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We have a summary of a wonderful literary gem for you today!

Who Should Read “Wuthering Heights”? And Why?

“Wuthering Heights” is a story that follows the sad history of Heathcliff, an orphan who was given shelter, and Catherine, his savior’s daughter. They are soulmates, but it seems that they could never be together.

These limits do not only destroy them but everything around them as well.

I recommend this book to everyone! When you get to the last section, you will understand just how much I enjoyed reading it.

It is one of the best books I have had the opportunity to put on my reading shelf.

Emily Bronte Biography

Emily Bronte was a British writer, who has published only one novel during her lifetime: “Wuthering Heights.” But oh, what a novel it is!

She was the second eldest of three sisters (all of whom writers) and published under a masculine pen name: Ellis Bell.

Plot

As you open the covers of this book, you can immediately feel the breeze of darkness coming out of it. Even from the first lines, we get transported to the eerie world that the book’s first narrator tells us about.

His name is Lockwood, and he is a tenant of a man named Heathcliff. Deciding to visit his landlord, he goes to his house, which is a dark mirror of its master’s character.

As Lockwood meets with Heathcliff and his scary dog, we immediately judge his landlord as a person of ill and unsociable nature.

But how can a person become that way? How can he evidently hate people so much?

Well, that is what we are about to find out.

After his unsuccessful conversation with Heathcliff, Lockwood meets Nelly Dean, the servant of Thrushcross Grange. Knowing that something terrible must have happened to her master for him to become like that, he begs her to tell him his story.

And so, we meet the second narrator, and the main plotline of “Wuthering Heights” begins.

Mr. Earnshaw was the owner of Wuthering Heights. He was a good man, and one day, coming back from Liverpool, he brought home an orphan named Heathcliff.

Mr. Earnshaw has two other children: Hindley and Catherine, whom Heathcliff grows up with.

However, his childhood is not easy. Although he is not on the streets anymore and has a family, he is not welcomed by Mr. Earnshaw’s son, because he feels that he lost his father affection because of the boy.

On the other hand, his daughter, Catherine, really seems to like him.

This jealousy is expressed as a child’s play until the day that Mr. Earnshaw dies, and Hindley is left as the owner of the Heights. But it seems that for Heathcliff, Catherine’s affection is all that matters and all he needs, so no matter how much Hindley tries to destroy him, he does not budge and just plays with her.

But nothing lasts forever, and so their wild games end at one moment – the moment when Catherine meets the Lintons.

Catherine meets Edgar and Isabella Linton after she gets into an accident and they tend to her. They are a brother and sister living in Thrushcross Grange, and they seem to have a completely opposite character of that of Heathcliff and Catherine.

Wait. Thrushcross Grange? Did we not mention this place already?

Be patient. We will get there soon enough.

Catherine seems to like these people and starts spending time with them, thus paying less attention to Heathcliff. He is hurt and gets jealous.

Then, one day, he overhears Catherine telling Nelly that she could never marry Heathcliff. Deeply hurt, he leaves the Heights and does not come back for three years.

+During his absence, Catherine continues to spend time with Edgar and ends up marrying him. But, she can never feel the same connection she did with Heathcliff, as it is evident to her that they come from two different worlds.

To make matters more complicated, Heathcliff returns.

He is no longer the same person – now the only thing he cares about is hurting people. So, he decides to court and marries Edgar’s sister Isabella.  

He does not make her happy, but that was never his intention.

Soon after the marriage, Catherine gives birth to Cathy, her and Edgar’s daughter, and dies during the childbirth.

Heathcliff is torn apart. And so, having nothing else to lose, he decides to get revenge.

Heathcliff’s revenge is painful for everyone around him, but he does not care about it. He vows to control both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange and to destroy Linton by messing up everything that is dear to his heart.

In order to get this revenge, he plots and waits for 17 whole years.

However, finally he manages to get it – he marries his son to Edgar and Catherine’s daughter, and after Edgar dies gets hold of the Grange.

Happiness, yet, is not a guest that knocks on his door.

Wuthering Heights Epilogue

Although Heathcliff gets the revenge, he is thirsty for, he does not feel satisfied.

What he truly wants through all of that turmoil was to find a way to reconnect with Catherine.

Her ghost seems to be haunting him after her death.

At the end of the novel, he gets his wish – they are reunited in the afterlife.

After his death, all that is left behind are ruins and a ray of hope for Cathy and his son.

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“Wuthering Heights PDF Quotes”

Our Critical Review

I used to be obsessed with this book.

In fact, obEmilisessed is a mild word.

Written in beautiful, flowery language, it is a story that dives deep into the animalism of humankind. I was so smitten by the story that I read all the analysis of the characters and the plot through Freud’s and Jung’s lenses as well.

I recommend you do the same.

This is a novel that you will remember for a lifetime. The same goes for the last lines of it, which I consider to be one of the best ending sentences ever written.

In this section, you may have expected criticism, but all I have are recommendations.

Sorry, when it comes to this book I just cannot hold back: I just love, love, love it!

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.