Wuthering Heights

Hindley comes home for the funeral as master of Wuthering Heights, having left home three years prior, and to everyone’s surprise, he brings his consumptive wife, Frances,with him. She was “rather thin, but young, and fresh complexioned” (31), and at first, Frances attempts to flatter and befriend Catherine. Hindley soon grows impatient with his sister and with Heathcliff, and they avoid Hindley whenever possible. One night, Hindley flies into a rage because “of a light offence” (32), and Nelly discovers that they have fled Wuthering Heights, not to return home in time for supper. Hindley insists they “bolt the doors, and swore nobody should let them in that night” (32), but Nelly keeps a concerned eye out for them and lets Heathcliff in, alone, when she spies him coming up the road to the house.

Heathcliff explains that they had been spying on the Lintons, who live at Thrushcross Grange, and they observed “a splendid place carpeted with crimson” (33). They also encountered Edgar and Isabella Linton arguing over “a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping[and] quarrel[ing] who should hold a heap of warm hair” (33). Heathcliff and Catherine both “laughed outright at the petted things” (33), hating them for their spoiled behavior. The Linton children hear their laughter, which frightens them, so Catherine and Heathcliff “made frightful noises to terrify them still more” (34) before deciding to make a run for home. A dog named Skulker catches hold of Catherine as she tries to run, and she “was sick, not from fear, I’m certain, but from pain” (34). Both Heathcliff and Catherine are caught, but Catherine’s foot is injured, so the Lintons send Heathcliff home. From outside, Heathcliff watches what happens indoors, as Catherine, much admired by the Linton family, eats “a plateful of cakes[...] as merry as she could be, dividing her food between the little dog and Skulker” (35). The next morning, “[t]he luckless adventure made Earnshaw furious,” yet Heathcliff “received no flogging, but he was told that the first word he spoke to Miss Catherine should ensure a dismissal” (36).

Five weeks later, Catherine returns home, just before Christmas, changed into “a very dignified person” and dressed in “splendid garments” (36). When she meets Heathcliff, her fabulous appearance heightens his filthy state, as “children of his age seldom have a natural pleasure in soap and water” (37). Heathcliff is humiliated when Catherine laughs at him, and he reacts badly “to the serious disturbance of Catherine; who could not comprehend how her remarks should have produced such an exhibition of bad temper” (37).

On Christmas Eve, Nelly is alone in the kitchen, “putting[her]cakes in the oven” while the Earnshaws plan to spend Christmas with Mrs. Linton, who has“begged that her darlings might be kept apart from that ‘naughty swearing boy’” (38). Nelly goes to look for Heathcliff and finds him in the stable, but he cannot be persuaded to enter the house nor to eat supper,set on“not re-appearing till the family were departed for church” (39) on Christmas morning. When Heathcliff does speak with Nelly,he confides in Nelly and admits he “wish[es] [he]had light hair and a fair skin, and was dressed and behaved as well” (39) as Edgar Linton. Nelly encourages him to worry more about his attitude than his appearance, telling Heathcliff he is “fit for a prince in disguise” (40), and Heathcliff’s mood improves. When Hindley and the rest of the family return to Wuthering Heights with the Lintons, however, Hindley is “irritated at seeing [Heathcliff] clean and cheerful” (39) and abuses Heathcliff, which causes Heathcliff to act badly towards the Linton children as “Cathy stood by, confounded, blushing for all” (41). Heathcliff is removed by Hindley, while Catherine becomes tearful at the dinner table.

After dinner, everyone dances and sings Christmas carols, and Catherine is unable to persuade the others to allow Heathcliff to join them. When Nelly goes to check on the boy, she finds him “wrapt in dumb meditation,” contemplating “how [he] shall pay Hindley back” (42). At this point, Nelly interrupts her own story to “lay aside her sewing” (43), suggesting that she skip over the next three years, but Lockwood encourages Nelly to carry on with the full story, so she does.

The following June, baby Hareton is born to Frances and Hindley, but Frances is so weakened by the birth of her son, she dies. Hindley denies her declining state until “a fit of coughing took her” (46). The death of Frances inspires even more “tyrannical and evil conduct” (46) from Hindley, which only Nelly and Joseph can tolerate, and the other servants flee. Soon, “[t]he master’s bad ways and bad companions formed a pretty example for Catherine and Heathcliff” (46) and neighbors and friends stop visiting Wuthering Heights altogether. Nelly describes 15-year-old Catherine as “a haughty, headstrong creature” (46), but despite the negative aspects of her personality, both Edgar Linton and Heathcliff continue to feel great affection for her. Nelly explains that while Catherine is in the company of the Lintons, she “had no temptation to show her rough side” (47). In the meantime, 16-year-old Heathcliff has given up his studies as the demands of hard labor do not allow him to carry on with his education. 

One day, while Hindley is away, Heathcliff takes a break from his hard work while Edgar comes to visit Catherine at Wuthering Heights at Catherine’s request. Catherine and Heathcliff argue, so Heathcliff leaves when Edgar arrives, and Catherine is rude to Nelly because Nelly refuses to leave Edgar and Catherine alone together. While assuming Edgar is unable to see what she is doing, Catherine “pinched [Nelly], with a prolonged wrench, very spitefully on the arm” (50), and then accuses Nelly of lying when the housekeeper protests. Edgar is shocked at Catherine’s behavior, especially when she shakes the infant Hareton, who is crying at the sight of Nelly’s tears. Edgar tries to help Hareton only to receive a hit on the head from Catherine, and “[t]he insulted visitor moved to the spot where he had laid his hat, pale and with a quivering lip” (50). Catherine interferes when Edgar tries to leave, causing Catherine to make a scene. Nelly compares Edgar to “a mouse half-killed” (51) as she observes Edgar’s powerlessness to leave Catherine, and as the two young people confess that they love each other, Hindley arrives home, driving “Linton speedily to his horse, and Catherine to her chamber” (51).

Hindley arrives home in a violent mood, and he escalates, putting a knife in Nelly’s mouth and dropping his son Hareton from the top of the stairs. As soon as Hindley lets go of Hareton, “Heathcliff arrived underneath just at the critical moment,”and Nelly soon has “her precious charge pressed to [her] heart” (53). As Nelly soothes Hareton, she thinks Heathcliff has left to go to the barn, but “he only got as far as the other side of the settle” (54), and Catherine stealthily approaches Nelly in the kitchen, thinking they are alone. Catherine confesses to Nelly that Edgar Linton has proposed marriage to her, to which Nelly asks her difficult questions about Catherine’s own feelings towards Edgar. Catherine admits feeling that she wants to marry Edgar, but due to odd dreams and intuitions:“I’m convinced I’m wrong” (56). Catherine tells Nelly of her strong feelings for Heathcliff, but from his position nearby, he only hears her say: “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now” (57). He leaves the kitchen silently, Nelly notices, but he is not in the barn when Nelly goes to look for him, and Nelly tells Catherine that “he had heard a good part of what she said” (59). Catherine frantically searches for Heathcliff for several hours in the thunderstorm outside, but he is gone, and everyone goes to bed, except for Catherine, who stays up all night in cold, wet clothes waiting for Heathcliff to return. Catherine catches a fever, and Mrs. Linton insists on “conveying her to Thrushcross Grange” (63) for her convalescence. Soon, Mr. Linton and Mrs. Linton both catch Catherine’s illness and die. When Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights, she “thought that her recent illness gave her claim to be treated with consideration” (64) and that she ought to be indulged. She and Edgar marry, “three years subsequent to his father’s death” (64), and Nelly moves to Thrushcross Grange with them, leaving Hindley, her beloved Hareton, and Joseph behind.