Chapter List, Famous Scenes
and list of narrators

Prologue

Chapter 1:(I) A Visit to Wuthering Heights

1801. Mr Lockwood visits Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights who is leasing him Thrushcross Grange. He describes Heathcliff and the sitting room of the the Heights, and briefly has an altercation with the dogs before returning to the Grange.

Chapter 2:(II) A Singular Family

Lockwood returns to Wuthering Heights the next day. He encounters the rest of Heathcliff's family ― sullen Cathy and rough Hareton. The weather turns bad and, after being injured by the dogs, Lockwood is forced to remain at the Heights overnight.

Chapter 3:(III) The Ghost at the Window

Lockwood is shown to a room to sleep which used to belong to Cathy's mother, Catherine. He has a restless night and is apparently woken by a tree branch tapping on the window. As he reaches out to stop it, his wrist is grasped by a cold hand, the ghost of Catherine. He wakes and rouses Heathcliff. Unable to sleep, he moves downstairs until Heathcliff escorts him back to Thrushcross Grange.

The Childhood of Heathcliff

Chapter 4:(IV) Arrival of a Foundling

In Thrushcross Grange, Ellen begins to tell Lockwood of the story of Heathcliff. She explains how he was brought to Wuthering Heights as a child and spread discord among the Earnshaw family.

Chapter 5:(V) The Death of Mr Earnshaw

Mr Earnshaw sends Hindley off to college. Several years later, he goes into decline and dies.

Chapter 6:(VI) New Acquaintances

Hindley returns to Wuthering Heights with a new wife. Catherine and Heathcliff grow more rebellious and wild. They sneak into Thrushcross Grange and Catherine is injured by their dogs.

Chapter 7:(VII) Catherine Becomes a Lady

Catherine returns to Wuthering Heights having been taught to look and act like a lady at Thrushcross Grange. She acts aloof from Heathcliff who briefly tries to smarten himself up to impress her but fails, throwing apple sauce over Edgar.

Chapter 8:(VIII) The Disintegration of the Earnshaws

Hareton is born to Hindley and Frances but the latter soon dies of tuberculosis, causing Hindley to gradually fall apart. Catherine continues her friendship with Edgar, moving further from Heathcliff and closer to Edgar.

Chapter 9:(IX) The Disappearance of Heathcliff

In a drunken state, Hindley returns and drops Hareton from the landing; the child is saved by Heathcliff. Catherine talks with Ellen and reveals that she has accepted an offer of marriage from Edgar. She says that she couldn't marry Heathcliff because he is too poor and rough but that, really, her heart belongs to him. He overhears the first part of this but not the second and runs away from Wuthering Heights. Catherine goes on to marry Edgar and Ellen leaves with her as her maid.

Chapter 10:(X) Mr Heathcliff Returns

Three years after Heathcliff's departure, six months after the marriage, Heathcliff arrives at Thrushcross Grange, now improved in physique and manner. He is staying with Hindley at Wuthering Heights and taking advantage of his alcoholism and gambling. Isabella falls in love with Heathcliff and is teased by Catherine.

Chapter 11:(XI) "The Milk-Blooded Coward"

Ellen walks to Wuthering Heights to see Hindley but she meets Hareton at the gate who has become coarse and foul-mouthed under Heathcliff's tutorage. Heathcliff goes to Thrushcross Grange to see Catherine and Isabella, and clashes with Edgar.

Chapter 12:(XII) Delirium

Catherine falls ill from fever and delirium, and Ellen gets into trouble for not telling Edgar. With their minds occupied by this, they are unaware that Isabella has eloped with Heathcliff.

Chapter 13:(XIII) Isabella Learns Her Fate

Under Edgar's care, Catherine recovers from her fever. Ellen receives a letter from Isabella describing her arrival at Wuthering Heights and the poor treatment she received there. She writes how she wishes to hear from her brother.

Chapter 14:(XIV) The Mediator

Ellen visits Wuthering Heights with the news that Edgar no longer wants any communication with Isabella or Heathcliff. Heathcliff wants to see Catherine again and refuses to let Ellen leave until she agrees to act as mediator.

Chapter 15:(XV) The Final Meeting

While Edgar is absent, Heathcliff arrives at Thrushcross Grange for a final meeting with Cathy. Edgar returns but, with Cathy very ill, he is more concerned with her than his enemy.

Chapter 16:(XVI) Life and Death

Cathy is born and her mother dies soon after. Heathcliff makes one last visit to see her body before she is buried.

Chapter 17:(XVII) The Master of Wuthering Heights

Isabella arrives at Thrushcross Grange, having fled from Heathcliff. She eventually moves south near London where she gives birth to Linton. Six months after Catherine's death, Hindley dies as well and Heathcliff becomes master of Wuthering Heights.

The Maturity of Heathcliff

Chapter 18:(XVIII) The Explorer

Cathy grows up in isolation at Thrushcross Grange. With Isabella dying, Edgar travels to London to pick up Linton. While he is away, Cathy goes exploring on the moor and meets Hareton at Wuthering Heights.

Chapter 19:(XIX) A Sickly Child

Edgar arrives back at Thrushcross Grange with Linton. Before the day is out, Joseph arrives with orders to take the child to Wuthering Heights immediately but Edgar puts him off until the morning.

Chapter 20:(XX) Father and Son

The next day, Ellen takes Linton up to Wuthering Heights. Although Heathcliff despises the child, he assures Ellen that he will look after him as he has plans for him.

Chapter 21:(XXI) Young Love

On her sixteenth birthday, Catherine goes with Ellen onto the moor and meets Heathcliff to takes her back to Wuthering Heights to meet Hareton. She is prohibited by her father from seeing either of them again but keeps up a clandestine relationship via mail. Ellen finds out and burns the letters, forcing Catherine to promise to end the relationship.

Chapter 22:(XXII) An Invitation from Heathcliff

A few months later, Catherine and Ellen are walking around the grounds when they encounter Heathcliff on the boundary road. He explains that Linton is ill and believes that Catherine deliberately stopped writing. Heathcliff notes that he will be away for a week and she could visit in the meantime. Reluctantly, Ellen agrees to accompany her to Wuthering Heights the next day.

Chapter 23:(XXIII) The Wiles of Linton

At Wuthering Heights, they find Linton who quarrels with Cathy. He feigns illness and she is fooled into sympathy for him. They return home where Ellen is confined to bed with illness for a few weeks. While there, Cathy continues to visit Linton.

Chapter 24:(XXIV) Deeper In

Ellen learns of Cathy's secret visits to Wuthering Heights to see Linton. The former reveals the information to Edgar who prohibits Cathy from visiting the Heights again (although he allows Linton to visit Thrushcross Grange).

Chapter 25:(XXV) Mr Linton Considers the Future

As Edgar begins to decline and fear for the future, he reconsiders his opposition to Linton and comes to believe that a marriage between him and Cathy may be the best option so that she will not be left without an inheritance.

Chapter 26:(XXVI) An Ominous Meeting

Some months later, Edgar allows Cathy to meet Linton again (but not at Wuthering Heights). Linton is visibly more ill and hardly has the energy to meet her. He makes her promise to return the next week.

Chapter 27:(XXVII) Prisoners

With Edgar dying, Ellen and Cathy make their way onto the moor to see Linton. He is there but very frightened. Heathcliff arrives and persuades everyone to go into Wuthering Heights. Once there, he locks them in and says that they will remain prisoners until Cathy and Linton are married.

Chapter 28:(XXVIII) The Last of the Lintons

Ellen is set free and returns to Thrushcross Grange after failing to free Cathy. Edgar is on the point of death. She vows to get Cathy freed but, fortunately, the girl arrives after being let out by Linton. She spends a last few moments with her father before he dies and Heathcliff takes control of the Grange.

Chapter 29:(XXIX) Heathcliff Triumphant

Heathcliff arrives at Thrushcross Grange to escort Cathy to Wuthering Heights while Ellen must stay. While Cathy is preparing, he tells Ellen of how he has been tormented by Catherine for the last eighteen years.

Chapter 30:(XXX) Catherine Alone

Heathcliff does not allow Linton any medical help and he dies. Later on, Hareton tries to start a friendship with Cathy but, because of his previous neglect, remains aloof.

Chapter 31:(XXXI) Mr Lockwood Takes His Leave

Deciding to stay no longer in Yorkshire, Lockwood rides to Wuthering Heights to tell Heathcliff. He sees Cathy and Hareton in argument over books and the latter's attempts to improve his education.

Epilogue

Chapter 32:(XXXII) Many Changes

The next autumn, Lockwood visits Thrushcross Grange on a trip north. He finds Ellen has moved to Wuthering Heights. When he arrives there, he finds that Hareton and Cathy are in love and Heathcliff has been dead three months. Ellen explains how Cathy gradually broke down Hareton's resistance by offering to teach him to read.

Chapter 33:(XXXIII) The Haunted Soul

Cathy persuades Hareton to dig up some of Joseph's fruit bushes to make a garden. When Heathcliff finds out though, his expected outburst is muted. He is strangely quiet and tells Ellen that he feels a change coming on, that he is haunted by Catherine everywhere.

Chapter 34:(XXXIV) Unions

Heathcliff grows worse, roaming the moors and neither eating nor sleeping. He sees Catherine everywhere he looks but is strangely happy. Eventually he is found dead in Catherine's room and is buried alongside her. Lockwood leaves with Hareton and Cathy planning to marry and move to Thrushcross Grange.

Top of Page

Famous Scenes

The right hand column indicates roughly where in the chapter the scene begins, useful if you have a printed copy. The page icon in the left column will take you directly to it in the online version.

	Catherine's ghost	Catherine's ghost appears at a window and begs to be let in	Ch 3, halfway
	Heathcliff's arrival	Heathcliff's first appearance as a child, brought from Liverpool by Mr Earnshaw.	Ch 4, halfway
	Catherine and Heathcliff at Thrushcross Grange	Catherine and Heathcliff visit Thrushcross Grange for the first time and Catherine remains there.	Ch 6, halfway
	Heathcliff runs away	Catherine accepts Edgar's proposal and pours out her heart to Ellen. Heathcliff overhears and runs away from Wuthering Heights.	Ch 9, one quarter
	Heathcliff returns	Heathcliff returns after three years away.	Ch 10, one quarter
	Edgar and Heathcliff fight	Edgar finds Heathcliff at Thrushcross Grange and they briefly fight.	Ch 11, halfway
	Catherine in delirium	Catherine tears her pillow apart in delirium and then wishes to be back at Wuthering Heights.	Ch 12, one quarter
	The final meeting	Heathcliff meets Catherine for the final time before she dies.	Ch 15, one third
	Catherine's death	Catherine dies and her daughter is born.	Ch 16, beginning
	Heathcliff visits Catherine's body	Heathcliff visits Catherine's body before the funeral and intertwines his hair with hers in a locket.	Ch 16, end
	The clash at Wuthering Heights	Heathcliff fights with Hindley, and Isabella flees.	Ch 17, one third
	Meeting on the road	Cathy meets Heathcliff on the road at the edge of the park.	Ch 22, two thirds
	Cathy held captive	Cathy and Ellen are held captive by Heathcliff where the former tries to take the key from his hand.	Ch 27, halfway
	Heathcliff removes the side of Catherine's coffin	Before Edgar's funeral, Heathcliff pays the sexton to uncover Catherine's grave where he removes the side of her coffin.	Ch 29, halfway
	Heathcliff digs up Catherine's coffin	Heathcliff digs down to Catherine's coffin to embrace her body but, note, he doesn't actually reach her.	Ch 29, two thirds
	Cathy and Hareton become friends	Cathy decides that she wants to be friends with Hareton and he accepts a book as a gift.	Ch 32, two thirds
	Death of Heathcliff	Heathcliff is found dead in his chamber.	Ch 34, two thirds
	Heathcliff and Catherine as ghosts	A shepherd boy sees Heathcliff and 'a woman' as ghosts.	Ch 34, near the end

Top of Page

List of Narrators

To help you understand the multiple narrators in Wuthering Heights,
here is a list of who is talking and when. Names in (brackets) indicate minor narration.