy and Linton. Linton was pressured to love Cathy while she initially turned her hatred towards Hareton, but by the end of the story, both Cathy and Hareton have loved each other as their parents had.
Betrayal and Revenge[]
Wuthering Heights is a tragic love story that is jumbled by betrayal and affects the storyline. Many characters are betrayed by their loved ones through forbidden love, abuse and determination. Hindley was meant to be the master of Wuthering Heights and his family, but his jealousy and alcoholism caused him to lose his money, home and family name. Isabella becomes permanently disgraced by her family after she elopes with Heathcliff since the Lintons disapprove of their relationship. Cathy Linton disobeys her father and caregiver by visiting Wuthering Heights and is manipulated to marry Heathcliff's love. But the most significant betrayal is when Catherine leaves Heathcliff to marry Edgar. She also betrays herself as she casts out Heathcliff due to his low social status and denies the love life they used to have; in the end, it destroys her. Every time each character turns against their allies, they face grim consequences for their actions, mostly in death.
When betrayal is committed in Wuthering Heights, the character who is left out will turn to vengeance to ease their anger and satisfaction against their traitorous opposers. Heathcliff was betrayed by the woman he loves and was abused throughout his youth by Hindley since Hindley himself is using his vengeance against him by making him a servant as his father loved him more affectionately than him. Following Catherine's marriage to Edgar, Heathcliff vows revenge, and he comes up with intelligent plans to make it work out. He uses his vengeance on Hindley by supporting his gambling addiction until he goes deeply into debt. Then, he elopes with Isabella but takes his abuse out on her to avenge Edgar and the Linton family. However, like how traitors have consequences, Heathcliff's revenge on everyone brings misery to them and even himself. Since Catherine died due to her betrayal, Heathcliff's successful vengeance plans would cause others living under his shadow to share his pain. Hareton and Cathy lived as his servants and were hostile to each other and visitors. Towards the novel's end, Heathcliff starts to understand what his vengeance has caused and decides to end his revenge by joining Catherine in the grave and allowing the two sole survivors of both families to bring a united redemption to their homes and families.
Social Class Structure[]
In the late 18th to early 19th century, before the Victorian period, a social class structure was formed for anyone whose lifestyle and power they had. The Linton family was the highest class, as they were equally civilized and noble in their own right. Edgar and Isabella were spoiled in their rich home but still had a piece of their nobility as adults. Edgar is devoted to himself, his social class and his home, while Isabella abandons her position and will never again be welcomed back into her civilized life.
The Earnshaw family is part of the working class despite having servants. They take part of their work to earn themselves their keep and their stability in their simple home. While born to work-class parents, Hindley came home from college wealthy and polished, as if his recent marriage and education increased his structure rank. However, Heathcliff doesn't get to be part of any social classes as he is an orphan, and many orphans like him do not get to be part of the structure. Since he started as poor and illiterate, Catherine overlooked him due to his lower class status. Like Heathcliff, Hareton and Cathy suffered badly, as they were both born into aristocratic nobility and meant to live in the highest classes. Hareton ends up being denied an education like Heathcliff, and Cathy is stripped of her style and becomes a servant. In the end, however, they could finally claim what was theirs and leave their impoverished lives behind to be nobler.
Gothic Elements[]
Like her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre, Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights also depicts gothic elements often featured in the primary setting and characters. Wuthering Heights is described as a dark, decaying house that contains hidden clues of the inhabitants' secret pasts, such as when Mr. Lockwood discovers Catherine's diary entries that detail her life with Heathcliff, which was written during her lifetime, as Catherine was already deceased when Lockwood visits the Heights. The house also has an eerie atmosphere, surrounded by shrouded darkness and often infected by bleak winds. The weather can even have an element in the Gothic, as the weather in the novel is usually dark and gloomy, which can even depict the moods of several characters. But the most well-known of the Gothic elements is the supernatural. Catherine's spirit haunts the Heights, for she desperately wants to come home, and Heathcliff is constantly pining for her soul and presence.
Heathcliff represents the Gothic as a mysterious character with an unknown background and his intentions in the story. His love for Catherine causes him to turn insane, as her spirit refuses to leave him alone and whose hauntings constantly torment him. He even allegedly digs her grave to view her body and then bribes her to bury him beside her. He experiences extreme emotions, for his intense hatred towards Hindley and the Lintons, his mistreatment of his wife and son, and his compassionate love for Catherine show how characters with little-known origins are prone to madness and desires of the paranormal.
Symbols[]
Ghosts[]
Several ghosts, such as Catherine Earnshaw, are spotted haunting Wuthering Heights and the moors. The spirits symbolize the Heights's past, memories and lost souls, as well as supporting the themes of good vs evil and love and obsession, as well as the Gothic. Catherine's ghost possesses Heathcliff since their love is obsessive; even in death, he would not be her, and her hauntings are separated from a curse of anguish.
The Moors[]
The hilly, barren landscape in Yorkshire and the main setting. The moors symbolize Catherine and Heathcliff's freedom from a society where they can run freely since the hills and terrain are part of the theme of good vs. evil between the Heights and the Grange. However, the moors can also symbolize danger. They are usually wet, soggy, cold and unpredictable. Nelly and Cathy feared being drowned when they were out on the moors, and Lockwood was afraid to walk alone outside at night.
The Two Houses[]
Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are the two primary settings in the novel. The Heights, home to the Earnshaw family and on top of a hill overlooking the moors, symbolizes simplicity, passion and darkness. Most characters who grew up in the Heights, such as Heathcliff, shared the traits representing the house. He was raised in the home as a foster child, initially simple and passionate. But in adulthood, he becomes dark in his personality and appearance, as he is described as a "dark-skinned gypsy."
The Grange, surrounded by a valley and home to the Linton family, symbolizes a civilized, cultural and welcoming home. A lavish, ornate house for the noble, the inhabitants of the Grange are dignified and proper to their society, such as Edgar Linton. He originally grew up spoiled by his wealthy lifestyle, but as an adult, he is devoted to his nobility, and his house is a haven for anyone. After claiming ownership of the Grange, Heathcliff opens it to lodgers rather than live in it since he cannot adjust himself to be more civilized and noble like his opposers.
Foreshadowing[]
- Lockwood's visit to Wuthering Heights and its rude, unwelcoming residents. Foreshadows the mystery of the lives and resentments of the people there.
- Lockwood's encounter with Catherine Earnshaw's ghost in his nightmare. Foreshadows the upcoming insanity of Heathcliff in his final days
- Lockwood discovers Catherine's name written over her room. Foreshadows the tragic, harsh backstory of the Catherines of the Heights (e.g. Earnshaw and Linton).
- Heathcliff demands that Catherine's spirit haunt him and drive him mad. Foreshadows his restlessness and insanity after the events of his storyline.
Adaptations[]
- A film adaptation of Wuthering Heights was released in 1939, starring Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff and Merle Oberson as Catherine Earnshaw. Directed by William Wyler, the film was critically acclaimed and received 8 Oscar nominations.
- A two-part TV series of Wuthering Heights was released in 2009 on ITV, starring Tom Hardy as Heathcliff and Charlotte Riley as Catherine Earnshaw.