Tired of the bustle of London and the crowded, noisy resorts, Mr. Lockwood decided to live for some time in the wilderness of the village, away from the bustle and people. He rented an old landowner's house, Skvortsov Manor. The house stood in a remote location surrounded by rolling moors and moors in the north of England. The owner of the Starlings, Squire Heathcliff, lived nearby in the Wuthering Heights estate, and Mr. Lockwood decided to visit him. Having met the owner, the guest hesitated: the clothes and appearance of the owner of the estate did not match each other. He was dressed like a gentleman, but his appearance showed him to be a purebred gypsy.
The house itself from the inside looked as if a stern farmer lived in it, not accustomed to the comfort of a landowner. In addition to the master, there lived in Wuthering Heights a servant, Joseph, an old grumbler, and the master's daughter, Catherine Heathcliff. The girl was young, charming, but harsh and treated everything with undisguised contempt. Hareton Earnshaw lived with them in the Pass, whose name was on the table in front of the estate. Apart from the fact that he had a rustic appearance, nothing could be said about the young man. It was only clear that he was not a servant or the son of Heathcliff. Overwhelmed by curiosity, Mr. Lockwood asked the housekeeper, Miss Dean, to tell about the strange family living in Wuthering Heights. It turned out that Mr. Lockwood found a wonderful narrator, since Mrs. Dean witnessed the drama that lies at the heart of the history of the Earnshaw, Linton and Heathcliff families.
Initially, the Ershnos lived at Wuthering Heights, and the Lintons lived at Skvortsov Manor. Mr Ershnaugh had two children - the eldest son, Hindley, and the youngest daughter, Catherine. One day, while returning home, Mr. Earnshaw came across an abandoned gypsy child who was dying of hunger. He took him to his home, went out and christened him Heathcliff. No one could say for sure whether it was a first name or a surname, or even a nickname. It soon became obvious to everyone that Mr. Earnshaw loved the gypsy child much more than his own children. The gypsy child was by no means good-tempered and tormented Hindley in every possible way, although he was friends with his sister Catherine.
When Mr. Earnshaw died, Hindley had already been living separately from his father and sister in the city for several years. He came to the funeral with his wife. After the funeral, the young couple returned back to Wuthering Heights and Hindley got a chance to make up for all the humiliations he suffered as a child. Heathcliff now lived as a simple worker, Catherine was tormented by the cruel, stupid Joseph, who had her in her care. In this environment, Heathcliff and Catherine especially needed each other’s support, and imperceptibly their strong childhood friendship grew into love.
Two teenagers also lived at Skvortsov Manor - Edgar and Isabella Linton. They were the complete opposite of their neighbors - noble secular gentlemen. They were well-mannered, educated and, as often happens with people of fine spiritual organization, very nervous and arrogant.
Soon the neighbors met and began to communicate amicably. All except Heathcliff, an orphan foundling who became an exile. The final blow to Heathcliff's pride was that Catherine began to spend more and more time with Edgar, neglecting her old friend and sometimes laughing at him. Heathcliff swore terrible revenge on young Linton. And it was not in the nature of this man to throw words to the wind...
After some time, Hindley Earnshaw had a son, who was named Hareton. The baby's mother fell ill immediately after giving birth and never got up again. Having lost his beloved, Hindley sank in front of his family - he was not seen at home for whole days, and in the evenings he appeared, drunk, from taverns and went on a rampage until the morning, harassing his family to the point of horror.
Katherine and Edgara continued to communicate more and more closely, and one fine day they decided to get married. It was very difficult for Catherine to make such a decision - she felt in her gut that she was making a mistake; Heathcliff was for her the one without whom she could not imagine her life. However, if Heathcliff was a stone slab for her, her support, then her feelings for Edgar were like spring leaves - they are short-lived, but still it is impossible to stop enjoying them.
Having learned about the upcoming wedding, Heathcliff disappeared, and no one saw him for a long time.
The wedding was played, Edgar Linton called himself the happiest man in the world. The young couple settled on Skvortsov Manor, and everyone around said that they were an exemplary family.
One fine day a stranger appeared at Skvortsov Manor. Heathcliff was hardly recognized. Instead of an uncouth village boy, a grown man and a gentleman appeared before them. He never shared with anyone what caused his disappearance or what he had been doing all these years.
For Catherine and Heathcliff, it was as if the long years of separation did not exist. They met like bosom friends. And anxiety and discontent settled in Edgar’s soul - from his youth he disliked Heathcliff. His appearance brought his wife out of a state of balance which he found difficult to restore. All this time, Catherine blamed herself for the possible death of Heathcliff somewhere in places unfamiliar to him, and his return lifted this stone from her shoulders. An old friend became even more dear to her than before.
Despite his displeasure, Edgar was forced to receive a guest in his home. Heathcliff was not the most pleasant person to talk to: he was harsh and rude, and did not hide the fact that he wanted to take revenge not only on Hindley Earnshaw, but also on Edgar Linton. Heathcliff blamed Edgar for robbing him of the meaning of life. He blamed Katherine for the fact that instead of him, a real man, she preferred a nervous, weak aristocrat. These words hurt Katherine's soul.
Heathcliff settled in Wuthering Heights, which had already become a den for drunkards and gambling enthusiasts. He took advantage of the latter: Hindley, who no longer had money, put forward a house and estate as a bet, and lost everything. As a result, he became the owner of the house of the Earnshaw family, while the legal heir, Hareton, was left without anything.
During Heathcliff's frequent visits to Skvortsov Grange, Edgar's sister Isabella caught the eye of him and was soon head over heels in love with him. Everyone around her tried to reach out to her, make her change her mind - it’s a disastrous thing to fall in love with a person who doesn’t care about anyone except his old childhood friend and revenge. However, Heathcliff decided that Isabella would help him carry out his revenge - after all, she was the heiress of Starling Manor. They ran away one night and later rode into Wuthering Heights, declaring themselves man and wife. After his plan was successful, Heathcliff no longer hid his true motives from his young wife, insulting and humiliating her in every possible way. The poor thing had no choice but to silently endure all the bullying.
Since the day of his escape with Isabella, Heathcliff has not seen Catherine again. But as soon as he learned that she was seriously ill and would not get out of bed, he immediately came to Skvortsy. A long conversation took place between them, during which they confessed their tender feelings to each other. This was their last conversation - after giving birth, Katherine died. The girl Mr. Lockwood saw at Wuthering Heights bears her mother's name.
Hindley, robbed by Heathcliff, also died soon after drinking himself to death. Before this death, the patience of Isabella, who meekly endured her husband’s humiliation, burst. She ran away from the estate and settled somewhere near London. There she gave birth to a son, naming him Linton Heathcliff.
The next three years, which followed the series of those tragic events, passed relatively peacefully. Wuthering Heights and Skvortsov Manor stopped communicating. When Cathy turned sixteen, she reached the Pass and met Linton Heathcliff and Hareton Earnshaw, who turned out to be her cousins. For a long time she refused to recognize Hareton as her brother - he was so rude and ill-mannered. In relation to Linton, Katie repeated the fate of her mother, convincing herself that she loved him. Linton was selfish, and Katie's love remained unrequited. At that time, Heathcliff appeared in their lives.
He did not recognize Linton as his son, but in Katie he saw the image of the one he had loved all his life. And Heathcliff decided to marry the children, so that after the death of Edgar Linton and Linton Heathcliff, both estates would go to Cathy.
Heathcliff accomplished his plan, despite the protest of Cathy's dying father. A few days later both old men died.
And now only Heathcliff remained, hating Hareton and unable to cope with Cathy; the young widowed Katie, who has become a capricious and arrogant young lady; and Hareton, an uncouth country bumpkin who is in love with Katie.
This is where Mrs. Dean's story comes to an end. Afterwards, Mr. Lockwood decided that he had had enough of the fresh country air and returned to London. It was not his plan to return to those wonderful places, but a year later he found himself passing through those parts and could not help but stop by to visit the old housekeeper.
During this year, a lot happened in the lives of the heroes. Heathcliff, completely decrepit, died. Before his death, he completely lost his mind and wandered around the neighborhood all night long, looking for Catherine. Katie changed her anger to mercy and gave in to her cousin's clumsy advances. They got engaged and were planning to get married.
Before leaving, Mr. Lockwood went to the cemetery. Nature quietly whispered to him that no matter how hard the life of the dead was, now they are resting in a better kingdom.
Please note that this is only a summary of the literary work “Wuthering Heights”. This summary omits many important points and quotes.
Mr. Lockwood, tired of the noisy and annoying metropolitan society, decides to spend at least some time in a remote, remote and quiet area. For relaxation, the gentleman chooses an old manor house called Skvortsov Manor, located in the northern part of England. Arriving at his new place of residence, he pays a visit to a certain Heathcliff, the owner of the Skvortsy estate, who lives nearby in a house called Wuthering Heights.
At the first meeting, Heathcliff makes a very unusual impression on Lockwood; this man most closely resembles a gypsy, and his home seems to be the house of an ordinary poor farmer, and not the estate of a wealthy landowner. Under the roof of Wuthering Heights there are also always the elderly footman Joseph, Heathcliff's pretty young daughter-in-law Catherine, who behaved arrogantly and harshly with everyone, as well as a certain Hareton Earnshaw, who is neither a servant nor a relative of the owner in the house. Mr. Lockwood asks his housekeeper to tell him more about these people, and the woman willingly undertakes to satisfy his curiosity, and besides, she is very familiar with their whole history.
According to Lockwood's housekeeper Mrs. Dean, even in distant times the Earnshaw family lived at Wuthering Heights, while the Lintons lived at Skvortsov Grange. Mr Enrshaw, long deceased, was the father of two children, a son named Hindley, and a daughter, Catherine. One day, the owner of Wuthering Heights, on the way home, picked up a hungry and ragged gypsy boy, taking pity on this unfortunate child. The boy was named Heathcliff, and soon everyone around began to notice that Mr. Enrshaw treated his adopted son much warmer and softer than his own. Heathcliff never missed an opportunity to take advantage of this affection, constantly pursuing Hindley's half-brother, while at the same time he developed excellent friendships with Catherine.
After the death of the elderly Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley returned home with his wife, this couple immediately established their own order at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff, to whom Hindley never forgave his previous insults and humiliations, found himself in the estate in the position of virtually an ordinary hired worker; it was not easy for Catherine, who was gradually becoming closer and closer to Heathcliff, although she still had no idea that real love had arisen between them .
At the same time, young brother and sister, Edgar and Isabella Linton, also lived at Skvortsov Grange, who had much more secular manners and better upbringing than their neighbors. The Lintons communicated with Catherine and Hindley, but categorically did not want to accept Heathcliff into their circle, whom they considered a man without a family and without a tribe. For some time, Catherine began to spend time more and more willingly with Edgar Linton, clearly preferring him to his old friend Heathcliff, but he was not going to accept this state of affairs, vowing to take cruel revenge on his rival.
Hindley became a father and had a son, Hareton, but the child's mother died shortly after giving birth. Mr. Earnshaw was unable to cope with this blow of fate, he quickly plunged into daily drunkenness, as a result of which the man turned into a real evil tyrant for his household.
Catherine and Edgar Linton decided to marry, although the girl deep down felt that she was making a mistake. After all, even now she constantly thought about Heathcliff, who, having learned about the planned wedding, disappeared from these places for a long time; none of the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights heard anything about his fate for a long time.
After the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Linton began to live on Skvortsov Manor, everyone around them considered them a wonderful couple. But one day a certain man knocked on the door of the estate, whom Edgar and Catherine did not immediately recognize as Heathcliff. The former uncouth and uneducated young man has changed a lot, now he has turned into a real gentleman with impeccable manners. His appearance immediately disturbed Catherine's peace of mind and caused obvious discontent on Edgar's part.
However, Heathcliff began to frequent Starling Grange, and soon the man began to behave as rudely, unceremoniously and straightforwardly as before. He did not even try to hide the fact that the purpose of his return to these parts was revenge on both Hindley Earnshaw and Mr. Linton, who had deprived him of the meaning of life. Heathcliff, without hesitation, reproached Catherine for choosing a pampered aristocrat over him; the young woman took these speeches extremely painfully.
Wuthering Heights became Heathcliff's new home, where drunkards and card lovers had long preferred to gather. Hindley, having lost all his funds because of the game, mortgaged the estate and estate to Heathcliff, as a result of which the legal heir of this estate, Hareton, was deprived of all the property due to him.
Thanks to Heathcliff's regular visits to Skvortsov Manor, Isabella, Edgar Linton's sister, fell passionately in love with him. Those around her tried in every possible way to open the naive girl’s eyes to the true essence of this man, but she did not want to listen to anyone. Heathcliff himself was going to use her only for the purpose of revenge on Catherine, and one day the two ran away, soon returning as legal spouses. Heathcliff did not cease to humiliate and bully his wife, without hiding from her the true reason for their marriage, but Isabella tried to endure everything in silence, without contradicting her husband.
Hearing that Catherine was seriously ill and could die at any moment, Heathcliff nevertheless arrived at Starlings. The last conversation between him and his childhood friend about their real feelings was painful and sad for both, and a few hours later the young woman passed away, giving birth to a girl. It was this child, who managed to become an adult girl and received a name in honor of her mother, that Mr. Lockwood had a chance to see.
Drunkenness quickly brought Hindley Earnshaw to the grave; shortly before this, Isabella ran away from her tyrant husband and hid in the outskirts of London; soon she gave birth to a boy named Linton Heathcliff. About 12 years have passed since then, and Edgar, living quietly with his growing daughter Katie, received news of his sister’s death, after which he hurried to bring her son to his house. But Heathcliff immediately demanded that the boy be given to him, and Mr. Linton did not resist.
At the age of sixteen, Cathy first arrived at Wuthering Heights and met two cousins, Hareton Earnshaw and Linton Heathcliff. The girl did not like the rude and poorly educated Hareton at all, while she immediately fell in love with Linton. True, the selfish young man did not reciprocate her feelings at all, but Heathcliff decided to intervene in this situation. Although he treated his son rather indifferently, in Katie he saw the ghost of the beloved of his youth and conceived an adventure, as a result of which both estates would come into the possession of this girl. Heathcliff knew full well that both Edgar and his own son did not have long to live, so he insisted on a marriage between Linton and Cathy, despite the objections of her dying father.
Just a few days after the wedding, Mr. Linton died, and soon the same fate befell the young spouse. Thus, only three deeply unhappy people remained at Wuthering Heights, and Heathcliff was unable to cope with the very wayward and arrogant Cathy, and the poor orphan Hareton Earnshaw, in love with this young woman, was forced to constantly listen to outright insults from her.
Having learned all this from his housekeeper, Mr. Lockwood leaves these places after some time. However, after a year, he again accidentally finds himself near Wuthering Heights, and he becomes aware that Heathcliff has died, completely losing his mind before his death and calling on the ghost of the long-deceased Catherine Earnshaw. At the same time, Cathy has finally stopped looking down on her cousin Hareton, now the young widow reciprocates his feelings and plans to marry him soon.
Wuthering Heights
Feeling an urgent need to take a break from the bustle of London society and fashionable resorts, Mr. Lockwood decided to settle for a while in the wilderness of the village. He chose an old landowner's house, Skvortsov Manor, as the place of his voluntary seclusion, which stood among the hilly heathers and swamps of northern England. Having settled in a new place, Mr. Lockwood considered it necessary to pay a visit to the owner of the Starlings and his only neighbor - Squire Heathcliff, who lived about four miles away, in an estate called Wuthering Heights. The owner and his home made a somewhat strange impression on the guest: a gentleman in clothes and manners, Heathcliff’s appearance was a pure gypsy; his house resembled more the harsh abode of a simple farmer than the estate of a landowner. In addition to the owner, the old grumpy servant Joseph lived at Wuthering Heights; young, charming, but somehow overly harsh and full of undisguised contempt for everyone, Catherine Heathcliff, the owner’s daughter-in-law; and Hareton Earnshaw (Lockwood saw this name engraved next to the date “1500” above the entrance to the estate) - a rustic-looking fellow, not much older than Catherine, looking at whom one could only say with confidence that he was neither a servant nor a master here son. Intrigued, Mr. Lockwood asked the housekeeper, Mrs. Dean, to satisfy his curiosity and tell the story of the strange people who lived at Wuthering Heights. The request could not have been addressed to the right address, for Mrs. Dean turned out to be not only an excellent storyteller, but also a direct witness to the dramatic events that made up the history of the Earnshaw and Linton families and their evil genius, Heathcliff.
The Earnshaws, Mrs. Dean said, had lived at Wuthering Heights since ancient times, and the Lintons at Skvortsov Manor. Old Mr. Earnshaw had two children - a son, Hindley, the eldest, and a daughter, Catherine. One day, returning from the city, Mr. Earnshaw picked up a ragged gypsy child dying of hunger on the road and brought him into the house. The boy came out and was christened Heathcliff (later no one could say for sure whether it was a first name, a surname, or both at once), and soon it became obvious to everyone that Mr. Earnshaw was attached to the foundling much more than to his own son. Heathcliff, whose character was not dominated by the most noble traits, shamelessly took advantage of this, childishly tyrannizing Hindley in every possible way. Heathcliff, oddly enough, struck up a strong friendship with Catherine.
When old Earnshaw died, Hindley, who had by then lived in the city for several years, came to the funeral not alone, but with his wife. Together they quickly established their own order at Wuthering Heights, and the young master did not fail to cruelly recoup the humiliation that he had once suffered from his father’s favorite: he now lived in the position of almost a simple worker, Catherine also had a hard time in the care of the narrow-minded, evil bigot Joseph ; Perhaps her only joy was her friendship with Heathcliff, which little by little grew into a love that was still unconscious to young people.
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Meanwhile, two teenagers also lived at Skvortsov Manor - the master's children Edgar and Isabella Linton. Unlike the savages of their neighbors, these were real noble gentlemen - well-mannered, educated, perhaps overly nervous and arrogant. An acquaintance could not fail between the neighbors, but Heathcliff, a rootless plebeian, was not accepted into the Linton company. This would be nothing, but from some point on, Katherine began to spend time in Edgar’s company with undisguised great pleasure, neglecting her old friend, and sometimes even mocking him. Heathcliff swore terrible revenge on young Linton, and it was not in the nature of this man to throw words to the wind.
Time passed. Hindley Earnshaw had a son, Hareton; The boy's mother fell ill after giving birth and never got up again. Having lost the most precious thing he had in life, Hindley gave up and went downhill before his eyes: he disappeared in the village for days on end, returning drunk and terrifying his family with his irrepressible violence.
The relationship between Catherine and Edgar gradually became more and more serious, and then one fine day the young people decided to get married. This decision was not easy for Katherine: in her soul and heart she knew that she was doing the wrong thing; Heathcliff was the focus of her greatest thoughts, the one without whom the world was unthinkable for her. However, if she could liken Heathcliff to underground rock layers on which everything rests, but whose existence does not bring hourly pleasure, she compared her love for Edgar to spring foliage - you know that winter will not leave a trace of it, and yet you cannot don't enjoy it.
Heathcliff, barely learning about the upcoming event, disappeared from Wuthering Heights, and nothing was heard about him for a long time.
Soon the wedding took place; Leading Catherine to the altar, Edgar Linton considered himself the happiest of people. The young couple lived at Starling Manor, and anyone who saw them at that time could not help but recognize Edgar and Catherine as an exemplary loving couple.
Who knows how long the serene existence of this family would continue, but one fine day a stranger knocked on the Skvortsov gate. They did not immediately recognize him as Heathcliff, for the former uncouth youth now appeared as a grown man with military bearing and the habits of a gentleman. Where he was and what he was doing in the years that had passed since his disappearance remained a mystery to everyone.
Catherine and Heathcliff met like good old friends, but Edgar, who had previously disliked Heathcliff, was displeased and alarmed by his return. And not in vain. His wife suddenly lost the peace of mind that he had so carefully preserved. It turned out that all this time Catherine had been executing herself as the culprit of Heathcliff’s possible death somewhere in a foreign land, and now his return reconciled her with God and humanity. Her childhood friend became even more dear to her than before.
Despite Edgar's dissatisfaction, Heathcliff was received at Skvortsov Manor and became a frequent guest there. At the same time, he did not bother himself at all with observing conventions and decency: he was harsh, rude and straightforward. Heathcliff did not hide the fact that he returned only to take revenge - and not only on Hindley Earnshaw, but also on Edgar Linton, who took his life with all its meaning. He bitterly blamed Katherine for the fact that she preferred a weak-willed, nervous slobber to him, a man with a capital M; Heathcliff's words painfully stirred her soul.
To everyone’s bewilderment, Heathcliff settled at Wuthering Heights, which had long since turned from a landowner’s house into a den of drunkards and gamblers. The latter worked to his advantage: Hindley, who had lost all the money, gave Heathcliff a mortgage on the house and estate. Thus, he became the owner of all the property of the Earnshaw family, and Hindley’s legal heir, Hareton, was left penniless.
Heathcliff's frequent visits to Starling Manor had one unexpected consequence - Isabella Linton, Edgar's sister, fell madly in love with him. Everyone around tried to turn the girl away from this almost unnatural attachment to a man with the soul of a wolf, but she remained deaf to the persuasion, Heathcliff was indifferent to her, because he did not care about everyone and everything except Catherine and his revenge; So he decided to make Isabella the instrument of this revenge, to whom her father, bypassing Edgar, bequeathed Skvortsov Manor. One fine night, Isabella ran away with Heathcliff, and as time passed, they showed up at Wuthering Heights as husband and wife. There are no words to describe all the humiliations to which Heathcliff subjected his young wife, and who did not think of hiding the true motives of his actions from her. Isabella endured in silence, wondering in her heart who her husband really was - a man or a devil?
Heathcliff had not seen Catherine since the day of his escape from Isabella. But one day, having learned that she was seriously ill, he, in spite of everything, came to Skvortsy. A painful conversation for both, in which the nature of the feelings that Catherine and Heathcliff had for each other was fully revealed, turned out to be their last: that same night Catherine died, giving birth to a girl. The girl (who, as an adult, was seen by Mr. Lockwood at Wuthering Heights) was named after her mother.
Catherine's brother, robbed by Heathcliff Hindley Earnshaw, soon also died - he literally drank himself to death. Even earlier, Isabella’s reserve of patience had been exhausted, and she finally ran away from her husband and settled somewhere near London. There she had a son, Linton Heathcliff.
Twelve or thirteen years passed, during which nothing disturbed the peaceful life of Edgar and Cathy Linton. But then news of Isabella’s death came to Skvortsov Manor. Edgar immediately went to London and brought her son from there. She was a spoiled creature, inheriting sickness and nervousness from her mother, and cruelty and devilish arrogance from her father.
Cathy, much like her mother, immediately became attached to her new cousin, but the very next day Heathcliff appeared at the Grange and demanded to give up her son. Edgar Linton, of course, could not object to him.
The next three years passed quietly, for all relations between Wuthering Heights and Skvortsov Manor were prohibited. When Cathy turned sixteen, she finally made it to the Pass, where she found her two cousins, Linton Heathcliff and Hareton Earnshaw; the second, however, was difficult to recognize as a relative - he was too rude and uncouth. As for Linton, just like her mother once did, Katie convinced herself that she loved him. And although the insensitive egoist Linton was not able to respond to her love, Heathcliff intervened in the fate of the young people.
He did not have feelings for Linton that were anything like his father's, but in Katie he saw a reflection of the traits of the one who had possessed his thoughts all his life, the one whose ghost haunted him now. Therefore, he decided to make sure that both Wuthering Heights and Skvortsov Manor, after the death of Edgar Linton and Linton Heathcliff (and both of them were already dying out), would come into the possession of Cathy. And for this the children had to be married.
And Heathcliff, against the wishes of Cathy's dying father, arranged their marriage. A few days later, Edgar Linton died, and Linton Heathcliff soon followed.
So there are three of them left: the obsessed Heathcliff, who despises Hareton and has no control over Cathy; the infinitely arrogant and wayward young widow Cathy Heathcliff; and Hareton Earnshaw, the poor last of an ancient family, naively in love with Katie, who mercilessly bullied her illiterate hillbilly cousin.
This is the story old Mrs. Dean told Mr. Lockwood. The time came, and Mr. Lockwood finally decided to part with the solitude of the village, as he thought, forever. But a year later, he was passing through those places again and could not help but visit Mrs. Dean.
Over the course of a year, it turns out that a lot has changed in the lives of our heroes. Heathcliff died; Before his death, he completely lost his mind, could neither eat nor sleep, and kept wandering the hills, calling on the ghost of Catherine. As for Katie and Hareton, the girl gradually abandoned her contempt for her cousin, warmed up to him and finally reciprocated his feelings; the wedding was supposed to take place on New Year's Day.
In the rural cemetery, where Mr. Lockwood went before leaving, everything told him that, no matter what trials befell the people buried here, now they are all sleeping peacefully.
The elderly Mr. Earnshaw, the father of two children, having returned from his travels to his homeland, London, meets a gypsy child in the alley. Without thinking twice, he takes him home and names him Gitcliff. Mr. Earnshaw's daughter is peaceful towards her adopted brother, but the younger child is jealous and bullies him after their father dies.
After some time, Catherine and Gitcliff confess their feelings to each other. But one day the girl sees Edrag Linton, who bewitches her with his charisma and good manners, but still Catherine sincerely loves only Gitcliff. And when the information reaches that his beloved is dating Edgar, he leaves the city, after which he returns only three years later, but already a wealthy citizen and a firm decision to take revenge on Linton and his family. He does everything to make Isabella, Linton's sister, fall in love with him. They escape, after which their engagement occurs. But over time, the young man, with his harsh views, begins to greatly oppress his wife, and her life becomes impossibly difficult.
The girl would already like to return home, but her brother does not want to put up with it and, already in a position, she escapes, runs to the capital of England, where her son appears there. As time passes, Katherine passes away when her daughter is born, who was named after her. The young man is very worried and this makes him hard-hearted. Gindley's brother also dies, and he becomes the rightful owner of Wuthering Heights, and also takes guardianship of Gorton.
Many years later, when Catherine was seventeen years old, Gitcliff forces her to marry his son Linton. Edgar passes away due to a serious illness and Gitcliff takes guardianship of the younger Catherine and becomes the rightful owner of Thrushcross Grange. But since he had been very ill for many years, he dies, making Katherine a widow.
The young widow remains with Gitcliff and Gorton. There is sympathy between her and Gorton. After the mysterious death of Gitcliff, who had lost the sense of revenge, as the man himself once admitted, they got married.
Picture or drawing of Brontë - Wuthering Heights
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Emily Brontë wrote the only novel that did not receive widespread public recognition during her lifetime. But later Wuthering Heights became one of the best novels in English literature. An unusual, slightly “Gothic” plot, the emotional tension in which the book holds the reader, and true love - this is what readers continue to like about this book. Below you will find an analysis of Wuthering Heights.
A little about the author
Emily Brontë is one of the famous Brontë sisters and writers. She interacted most with the youngest, Anne. Both sisters began to engage in creativity, looking at their brother and Charlotte. In 1846, a collection was published in which Emily's poem was published, which received quite high praise from critics.
In 1847, Wuthering Heights was published, which later brought Emily fame. Contemporaries were frightened by the strikingly expressively written negative characters, who evoked a feeling of horror in readers. Emily Brontë is best known for her poems, which secured her fame as a gifted poetess. In honor of the talented sisters and their brother, a crater located on Mercury was named.
Characters in the novel: the older generation
The heroes of Wuthering Heights cannot leave the reader indifferent; their characters, all their emotions and experiences are so well shown that you involuntarily begin to empathize with them. The characters cannot be characterized only on the positive or negative side. Even the main character Heathcliff can evoke sympathy, despite the fact that he is the main negative character in the book Wuthering Heights.
The plot revolves around two characters - Heathcliff, a gypsy boy who was picked up by Catherine Earnshaw's father. He grew up gloomy, unsociable, the only creature that was dear to him was the owner’s daughter. Catherine was a headstrong and eccentric girl, had a selfish nature and was the only one not afraid of Heathcliff. The young people were similar in their love of freedom and some kind of wildness.
But Katie's husband was Edgar Linton - the complete opposite of Heathcliff. He had a gentle and patient character, lovingly caring for his wife and, later, his daughter. Despite his compliance, he could insist on his own, especially if it concerned Heathcliff. Edgar had a younger sister, Isabella, a sophisticated girl, but unlike her brother, she was a frivolous person. The girl was captivated by Heathcliff's gloomy nature, she fell in love with him, but her marriage with him was not happy for her.
Catherine Linton had an older brother, Hindley. He was a man of tough character, he hated Heathcliff, because from childhood he was jealous of his father for this foundling. He later happily married Frances. They later had a son, but the birth was difficult and the young woman died. After this, Hindley became an uncontrollable, vicious person, and everyone in the area began to fear him.
Main characters: the younger generation
Hindley's son Hareton was raised by Heathcliff, who kept the boy strict and did not teach him anything. And old Joseph, who was a servant in the Earnshaw family, was a grumpy, hypocritical man and did not like Hareton. As a result, he grew up to be a rude young man, but with a kind heart. Heathcliff was everything to him, but nevertheless, despite the dissatisfaction of his “benefactor,” he falls in love with Cathy Linton, the daughter of Edgar and Catherine Earnshaw.
Katie Linton was a kind and sympathetic girl, and despite her proud disposition, she was more capable of sympathy and love than her mother. Heathcliff forced Cathy to marry his son Linton Heathcliff, who was a cowardly young man by nature. And due to the fact that he was a sickly boy, selfishness developed in his character.
The narration of the novel "Wuthering Heights" is told from two persons: a certain Lockwood, Heathcliff's tenant, and the housekeeper Nelly Dean, who told him the story, because the drama of these two families happened before her eyes, as she grew up with Heathcliff and Catherine. She later raised little Katie and Hareton.
Of course, in order to experience the dark and tense, but at the same time fascinating atmosphere, it is worth reading the entire book. But a brief summary of Wuthering Heights will help prepare you for a more serious perception of the novel. The story is told from two persons - Mr. Lockwood and Nellie Dean. The plot of Wuthering Heights takes place on the heather moors (which will be mentioned more than once in the novel) in Yorkshire. The drama unfolds between two families from the Wuthering Heights and Skvortsov Manor estates.
At first, the story is told from the perspective of the young Mr. Lockwood, who, in search of solitude, decided to rent the Skvortsov Manor. The owner of the house, Heathcliff, lived in another estate, Wuthering Heights, and was an unsociable person. Despite the fact that Lockwood was not given any warm welcome, he decided to visit this man again.
During his visit, he meets the other inhabitants of the house: a girl who turned out to be the owner’s daughter-in-law and the widow of his son, Hareton Earnshaw and the old servant Joseph. There were no warm relations between the inhabitants, and Lockwood felt uncomfortable being among them. Due to bad weather, the guest was forced to stay, and in the room he finds the diary of a certain Catherine Earnshaw, in which she talks about herself and Heathcliff. Lockwood dreams of the ghost of this woman, and his story about it frightens the owner of the house. In the morning, the guest returns to the Grange and becomes seriously ill.
The Youth of Heathcliff and Catherine
During his illness, Lockwood had nothing to do, and the kind and caring servant Nellie Dean agrees to tell him the sad story of Heathcliff. He was found by the father of that same Catherine, Mr. Earnshaw. And if the girl became friends with the foundling, then her older brother Hindley hated him immediately. He tried to humiliate him in every possible way because Heathcliff was jealous of his father.
Nellie Dean herself grew up with the children. From childhood, Heathcliff avoided people and was not attached to anyone, not even to Mr. Earnshaw. His only comrade was the headstrong and fearless Catherine Earnshaw. They spent a lot of time together, but after the death of Earnshaw Sr., Hindley became the master of the house.
Hindley returned to Wuthering Heights with his wife and did everything possible to make Heathcliff grow up wild, uneducated, and rude. One day, Catherine ends up at Skvortsov Manor, where she meets the Linton brother and sister, Edgar and Isabella. The girl was taught good manners, and she became friends with them. Heathcliff did not like the new friends, and especially Edgar. Linton was the complete opposite. But despite the fact that Edgar was in many ways superior in comparison, Catherine still loved her childhood friend. Nevertheless, the girl mocked her friend's ignorance.
Meanwhile, Hindley's wife Frances gives birth to his son, Hareton. But the birth was too difficult, and she died. Hindley was unable to recover from this blow and began to drink a lot, gradually becoming more and more a vicious and uncontrollable person. Edgar proposes to Catherine, and she agrees. But she admits to Nelly that she really loves Heathcliff, but he is poor, so she marries Linton. The young man hears this and, without saying a word to anyone, leaves Wuthering Heights.
Return of Heathcliff
In a summary of Wuthering Heights, it is difficult to convey all the drama and even some atmosphere of mysticism that permeates the continuation of Heathcliff’s story. Catherine had a severe nervous shock caused by the disappearance of her lover. But she marries Edgar Linton and is happy with him at Skvortsov Manor. Three years later, Heathcliff returns. Nobody knows where he was or how he got rich, but now he behaves like an educated person.
Catherine was overjoyed when she learned of his arrival. The man settled in Wuthering Heights, where Hindley and his son lived. Heathcliff became a frequent visitor to the Lintons, which Edgar did not like, but he indulged his wife’s whims. Meanwhile, Isabella falls in love with a guest.
Death of Catherine Earnshaw
Despite all Catherine's warnings, Isabella runs away with Heathcliff, who hopes that if they have a son, he will become the master of the Grange. He quarrels with Edgar, and the result of their quarrel is Catherine's nervous breakdown. Linton thinks that his wife is trying to pity him with cunning, but her condition is getting worse. Later it becomes known that she is pregnant.
Heathcliff learns from Nelly about Catherine's condition. He sneaks into the Grange. This meeting takes away the last of the woman’s strength. She gives birth to a daughter and dies after giving birth. For Heathcliff this was an irreparable loss, he is beside himself with grief. Meanwhile, Isabella runs away from him and gives birth to a son in London.
Linton Heathcliff and Cathy Linton
After some time, Hindley Earnshaw dies. He pledged all his property to Heathcliff, and he became the master of Wuthering Heights. He is raising little Hareton the same way he was once raised. Isabella dies and her son, Linton, is taken in by his brother.
Heathcliff takes his son to live with him. A few years later, Katie meets the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff tricks the girl into marrying his son. Edgar Linton dies without knowing that his daughter became the wife of the son of his sworn enemy. Soon Linton Heathcliff dies of illness, and his father becomes the owner of Skvortsov Manor.
A happy ending
Of course, a summary of Wuthering Heights cannot contain all the experiences of Cathy and Hareton, as well as Nellie Dean, whose story deserved a happy ending. Lockwood leaves the Grange, but returns some time later and is told the good news: Katie and Hareton are married. Heathcliff died mysteriously, and after that everyone in the house sighed calmly. So peace reigned in Wuthering Heights and Skvortsov Manor.
Public reaction to the novel
Emily Bronte created a work that was not immediately appreciated. Not everyone was able to appreciate her innovative approach, which was visible not only in such a dark design, but also in the narration, which was told from several people. Reviews of Wuthering Heights often note the tension in which the reader remains throughout the entire narrative.
Walter Pater, an art critic, wrote an essay about the novel in which he called it "the most romantic novel." This book was terrifying to some (the image of Heathcliff was indeed very sinister). And the writer Virginia Woolf considered this work not just a love story, but a much deeper creation. All reviews of Wuthering Heights are similar in that they consider it a masterpiece written in the style of romanticism.
Aphorisms from the novel
All fans of this love story immediately chose quotes from Wuthering Heights. These statements serve as proof of the feelings that Heathcliff and Catherine had for each other. But the peculiarity of these aphorisms is that it is difficult to highlight small phrases, because the characters often uttered long monologues full of feelings. Therefore, most often it is not simple sentences that are quoted, but long statements.
Film adaptations of Wuthering Heights
Of course, the writers and directors could not help but make a film based on this magnificent work. Therefore, it was filmed several times in the 20th century. Laurence Olivier starred as Heathcliff in 1939 and the film is still considered a classic.
The 1992 version is also very popular. And in the 2011 film, the main role is played by a black actor. Most often, writers and directors adapt a certain part.
Influence on popular culture
Outside of the film industry, Wuthering Heights has inspired musicians who have written and performed songs based on the novel's plot. Interest in the book increased significantly when the creator of the “Twilight” saga made the novel “Wuthering Heights” the favorite book of the main character. And one publishing house even released this book with a note that it is Bella’s favorite.
Also, according to a survey of television viewers on one British channel, Wuthering Heights was named the most important novel of all time. And in the list of the best books it ranks 12th. It is not surprising that such a mysterious, frightening and at the same time attractive novel inspires not only people of art, but also makes all readers empathize with the heroes. A summary of Wuthering Heights cannot convey the intensity of passions that is felt throughout the entire novel. Therefore, it is best to take the time to read this amazing book.
