Plot Summary (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Plot summary
The frame narrative
The novel opens in late 1801 when a gentleman named Lockwood rents Thrushcross Grange, a manor house located in the isolated moorland of northern England. Shortly after his arrival, Lockwood meets his landlord, Heathcliff, who lives at Wuthering Heights, an ancient manor situated four miles away across the wild, windswept moors.
Curious about Heathcliff and the mysterious inhabitants of Wuthering Heights, Lockwood asks his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, to recount their history. Nelly agrees to tell the tale, and Lockwood records her narrative in his diary. This diary forms the primary structure of the novel, creating a story-within-a-story framework where Nelly's memories are filtered through Lockwood's perspective.
The novel's narrative structure is complex and layered. Lockwood serves as the outer frame narrator, recording Nelly Dean's memories in his diary. This creates a double filter through which the reader experiences the story, adding uncertainty and subjectivity to the events described.
Catherine and Heathcliff's childhood
Nelly begins her account by recalling her own youth as a servant at Wuthering Heights. The manor was then owned by Mr Earnshaw, who lived there with his two children: a son named Hindley and a daughter named Catherine. One day, Mr Earnshaw travels to Liverpool and returns with a dark-skinned orphan boy, whom he names Heathcliff and decides to raise alongside his own children.
Initially, both Earnshaw children reject the newcomer. Hindley particularly resents Heathcliff's presence. However, Catherine quickly develops a deep affection for him, and the pair become inseparable companions, spending their days roaming freely across the moorland. Following his wife's death, Mr Earnshaw increasingly favours Heathcliff over his own son. When Hindley's cruel treatment of Heathcliff continues, Mr Earnshaw sends Hindley away to college, allowing Heathcliff to remain at home.
Mr Earnshaw's favouritism towards Heathcliff over his own biological son Hindley sets in motion the cycle of revenge that will dominate the entire novel. This preferential treatment plants the seeds of Hindley's hatred and establishes the pattern of social displacement that becomes central to the plot.
Hindley's revenge and Catherine's transformation
Three years later, Mr Earnshaw dies. Hindley, now the master of Wuthering Heights, returns with his wife, Frances. He immediately seeks revenge against Heathcliff for the years of perceived favouritism. Heathcliff's status dramatically changes: once a pampered favourite, he is now reduced to the position of a common farm labourer, forced to work in the fields.
Despite this degradation, Heathcliff maintains his close bond with Catherine. One evening, the pair venture to Thrushcross Grange, home of the Linton family. They hope to tease Edgar and Isabella Linton, the well-bred but rather timid children who live there. During this visit, Catherine is bitten by a dog and must remain at the Grange for five weeks to recover. During this time, Mrs Linton works to transform Catherine into a refined young lady. When Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights, she has developed an infatuation with Edgar Linton, creating tension in her relationship with Heathcliff.
Catherine's transformation at Thrushcross Grange represents a crucial turning point. Her exposure to the refined, genteel world of the Lintons awakens her social ambitions and creates an internal conflict between her wild, passionate nature (symbolised by her bond with Heathcliff) and her desire for social respectability (represented by Edgar).
The triangle intensifies
When Frances dies after giving birth to a son named Hareton, Hindley descends into alcoholism and becomes even more abusive towards Heathcliff. Meanwhile, Catherine's desire for social advancement leads her to become engaged to Edgar Linton, despite her overwhelming love for Heathcliff. Unable to bear Catherine's betrayal, Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights and disappears for three years. He returns shortly after Catherine and Edgar's marriage in 1783.
Catherine's decision to marry Edgar despite loving Heathcliff is the novel's central tragedy. This choice—prioritising social status over passionate love—destroys multiple lives across two generations. It is the ultimate betrayal that fuels Heathcliff's desire for revenge.
Heathcliff's systematic revenge
Upon his return, Heathcliff appears mysteriously wealthy and immediately begins executing a calculated plan of revenge against all who have wronged him. He deliberately lends money to the alcoholic Hindley, knowing that Hindley will accumulate debts and fall deeper into despair. When Hindley eventually dies, Heathcliff inherits Wuthering Heights.
To secure his claim on Thrushcross Grange, Heathcliff marries Edgar's sister, Isabella Linton, whom he treats with extreme cruelty. The strain of these events causes Catherine to fall seriously ill. She gives birth to a daughter, also named Catherine (known as Cathy), before dying. Devastated, Heathcliff begs Catherine's spirit to haunt him rather than leave him entirely alone. Shortly afterwards, Isabella escapes to London, where she gives birth to Heathcliff's son, whom she names Linton after her own family. She keeps the boy with her in London.
Heathcliff's mysterious wealth upon his return is never fully explained in the novel. This ambiguity adds to his enigmatic character and has been the subject of much literary speculation. Some critics suggest he may have engaged in questionable business dealings or even criminal activity during his three-year absence.
The second generation
Thirteen years pass peacefully. Nelly Dean serves as nursemaid to young Cathy at Thrushcross Grange. Cathy inherits her mother's beauty and strong will, but her temperament is softened by her father Edgar's gentle influence. Raised in sheltered ignorance of Wuthering Heights, Cathy accidentally discovers the manor one day whilst exploring the moors. There she meets Hareton, Hindley's son, and plays with him.
Soon after this encounter, Isabella dies in London. Linton, now a teenager, comes to live with his father at Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff treats his own sickly, whining son even more cruelly than he treated Isabella.
The time jump of thirteen years introduces the second generation of characters and shifts the novel's focus. Young Cathy represents hope and innocence, raised in a protected environment by her loving father Edgar. Her sheltered upbringing contrasts sharply with the harsh realities at Wuthering Heights.
Cathy and Linton's doomed romance
Three years later, Cathy encounters Heathcliff on the moors and visits Wuthering Heights to meet Linton. The two young people begin a secret romance, communicating through letters. When Nelly discovers and destroys Cathy's collection of letters, the girl begins sneaking out at night to visit her frail young lover. Linton begs her to come and nurse him back to health.
However, it becomes clear that Linton is only pursuing Cathy because Heathcliff is forcing him to do so. Heathcliff's plan is simple: if Cathy marries Linton, Heathcliff will gain legal control of Thrushcross Grange, completing his revenge against Edgar Linton.
Linton is a victim of his father's manipulation, forced to woo Cathy as part of Heathcliff's revenge scheme. This demonstrates how Heathcliff's thirst for vengeance extends beyond those who wronged him directly—he is willing to use and destroy his own son to achieve his goals.
Heathcliff's final triumph
As Edgar Linton grows ill and approaches death, Heathcliff lures Nelly and Cathy to Wuthering Heights and holds them prisoner. He refuses to release them until Cathy marries Linton. Soon after the forced marriage, Edgar dies, followed quickly by the sickly Linton. Heathcliff now controls both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. He forces Cathy to remain at Wuthering Heights as a common servant whilst renting out Thrushcross Grange to Lockwood.
This moment represents the culmination of Heathcliff's revenge. By forcing Cathy to marry Linton, he gains legal control over both estates and reduces Catherine's daughter to the same degraded servant status he once suffered. The cycle of revenge appears complete.
The present day and resolution
This brings Nelly's narrative up to the present moment in 1801-1802. Lockwood, disturbed by what he has heard, ends his tenancy and returns to London. However, six months later, he visits Nelly again and learns how the story has continued.
Despite initially mocking Hareton's ignorance and illiteracy (Heathcliff had deliberately ended Hareton's education after Hindley's death as an act of revenge), Cathy gradually develops genuine affection for him. As they live together at Wuthering Heights, they fall in love. Meanwhile, Heathcliff becomes increasingly obsessed with the memory of the elder Catherine. He begins speaking to her ghost, and everything he sees reminds him of her. Shortly after spending a night walking on the moors, Heathcliff dies.
Hareton and Cathy inherit both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. They plan to marry on New Year's Day 1803. After hearing the conclusion of the story, Lockwood visits the graves of Catherine and Heathcliff.
The novel's ending suggests redemption and healing through the love of the second generation. Unlike their parents, Cathy and Hareton's relationship is built on genuine affection, mutual respect, and gradual understanding. Their union will reunite the two estates not through revenge and manipulation, but through love—offering hope that the cycle of violence can be broken.
Understanding the chronology
The novel's events are not presented in chronological order. The story is told through flashbacks recorded in diary entries, with Lockwood's narrative framing Nelly's memories. However, Emily Brontë carefully designed a detailed chronology for the novel. Here are the key dates:
- 1500: The stone above Wuthering Heights' front door is inscribed with Hareton Earnshaw's name, possibly marking the house's completion
- 1758: Nelly Dean is born
- c.1761: Heathcliff and Catherine are born
- c.1767: Mr Earnshaw brings Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights
- 1774: Hindley is sent away to college
- 1777: Mr Earnshaw dies; Hindley and Frances take possession of Wuthering Heights; Catherine first visits Thrushcross Grange at Christmas
- 1778: Hareton is born in June; Frances dies; Hindley begins drinking heavily
- 1780: Catherine becomes engaged to Edgar Linton; Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights
- 1783: Catherine and Edgar marry; Heathcliff arrives at Thrushcross Grange in September
- 1784: Heathcliff and Isabella elope; Catherine falls ill with brain fever; Cathy is born; Catherine dies
- 1785: Isabella flees to London; Linton is born; Hindley dies; Heathcliff inherits Wuthering Heights
- c.1797: Young Cathy meets Hareton and visits Wuthering Heights for the first time; Linton arrives from London after Isabella's death
- 1800: Cathy conducts her secret romance with Linton during winter
- 1801: Cathy is imprisoned and forced to marry Linton; Edgar dies; Linton dies; Heathcliff assumes control of both properties
- 1801-1802: Nelly narrates her story to Lockwood during winter
- 1802: Lockwood returns to London in spring; Cathy and Hareton fall in love; Heathcliff dies; Lockwood returns in September to hear the story's conclusion
- 1803: Cathy and Hareton plan to marry on New Year's Day
Understanding the chronology is crucial for following the complex relationships and motivations in Wuthering Heights. The novel spans approximately 40 years across two generations, but Brontë deliberately presents events out of sequence through the frame narrative structure. This non-linear storytelling creates suspense and mirrors the way memory works—events from the past constantly intrude upon and influence the present.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
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The novel uses a frame narrative structure: Lockwood records Nelly's memories in his diary, creating a story-within-a-story that spans two generations.
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The plot centres on Heathcliff's systematic revenge after being degraded by Hindley and losing Catherine to Edgar Linton. His revenge extends to the next generation.
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Two parallel love stories structure the narrative: the tragic, destructive passion between Catherine and Heathcliff contrasts with the redemptive, healing love between young Cathy and Hareton.
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The story spans roughly 40 years (from the 1760s to 1803), though the events are not narrated chronologically. Understanding the timeline helps clarify the complex relationships.
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The novel ends with hope and restoration: unlike the first generation's tragedy, the second generation (Cathy and Hareton) will unite the two estates through love rather than revenge, suggesting the possibility of healing and reconciliation.