Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte Chapter Summary Chp 1

Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte Chapter Summary (Chp 1 to Chp 10)

Chapter 1: * Takes place in England in 1801. * The novel starts with Lockwood talking about his first visit to Mr. Heathcliff’s house: ‘‘I have just returned from a visit to my landlord - the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful country! In all England, ’’ (WH, 2) * Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliff’s dwelling. 'Wuthering' being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. ’’ (WH, 3) * Lockwood provides a detailed description of the house, the house has gothic-looking details. * Lockwood can tell Heathcliff doesn't want him around, but that's not going to stop him.

Chapter 2: * Lockwood plans to walk to Wuthering Heights, arriving just as a light snow begins to fall. * When Lockwood gets into the house Joseph, a servant, informs him that Heathcliff is not in the house. * A young man comes to let him in, and Lockwood goes into a sitting room where he finds a beautiful girl seated beside a fire. Lockwood assumes she is Heathcliff’s wife. * When Heathcliff arrives, he corrects Lockwood: the young woman is his daughter-in-law. * Lockwood then assumes that the young man who let him in must be Heathcliff’s son. * Heathcliff corrects him again. * The young man, Hareton Earnshaw, is not his son, and the girl is the widow of Heathcliff’s dead son.

* When Lockwood is ready to leave, he is forced to ask for a guide back to Thrushcross Grange because of a snowy storm. * No one helps him. He takes a lantern and says that he will find his own way, promising to return with the lantern in the morning. * Joseph, seeing him make his way through the snow, assumes that he is stealing the lantern, and looses the dogs on him. * Pinned down by the dogs, Lockwood grows furious, and begins cursing the inhabitants of the house. * Lockwood is forced to stay at Wuthering Heights. The housekeeper, Zillah, leads him to bed.

Chapter 3: * Zillah leads Lockwood to a room: ‘‘she recommended that I should hide the candle, and not make a noise; for her master had an odd notion about the chamber she would put me in, and never let anybody lodge there willingly. I asked the reason. She did not know, she answered: she had only lived there a year or two; and they had so many queer goings on, she could not begin to be curious. ’’ (WH, 19) * He notices that there are three names inscribed there repeatedly: Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Linton, and Catherine Heathcliff. ‘‘This writing, however, was nothing but a name repeated in all kinds of characters, large and small - CATHERINE EARNSHAW, here and there varied to CATHERINE HEATHCLIFF, and then again to CATHERINE LINTON. ’’ (WH, 19). * He also finds a diary written approximately twenty-five years earlier. * Apparently the diary belonged to Catherine Earnshaw, and Lockwood reads an entry that describes a day at Wuthering Heights shortly after her father died, during which her cruel older brother Hindley forces her and Heathcliff to endure Joseph’s sermons. ‘‘Heathcliff, myself, and the unhappy ploughboy were commanded to take our prayer-books, and mount: we were ranged in a row, on a sack of corn, groaning and shivering, and hoping that Joseph would shiver too, so that he might give us a short homily for his own sake. ’’ (WH, 20)

* Catherine and Heathcliff seem to have been very close, and Hindley seems to have hated Heathcliff. * Lockwood falls asleep and enters into a pair of nightmares. * But the books begin to fall, and he cries out in terror. Heathcliff rushes into the room, and Lockwood cries out that the room is haunted. * Heathcliff curses him, but, as Lockwood flees from the room, Heathcliff cries out to Catherine, begging her to return. ‘‘He got on to the bed, and wrenched open the lattice, bursting, as he pulled at it, into an uncontrollable passion of tears. 'Come in! come in!' he sobbed. 'Cathy, do come. Oh, do ONCE more! Oh! my heart's darling! hear me THIS time, Catherine, at last!'’’ (WH, 28) * He later escorts Lockwood home, where the servants, who believed their master dead in the storm, receive him with joy.

Chapter 4: * Lockwood feels lonely. ‘‘I had lighted on a spot where it was next to impracticable - I, weak wretch, after maintaining till dusk a struggle with low spirits and solitude, was finally compelled to strike my colours’’ (WH, 33) * Lockwood wants to know more about Heathcliff from Nelly Dean. * Mrs. Deans informs Lockwood about Ernshaw’s family. * She explains that the young woman he met at Wuthering Heights is named Cathy, and is the daughter of Catherine Earnshaw and the previous tenant of Thrushcross Grange, Edgar Linton. * The point of view shifts from Lockwood to Nelly. * Mr. Earnshaw, the former master of Wuthering Heights, returned from a business trip to Liverpool with Heathcliff, an orphan boy he'd found on the street. * Hindley was jealous of his father’s affection for Heathcliff. * Mrs. Earnshaw, Earnshaw's wife, took Hindley's side against Heathcliff, but she died just two years after Heathcliff arrived.

Chapter 5: * After a time, Mr. Earnshaw’s health deteriorates, and he becomes even less accepting of Hindley’s behavior toward Heathcliff. * He sends Hindley away to college, allowing Catherine and Heathcliff to grow closer. * As Mr. Heathcliff nears death, he becomes interested in Joseph’s harsh and rigid religious beliefs. * Catherine goes on adventures with Heathcliff. Though she teases her father about this, she loves him deeply and is the one holding him when he dies. * On the stormy night of Mr. Earnshaw’s death, Catherine and Heathcliff support each other.

Chapter 6 * Hindley returns for his father's funeral. He brings with him his wife, Francis. * After his father’s death, Hindley is the master of Wuthering Heights. * Heathcliff and Catherine escape to go play on the moors. * One day, Heathcliff and Catherine don't return from one of their adventures. * Heathcliff comes back alone. He tells Nelly that he and Catherine had been at Thrushcross Grange. * As Heathcliff and Catherine tried to escape, the Linton's dog caught them and bit Catherine's foot. * When the Lintons realized that Catherine is from Wuthering Heights, they bring her inside and insist that Catherine stay with them while she heals. * But they are shocked at Heathcliff’s rough clothes and language and refuse to let him stay with Catherine. * Hindley blames Heathcliff and says that Heathcliff may no longer see or talk to Catherine.

Chapter 7: * Catherine stays at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks. Mrs. Linton spends the time teaching her how to be a lady. * Edgar and Isabella come to Wuthering Heights for Christmas. * Heathcliff allows Nelly to make him presentable, but it turns out that Mrs. Linton allowed her children to come only on the condition that they be kept away from Heathcliff. * Catherine thinks that both Edgar and Hindley mistreated Heathcliff, and after dinner she slips away from the others to visit Heathcliff. * Heathcliff tells Nelly that he’s going to get revenge against Edgar. * Nelly then breaks into her story to say that it is late and she must sleep. * Lockwood insists that she continues the story.

Chapter 8: * The following summer, Frances gives birth to a son, Hareton Earnshaw. * Frances dies a week later. * Hindely is devastated. He hands the baby over to Nelly to care for. * He turns to alcohol for comfort, and takes out his grief on the servants. * Catherine remains in touch with the Lintons. When she's with them she acts like proper lady. But when with Heathcliff she acts just as she used to. * One day Heathcliff plans to spend the day with Catherine admits that she’s invited Edgar and Isabella to come visit. * Heathcliff comments on how much time Catherine has been spending with the Lintons. * Catherine and Edgar professed their love for each other.

Chapter 9: * As Heathcliff listens, Catherine tells Nelly that she has accepted Edgar’s proposal of marriage. * Catherine says that she cannot marry Heathcliff because Hindley has so degraded Heathcliff that marrying him would be like degrading herself. *Heathcliff leaves and therefore doesn’t hear Catherine say that, though she must marry Edgar, she loves Heathcliff more than anything and that nothing could interfere in their relationship, not even marrying Edgar, because she and Heathcliff are, essentially, the same person. * Heathcliff runs away from Wuthering Heights. * Catherine discovers his absence and searches for him all night in the rain, catching a fever in the process. * The Lintons nurse Catherine through the fever at Thrushcross Grange. * Mr. and Mrs. Linton themselves come down with the sickness and die. * Three years later, Edgar and Catherine get married. * Nelly leaves Hareton with Hindley and Joseph at Wuthering Heights and moves to Thrushcross Grange.

Chapter 10: * Lockwood falls ill for four weeks. * Heathcliff visits him once during this time, after which Lockwood asks Nelly to tell him how Heathcliff made his fortune. Nelly doesn't know how Heathcliff made his money, but continues with her story. * For about six months after Catherine’s wedding, everything is peaceful at Thrushcross Grange. * Heathcliff appears at the Grange. Catherine is excited. Edgar is less pleased. * Heathcliff returns to take revenge but Catherine's joy at seeing him has changed his mind. * Heathcliff tells Nelly that he is staying at Wuthering Heights at Hindley's invitation. * Nelly advises Catherine to hide her feelings for Heathcliff and treasure her husband's love. * Hindley invited Heathcliff to stay. Heathcliff insisted on paying for the lodging. * In the following days, Catherine and Isabella often visit Wuthering Heights, and Heathcliff regularly comes to the Grange. * Isabella confesses her passions towards Heathcliff to Catherine, who warns her to stay away from him. * Heathcliff notes that Isabella must be Edgar’s heir. * Nelly thinks Heathcliff is plotting something.