Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Summary

 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Summary
Text From Majharul Islam

Emily Bronte was born in 1818. Wuthering has been written by Emily Bronte. It is the story of two families …… the Earnshaw family and the Linton family. The Earnshaw family lives at Wuthering Heights. Hindley and Catherine are two children of Mr. And Mrs. Earnshaw. The Linton family leaves at Thrushcross Grange. Edger and Isabella are two children of Mr. and Mrs. Linton. Mr. Earnshaw picks up an unknown, dirty, and raged child from slum and brings him home to Wuthering Heights to be brought up there. This child is given the name of Heathcliff. Cathy daughter of Mr. Earnshaw rapidly becomes intimate with Heathcliff. But Hindley, brother of Cathy, cruelly treats Heathcliff. When he has been brutally treated by Handley, he says,

``I am trying to settle how I shall pay Hendley back. I don't care

How long I wait. If I can only do it at last. I hope he will not die before I do

Heathcliff begins to think in terms of revenge upon his tormentor. Cathy becomes quite intimate with the Linton Children, Edgar and Isabella. By the time Mr. Earnshaw dies, Henley has already got married to a girl called Frances. Soon afterward Frances gives birth to a child, which is given the name of her Heaton. Hindley gets into the habit of drinking

Edger proposes marriage to Cathy. Cathy the proposal. Although Cathy is really in love with Heathcliff, she tells the housekeeper Nelly that it would be socially degrading for her to marry him and that she has accepted the marriage proposal of Edger.

``My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries

My great thought in living is himself.``

Heathcliff overhears a part of this conversation between Cathy and Nelly, and he leaves wuthering heights and disappears. This statement which Cathy makes with regard to her feelings for  Edger and for Heathcliff very important. The following statement is particularly noteworthy:

``My love for the Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time Will change it,

 I am well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath. He’s always, always in my mind.``

Three years later, Edger and Cathy get married, and a few months afterward Heathcliff suddenly reappears at Wuthering Heights. There is a change in Heathcliff's appearance and manners now. He looks almost handsome and dignified. Besides, he is now a rich man though it is not clear how he has become rich. Cathy is overjoyed to see him. Isabella, the sister of Edgar, falls in love with Heathcliff. But Edger can't tolerate the presence of Heathcliff in his house because he regards Heathcliff as a scoundrel. Two months later, Heathcliff and Isabella get married and settle at Wuthering Heights. Hindley welcomes Heathcliff as he guest because Heathcliff contributes money for his drinking and gambling habits. Heathcliff lends loan to Hindley. Heathcliff has not married Isabella for love. He has married her to get her property. He, therefore, begins to ill-treat Isabella and to insult her at the same time, so that Isabella begins to look upon him almost as a monster. Heathcliff now appears to be a real monster, a devil. Isabella says about him:

``Don't put faith in a single word he speaks. He is a lying fiend, a monster, And not a human being``

Isabella is unable to accept the continuing brutal treatment of Heathcliff. She flees from wuthering Hights and gives birth to a child, which is given name Linton. Isabella dies and an Edger takes the charge of Linton. Cathy has been ill for a long time. Heathcliff pays a secret visit to the ailing Cathy. There is a passionate scene between the two. That very night Cathy dies, after giving birth to a baby girl who is given the same name, Catherine. Heathcliff’s grief is Indescribable. He believes that it cannot live without Cathy. Cathy shows her deep love for Heathcliff.

``He’s more myself than I am whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.``

Hindley now becomes a puppet in the hand of Heathcliff. Gradually Heathcliff captures his all assets. After the death of Hindley, Heathcliff becomes the owner of Hindley’s assets. So he has now become the master of Wuthering Heights. Hindley's son - Hareton has grown up under the guardianship of Heathcliff. Hareton is turn misguided by Heathcliff. Heron receives no education. Even he develops different types of bad habits. Heathcliff has brought up the boy in this manner in order to take his revenge upon Handley who used to maltreat him when Heathcliff himself was a child.

Heathcliff learns that his son has been brought to the Grange. Heathcliff does not love his son, but he has a plan in his mind by which he hopes to acquire the inter propriety of Thrushcross Grange. Linton and Catherine get married. But Edger cannot allow his daughter Catherine to visit Wuthering Heights where Linton lives because Edger is sure Heathcliff is as a scoundrel.

Catherine manages to escape from Wuthering Heights and raches the Grange just in time to see her father who is on his death-bed. Soon after Edger funeral, Heathcliff arrives at Grange and declared himself to be the owner of this estate also because, with the death of Edger, the property belongs to Catherine and therefore to Linton, Heathcliff’s son. Young Linton dice prematurely.

About 12 years pass, Catherine, the daughter of Edgar and the deed Cathy is now grown up. on the other hand, Linton, the son of Isabella and Heathcliff is now grown up. Edger daughter Catherine is now that widow of Heathcliff's own son, and Catherine too is under his complete control. We see young Catherine's disobedient attitude towards Heathcliff. Even though she has to carry out his orders, she does so in a disobedient manner.

``Mr. Heathcliff, you have nobody to love you; and, however miserable you make us…..

Lonely like the devil-nobody will cry for you when you die. I wouldn't be you.``

 Now Hindley’s son, Hareton, the very bad boy begins to feel interested in Catherine. He tries to win Catherine's favor, but she declares her abhorrence for him. She says:

``I reject any pretense of kindness you have the hypocrisy to offer.

I despise you, and we'll have nothing to say to any of you.``

Heathcliff's revenge upon the two families is almost complete, but not really complete. He has become the master of both estates wuthering Heights and Thruscross Grange. Handley’s son, Hareton has been brought up as a brute and is under the complete domination of Heathcliff. Heathcliff's brutal nature is emphasized. After Hindley’s death, Heathcliff lifts Hindley’s son Hareton on to the table and says:

``Now, my bonny lad, you are mine! And we will see if one tree won't grow as crooked as another with the same wind to twist it.``

Heathcliff is now obsessed with one thought, the thought of Cathy whom he had loved and lost. He tells me, Nelly, for the last 18 years memories of Cathy have tormented him. It has been a long fight, he says and he now wants that the fight should end. It is obvious that Heathcliff's conscience has begun to trouble him and that he cannot longer continue his savage cruelty. His thoughts now turn inwards, and he sees only Cathy's image in every object. He begins to talk of his death and he gives the necessary instructions to Nelly for his brutal. He has already arranged with the sexton that his dead body should be buried close that of Cathy. Heathcliff is then buried in accordance with his instructions. Hareton is the only person who really suffers deeply and who weeps bitterly to have lost his benefactor. Afterward, different people claim that they have seen Heathcliff ghost roaming about on the Moors. Some even say that they have seen two ghosts ----- Heathcliff’s and Cathy's--- roaming about together. Thus, if the love of Heathcliff's and Cathy's could not be fulfilled during their life-time, It is fulfilled after their deaths. Not only do their bodies lie close to each other, but their spirits also move about together Catherine and Hareton, who had been getting closer to each other, now decide to get married. We see the happy ending of the noble.