Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is a novel written by Emily Bronte between October 1845 and June 1846. Wuthering Heights is now widely regarded as a classic of English Literature. In the late winter months of 1801, a man named Lockwood rents a manor house called Thrushcross Grange in the isolated moor country of England. Here, he meets his dour landlord, Heathcliff, a wealthy man who lives in the ancient manor of Wuthering Heights. And Lockwood asks his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, to tell him the story of Heathcliff and the strange denizens of Wuthering Heights. 

Nelly worked as a servant at Wuthering Heights for the owner, Mr. Earnshaw and his family. One day Mr. Earnshaw goes to Liverpool and brings a orphan boy to his home, whom he thought of raising with his own children. At first, the Earnshaw children—a boy named Hindley and his younger sister Catherine rejected the dark-skinned Heathcliff. But Catherine quickly starts to love him, and the two soon grow inseparable, spending their days playing on the moors. 

Three years later, Mr. Earnshaw dies, and Hindley inherits Wuthering Heights. He returns with a wife, Frances, and seeks revenge on Heathcliff. Once an orphan, later a pampered and favoured son, Heathcliff now finds himself treated as a common labourer, forced to work in the fields. Heathcliff continues his close relationship with Catherine, however. One night they go to Thrushcross Grange in order to tease Edgar and Esabella Linton and there a dog bites Catherine. For this reason Catherine was forced to stay in Grange for few days and there Mrs. Linton worked on making Catherine a proper lady. When Catherine returns she gets infatuated with Edgar and her relationship with Heathcliff becomes complicated.

When Frances dies after giving birth to a baby boy named Hareton, Hindley descends into the depths of alcoholism, and behaves even more cruelly and abusively toward Heathcliff. Eventually, Catherine’s desire for social advancement prompts her to become engaged to Edgar Linton, despite her love for Heathcliff. Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights, staying away for three years, and returns after Catherine and Edgar’s marriage.

When Heathcliff returns he thinks of taking revenge on those who have wronged him. He gave so much of debts to Hindley that he couldn’t return Heathcliff the money and then he died. Than Heathcliff became the owner of Wuthering Heights and after marrying Isabella Linton he also inherits the Thushcross Grange. He ill-treated Isabella for which she ran away to London and there she gave birth to their boy child and named him Linton. Meanwhile Catherine also died giving birth to a daughter, and Heathcliff tried much to keep Catherine’s spirit on earth but he failed.

Thirteen years pass, during which Nelly Dean serves as Catherine’s daughter’s nursemaid at Thrushcross Grange. Young Catherine is beautiful and headstrong like her mother, but her temperament is like her father’s. Young Catherine grows up at the Grange with no knowledge of Wuthering Heights; one day, wandering through the moors, she discovers the manor, meets Hareton, and plays together with him. Soon afterwards, Isabella dies, and Linton comes to live with Heathcliff. Heathcliff treats his sickly, whining son even more cruelly than he treated the boy’s mother.

Three years later, Catherine meets Heathcliff on the moors, and makes a visit to Wuthering Heights to meet Linton. She and Linton begin a secret romance conducted entirely through letters. Heathcliff lures Nelly and Catherine back to Wuthering Heights, and holds them prisoner until Catherine marries Linton. Soon after the marriage, Edgar dies, and his death is quickly followed by the death of the sickly Linton. Heathcliff now controls both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. He forces Catherine to live at Wuthering Heights and act as a common servant, while he rents Thrushcross Grange to Lockwood.