Wuthering Heights Literary Log
Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Brontë
Main Characters
1. Heathcliff:
Heathcliff is introduced as a “dark-skinned gipsy” with black eyes and a “handsome
figure” (Brontë 3). Mr. Earnshaw found Heathcliff during his trip to Liverpool, saw the child as
“a gift of God” (30), and brought him to Wuthering Heights. Even though Mr. Earnshaw
considers Heathcliff a gift, many other characters do not like him. Nelly even goes as far as
saying, “how could he fashion to bring that gipsy brat into the house” (30) when Mr. Earnshaw
introduces Heathcliff to the rest of his family. Mr. Earnshaw compares Heathcliff to the devil
when discussing how dark his skin is, and it is essential to mention that Heathcliff is named after
“a son who died in childhood” (31) but is not given the family name.
Heathcliff is adventurous and always causes mischief while exploring with Catherine.
Though he never gives much thought to how other people feel, Heathcliff is very protective over
Catherine until she dies while married to Edgar Linton. Heathcliff’s relationship with Catherine
may be considered true love but is more of a dependent relationship than a loving one. He is
called “a monster, and not a human being” (134) by Isabella and lives for revenge and to destroy
the lives of people who once hurt him.
2. Catherine Earnshaw
, Catherine Earnshaw is first brought up when Lockwood spends the night in her room at
Wuthering Heights and reads her diary. One of her first sentences is, “H. and I are going to rebel”
(16), which shows her rebellious and adventurous side. Catherine takes a liking to Heathcliff
despite everyone else calling him dehumanizing things such as a creature and monster. As their
relationship develops, her personality shapes around their relationship, making her explosive and
rude. As Nelly said, she was a “wild, wicked slip … but [she] had the bonniest eye, the sweetest
smile, and the lightest foot in the parish.” Catherine is seen as a beauty throughout the novel, and
young Catherine or Cathy reflects that.
One of the exciting things about Catherine’s character is that she has two personalities.
She has the harsh and arrogant personality shaped by Heathcliff and a very classy ‘lady-like’
personality shaped by the Linton family. Once she gets bitten by their dog and taken in by the
Lintons, she returns to Wuthering Heights completely unrecognizable and does not even talk to
Heathcliff. This creates an awkward dynamic since she now has one personality around
Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights and an opposite personality around Edgar Linton and the
Grange. Furthermore, once Catherine returns from Thrushcross Grange with the Lintons, she is
told that she looks “like a lady now” (45) and that she is beautiful by Hindley. Catherine
continues to struggle with her identity throughout the rest of her lifetime, claiming that she
wishes she were at Wuthering Heights before she passes.
3. Catherine Linton/Young Catherine/Cathy
Young Catherine or Cathy is the child of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw. Her full
name is Catherine Linton but her father, Edgar Linton, refuses to call her by anything other than
Cathy. Nelly says that Cathy is “a real beauty in face, with the Earnshaws’ handsome dark eyes,
but the Lintons’ fair skin and small features, and yellow curling hair” (167), which shows her
, features from both her mother and father. Cathy is also an “apt scholar” (167) and takes after her
mother’s rebellious side in some situations.
Until age 13, Catherine is restricted from leaving Thrushcross Grange, making her
extremely curious about what lay outside. One day, she escaped and met Hareton at Wuthering
Heights while trying to reach Penistone Crags. Since Catherine has never been outside
Thrushcross Grange until this point, she is very judgemental towards the servants and calls
people dirty. This is also the turning point in her personality when she becomes more rebellious.
Once she knows what is outside Thrushcross Grange, she starts sneaking out to meet Linton at
Wuthering Heights, eventually leading to her demise.
4. Nelly Dean
Nelly Dean describes herself as “a steady, reasonable kind of body.” (54). She cares for
almost all the major characters in the book, including Hindley, Heathcliff, Catherine, Hareton,
Cathy, and Lockwood.
Nelly is the narrator of most of Wuthering Heights; as Nelly tells the story, she recalls
from memory situations that she may not have been present. Nelly’s bias makes most of the book
unreliable. Nelly is also telling the story in a way that favors Cathy to manipulate Lockwood into
pursuing Cathy romantically. Nelly admits that the only thing that can save Cathy from
Heathcliff is marriage. Nelly ends her story with, “I can see no remedy, at present, unless she
could marry again; and that scheme it does not come within my province to arrange.” (264),
which is her last attempt at manipulating Lockwood into saving Cathy.
5. Hindley Earnshaw
Hindley Earnshaw is the brother of Catherine Earnshaw, the father of Hareton Earnshaw,
and the husband of Frances. As a kid, Hindley is jealous of Heathcliff because Mr. Earnshaw
