Contents
Four main characters (and
one-sentence description of each)
1. Heathcliff – He is a bitter man
tormented by the loss of his love Catherine and the abuse of his stepbrother,
Hindley. He gains the Earnshaw inheritance and sets out to ruin Edgar
Linton.
2. Catherine Earnshaw – She falls
in love with Heathcliff, marries Edgar Linton because of financial and
social advantages and dies after giving birth to Catherine Linton.
3. Hindley Earnshaw – He is the son
and heir to the Earnshaw inheritance but abuses Heathcliff and seeks to
degrade Heathcliff for winning the love of Mr. Earnshaw.
4. Hareton Earnshaw – He is the son
of Hindley, yet cared for by Heathcliff. In his plot to ruin Hindley
and Edgar, he becomes like Heathcliff but falls in love and marries Catherine
Linton.
Two minor characters
1. Isabella Linton – She is the naive
sister of Edgar and the wife of Heathcliff but later runs off to London
and remains in hiding after Heathcliff throws a knife at her.
2. Linton Heathcliff – He was born
in London but his mother died and he was given to his Uncle, but Heathcliff
later get custody of him and marries him off to Little Cathy.
Three main settings
1. Wuthering Heights – It was once
the estate of the Earnshaws but falls into the hands of Heathcliff and
mirrors his cold and grim state of mind.
2. Thrushcross Grange – It is the
ostentatious home of the Lintons and impresses Catherine and transforms
her into a lady.
3. London – Isabella Heathcliff runs
there after having a knife thrown at her head. There she gives birth
to Linton Heathcliff.
One paragraph plot outline
Heathcliff was a waif taken in by Mr. Earnshaw and his household. He grows bitter as he grows older falling in love with and losing Catherine. He seeks to destroy Hindley and Edgar Linton blaming them for losing Catherine. He believe that Hindley caused his loss of Catherine by degrading him. Through her marriage to Edgar Linton, Catherine becomes introduced to a world of materialism.
She dies and her death fuels Heathcliffs rage against Hindley and Edgar.
However, soon after, Hindley also dies and the Earnshaw estate and Hareton fall into the hands of Heathcliff. Later, Heathcliff wins the custody of his son, Linton. He forces Cathy to marry Linton and plans to steal the Grange from Edgar through Linton. Both Linton and Edgar dies and the Grange goes to Heathcliff who now owns both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff marries Hareton to Cathy trying to make Hareton fit his image. Cathy is loving to Hareton and when
Heathcliff dies, both Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights go to them.
Two symbols and references
1. Wuthering Heights – This house
symbolizes anger, hatred and jealousy. As in the shown by the name,
there is lot of tension within that house. The Heights mirror
the conditions of its inhabitants, especially Hindley and Heathcliff.
2. Thrushcross Grange – This house
contrasts with Wuthering Heights since it has the appearance one would
expect from a pleasing worldly lifestyle. This appearance of this
house also symbolizes the feelings of the inhabitants. Like the house,
the Lintons are materialistic and superficial.
3. Hareton and Cathy – These two
symbolize Heathcliff and Catherine showing what they could have become
if their situations were slightly different. Both couples live in
similar situations and allow for the comparison.
Two or three sentences on style
Bronte write in a dreary, melancholy style that provides the dark atmosphere to the story. She write the book making use of a frame since most of the story is conveyed through the narration of Nelly.
One or two sentences on dominant philosophy
This book contrasts the effects of love and hate contrasting the two feelings. It shows hatred through
Heathcliff and displays how that leads to destruction while contrasting it with the love of Cathy and Hareton displaying how that builds.
Four short quotations typical of the work (include speaker, occasion)
“Cathy, do come. Oh do-once more!
Oh! my hearts darling! hear me this time, Catherine, at last!”
Heathcliff calls for Catherine after Mr. Lockwood confessed he saw an apparition
outside his window.
“Im trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley
back. I dont care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last.
I hope he will not die before I do.” Heathcliff swears revenge against
Hindley after Hindley had locked Heathcliff in the attic.
“Here! and here! replied Catherine, striking one hand on her forehead and the other on her breast, in which ever place the soul lives. In my soul and in my heart, Im convinced
Im wrong!” Catherine acknowledges that her marriage to Edgar cannot be one of love because she knows that Heathcliff is her true love.
“Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?” Isabella writes to Ellen.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte