Wuthering Heights: Summary, Analysis & Emily Brontë’s Biography
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë’s Biography
Born on July 30, 1818, in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, Emily Brontë is best remembered for her 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights. She was not the only creative talent in her family—her sisters Charlotte and Anne enjoyed some literary success as well. Her father, Reverend Patrick Brontë, had published several works during his lifetime, too. Emily was the fifth child of Patrick and his wife, Maria Branwell Brontë. The family moved to Haworth in April 1821.
Only a few months later, Brontë’s mother died of cancer; her death came nearly nine months after the birth of her sister, Anne. Her mother’s sister, Elizabeth Branwell, came to live with the family to help care for the children.
At the age of 6, Emily was sent to the Clergy Daughters’ School at Cowan Bridge with Charlotte and her two oldest sisters, Elizabeth and Maria. Both Elizabeth and Maria became seriously ill at school and returned home, where they died of tuberculosis in 1825. Brontë’s father removed both Emily and Charlotte from the school as well.
At home in Haworth, Brontë enjoyed her quiet life. She read extensively and began to make up stories with her siblings. The surviving Brontë children, which included brother Branwell, had strong imaginations. They created tales inspired by toy soldiers given to Branwell by their father. In 1835, the shy Emily tried leaving home for school. She went with Charlotte to Miss Wooler’s school in Roe Head where Charlotte worked as a teacher. But she stayed only a few months before heading back to Haworth.
Coming from a poor family, Brontë tried to find work. She became a teacher at the Law Hill School in September 1837, but she left her position the following March. Brontë and her sister Charlotte went to study in Brussels in 1842, but the death of their aunt Elizabeth forced them to return home.
Summary of Wuthering Heights
The story begins with the arrival of Mr. Lockwood, a rich man from the south of England who rents Thrushcross Grange in Yorkshire. He visits his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff, who lives in a farmhouse called “Wuthering Heights”.
When Mr. Lockwood arrives at the house, he sees several people: Hareton Earnshaw, Heathcliff, Catherine Linton, and the servants Joseph and Zillah. They show a cold and bad attitude. The next day, he decides to make another visit, but a strong snowstorm prevents him from returning to Thrushcross Grange. Zillah offers him an old room.
When he falls asleep, he has two nightmares: first, he dreams of being in church listening to a boring sermon, and in the second, Lockwood dreams of the ghost of a woman who grabs his hand (the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw).
Lockwood goes to Thrushcross Grange, and Mrs. Dean (also called Nelly) begins to tell the story:
Wuthering Heights was a normal house, where lived Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw, their daughter Catherine, their son Hindley Earnshaw, and Joseph and Nelly as servants. One day, Mr. Earnshaw came back home after a work trip to Liverpool with an abandoned child. The father explained to the family that this child was lost on the streets in Liverpool. The child was not welcome. He looked like a gypsy, and he was called “Heathcliff”, which was the name they had given to their son who died when he was a baby.
With the passage of time, Catherine and Heathcliff developed a close friendship and became inseparable, growing up as savages and playing in the fields. However, Hindley always hated Heathcliff. Mr. Earnshaw sent Hindley away to school, and later died in the living room while Catherine was singing to him.
Hindley returned for the funeral of his father and married a girl called “Frances”. After the death of his father, Hindley became the master of the house.
One day, Catherine and Heathcliff discovered Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Linton family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Linton, their son Edgar, and daughter Isabella Linton.
A dog bit Catherine’s foot, and she stayed with the Linton family for a few days. After 15 weeks, Catherine returned home, refined and very changed. Hindley and Frances had a son, Hareton Earnshaw, but Frances died shortly after childbirth from tuberculosis, and Hindley became an unbearable drunkard.
Edgar asked Catherine to marry him, and she agreed because he was rich, although she was in love with Heathcliff. Heathcliff disappeared for a long time.
Due to a fever, the parents of Edgar and Isabella died. After three years, Heathcliff reappeared, but he returned very changed; louder, with a lot of money, and with an air of wickedness, since he had many spirits of revenge. Heathcliff moved into Wuthering Heights with Hindley.
Isabella fell in love with the new Heathcliff and began to become jealous of the relationship that Cathy had with him. Heathcliff found out that Isabella was in love with him and decided to take advantage of her by asking for marriage without loving her to gain her fortune. Cathy became ill because of the marriage between Heathcliff and Isabella. Later, Isabella regretted having married Heathcliff, since he mistreated her constantly. Catherine gave birth to a girl called “Catherine Linton” and later died.
Six months after the death of Catherine, Hindley also died, but he died due to alcohol. Hindley had neglected his son Hareton, and the only thing that mattered to him was gambling and alcohol, and for this reason, he was full of debts. Heathcliff became the owner of the house.
Twelve years later, Catherine Linton discovered Wuthering Heights and that Hareton was her cousin. After the death of Isabella, her son Linton lived with Edgar and Nelly. Nevertheless, Heathcliff, who was his father, claimed him, and Linton had to live with him in Wuthering Heights.
Cathy and Linton fell in love, so Heathcliff obligated Cathy to marry Linton (who was very sick) to gain the fortune of her father Edgar. Finally, Linton died because of his illness. Since then, Heathcliff changed his attitude since his revenge was finished. In the last days before dying, he saw Catherine’s ghost and died in his room enclosed with a face of happiness.
Finally, Nelly told Mr. Lockwood that Heathcliff had died and now their lives had changed since they could have peace. Hareton and Cathy fell in love and lived happily.