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Wuthering Heights Summary (Part 2)
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One fine September evening
when Nelly is returning home from the garden, she
hears someone call out her name. At first she does not
recognize the stranger, a man with deep-set eyes and
black whiskers. Then she realizes with astonishment
that the stranger is none other than Heathcliff. He
desires to see Catherine and Nelly Dean obliges him.
Catherine is delighted to see her long lost companion
but her husband Edgar is not happy to see his wife
treat a servant like a family member. Heathcliff also
pays a visit to Wuthering Heights and joins Hindley in
a game of cards. Hindley looses some money to him and
seeing that Heathcliff has become a wealthy man asks
him to visit Wuthering Heights again. Heathcliff
offers Hindley a good sum of money if he will allow
him to lodge at Wuthering Heights and Hindley who is
in dire need of money, happily agrees. |
Linton's sister Isabella, who at one time despised
Heathcliff, now develops an irresistible attraction
towards him. Linton and Catherine try and explain to
her how Heathcliff is not a good match for her. But
she becomes irritable and blames Catherine for being
the chief factor in keeping them apart. At this
Catherine gets very upset and tries to explain to her
that in reality Heathcliff is a fierce, pitiless,
wolfish man. But Isabelle is not convinced and accuses
Catherine of being worse than 20 foes. At last tired
of her behavior, Catherine tells Heathcliff about
Isabelle love for him. On this Heathcliff expresses
his repulsion for her saying that she resembles Linton
too much for him to ever like her but adds that by
marrying her he could inherit The Linton wealth. On
which Catherine tells him that once she has children
they will be the heirs of her Estate and not Isabelle
and that he should give up his diabolic plan.
When Nelly next visits Wuthering Heights, she is
shocked to see that Hindley's son Hareton, has grown
into an ill-mannered boy who is taught by Heathcliff
to hate his father. Heathcliff now starts courting
Isabelle in secret but once Catherine gets to know of
this he is open about the fact that he means to take
revenge on Isabella and Edgar. Meanwhile Nelly tells
Edgar of this conversation and there is a
confrontation between the two. Heathcliff mocks him
and calls him a weakling and angers him so much that
Linton delivers him a strong blow and while Heathcliff
is recovering from the shock, goes to fetch his men
and have him thrown out of his house. But Heathcliff
manages to break down a door and leave the house. A
quarrel ensues between Catherine and Edgar regarding
this incident and Catherine locks herself away in her
room for many days. No one takes this seriously and
attributes it to her irritable and moody nature.
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Meanwhile Heathcliff elopes with Isabelle but she soon
realizes what a tyrant he is and writes Nelly a letter
telling her about all the ill treatment she is
receiving at Wuthering Heights. Catherine is
discovered to be very ill and Edgar nurses her day and
night. She gets delirious and thinks she is a child
and back at her beloved Wuthering Heights. When she is
on the verge of death, Heathcliff manages to see her
for the last time. He reproaches him for having
married Edgar and their mutual love for each other can
be seen in their last interview. Even when Edgar
enters the room she does not allow Heathcliff to leave
her.
Soon after Catherine gives birth to a baby girl and
dies. Isabelle manages to run away from Heathcliff and
soon after gives birth to his son. The baby girl is
also named Catherine after her mother and is fondly
called Cathy. She grows up to be a sweet and loving
child who dotes on her father. Hindley Earnshaw dies
within six months of his sister's death due to
excessive drinking. The years go by. When Cathy is
about twelve years old, they are informed of
Isabella's death and Edgar fetches her son Linton to
live with them. But Heathcliff comes to know of his
son and insists that Linton give him custody of the
boy since he is the father and finally Linton has to
comply with his wishes. Linton is also treated very
poorly at Wuthering Heights and ridiculed by
Heathcliff for being such a weakling. Catherine is
very fond of her cousin Linton but is not allowed to
visit him at Wuthering Heights. She starts writing him
secret letters and having the milkman deliver them.
But Nelly happens to discover them by chance and
Catherine is made to promise that she will never write
to him again.
Then one day by chance they happen to meet Heathcliff
who implores Catherine to visit Linton saying that he
is in need of love and affection. He convinces Nelly
and Catherine to come to Wuthering Heights and visit
Linton in secret. When they do so, Catherine is even
more convinced that Linton in spite of his ill temper
needs her. Shortly after, when Nelly Dean is ill and
confined indoors, she takes this opportunity to go and
visit him secretly every evening. However Nelly again
discovers this and Cathy's evening excursions are
promptly stopped. Soon after, Linton starts
corresponding with his uncle Edgar and implores him to
let him met Cathy at least once in a while. After many
months of such persuasions, Edgar finally agrees, but
on the condition that the meet within an area close to
Thrushcross Grange. Nelly accompanies
Cathy and they both see his failing health and the ill
treatment that he has been suffering at Wuthering
Heights and she promises to come again the coming
Thursday and visit him. But meanwhile her father falls
very ill and she is reluctant to leave his side but
still goes to see Linton as she has promised. Linton
looks very frightened and it is then that she realizes
that Linton only meets her because his father has
threatened him with dire consequences if he does not.
Meanwhile Heathcliff arrives and refuses to help walk
Linton home. Cathy escorts him to Wuthering Heights .
Heathcliff holds them prisoner at Wuthering Heights
and refuses to release them unless Cathy agrees to
marry Linton, which she says she will do happily as
she loves Linton but implores him to let her go and
meet her dying father first which request he denies
and locks her up in a room. Nelly Dean manages to
escape and returns to the Grange. Here she sees that
Edgar Linton is on his deathbed. She informs him of
Heathcliff's infernal plan to get Cathy and Linton
married so that he inherits all her property after the
death of Linton, who is very frail and apt to not live
long. Meanwhile Cathy returns home after she is
married to Linton, just in time to meet her father
before he dies.
After Edgar Linton's death, Heathcliff takes Cathy
away to live with Linton at Wuthering Heights. Soon
after Linton also takes ill and in spite of all her
loving care finally dies. She becomes very withdrawn
and sad for some time. Her other cousin Hareton, son
of Hindley, tries his best to befriend her but she
scorns him for his crude ways and illiteracy. Slowly
however they do become friends and she agrees to teach
him how to read and write. Heathcliff is much annoyed
by their growing friendship as he realizes that all
his efforts in destroying the two families have been
in vain and when Cathy marries Hareton, they will be
reunited once more. But this time he is past caring.
He looses interest in life, stops eating and walks
about alone. One morning he refuses to open the door
of his bedroom. A few days later Nelly sees one of his
bedroom windows open after a violent storm. She
happens to find a key, which fits the door of his room
and enters to find him lying dead and cold. He is
buried next to Cathy and Edgar as he had wished.
When Mr. Lockwood, the narrator, next visits Wuthering
Heights he is surprised to see how it has changed. He
also learns how Cathy and Hareton are to be married on
New Year's day. They are going to reside at
Thrushcross Grange and at long last the true heirs of
the two estates will be reinstated thus bringing a
happy end to this tragic tale.
Click here for part 1
of the summary of Wuthering Heights |
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