Emily Bronte’s first and final book, Wuthering Heights, was released in 1847. She wrote this classic literary work a year before her passing. Further, she leaves behind a few collections of poetry and Wuthering Heights, her sole novel, from her brief 30-year existence. After Emily Bronte passed away, her sister Charlotte Bronte republished the book under Emily’s real name. Emily Bronte originally published her first book under the pen name Elis Belis. Today, let’s get deeper into Wuthering Heights summary, analysis, and theme. And to give you an overview and help you visualize the book summary mind map templates are provided.
Wuthering Heights Summary
Synopsis of Wuthering Heights
Hindley Earnshaw and Catherine Earnshaw are two siblings that live in England with their father. Up until their father returns from a business trip with the young black gypsy, they lived a typical life. He shows mercy on children and takes them home when he discovers them on the street. Despite Hindley never having met Heathcliff, Catherine has a deep admiration for him. Mr. Earnshaw also has an intriguing weakness toward Heathcliff.
After Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley becomes the master of the house and mistreats Heathcliff, who becomes a servant in the household. In the latter part of the Wuthering Heights summary chapter, many revelations unfold. Catherine marries Edgar Linton, but she remains conflicted about her feelings for Heathcliff. Meanwhile, Heathcliff becomes consumed by his desire for revenge against those who he has wronged him, including Hindley and Edgar.
For years, Heathcliff has shared Hindley’s home at Wuthering Heights. After Hindley passed away, he adopts her kid, Hareton, and raises him as recklessly as possible. While giving birth to her first child, Catherine passes away. The father, Edgar Linton, gives the young child her mother’s name because she resembles her very closely. He takes comfort in his daughter, Cathy, whom he raises in the best possible manner.
In addition to the highlights of the Wuthering Heights plot, Isabella passes just a few years after Catherine did. She contacts her brother just before she passes away and asks him to take care of her son. He is a niminy-piminy boy who is ill. Heathcliff, though, takes his kid away to Wuthering Heights. Edgar doesn’t say anything because he doesn’t want to raise trouble.
Wuthering Heights Characters
You may now get hooked on the book summary of this classic work of literature. With all the narrations and intense chapters, this deserves to be considered one of the greatest novels of all time. To give you a brief background, we have listed and made a mind map of the main characters. Furthermore, we have also put details on how each character gave life and meaning to the story. This could help you deeply understand the flow of the synopsis of wuthering heights with the familiarization of the characters.
Themes in Wuthering Heights
The novel is set in the moors of Yorkshire and tells the story of the passionate and destructive love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. On top of that, here are some key themes and analyses of the Wuthering Heights summary:
Class and Social Status
The impact of social class and status on relationships is one of the novel’s major themes. Heathcliff faces numerous challenges in his connections with Catherine and her family as a result of his poor social rank and illegitimacy. Due to his lack of social acceptance, he becomes increasingly resentful and angry, which motivates him to get revenge on those who have abused him.
Love and Obsession
The love between Heathcliff and Catherine is one of the most intense and passionate relationships depicted in literature. Their love, however, is also destructive and dangerous, as it leads them to hurt themselves and others. Catherine’s death and Heathcliff’s descent into madness demonstrate the destructive power of their love.
Revenge and Violence
Throughout the entire book, Heathcliff is driven by his desire for vengeance. He particularly wants to exact vengeance on the Earnshaw and Linton families for what they have done to him. Characters battle one another physically and even commit murder in the book, which also depicts the savage and violent nature of life on the moors.
Nature and the Supernatural
The natural landscape of the moors is a significant element of the novel and reflects the wild and untamed nature of the characters. The supernatural also plays a role, with Heathcliff often seeming to have almost supernatural powers and the ghosts of Catherine. Besides, Heathcliff haunts the characters as is forementioned in this synopsis of Wuthering Heights.
Gender and Power
The book examines the intricate relationships between male and female power in the nineteenth century. The social expectations imposed on Catherine and other female characters confine them and frequently give them little control over their own lives. On the other side, the male characters are able to show authority and control over the feminine characters.
Conclusion
Overall, Wuthering Heights is a complex and intense literary piece that explores a range of themes, including love, revenge, class, and power. The novel has a unique structure and the use of multiple narrators adds to the complexity of the story. Moreover, it allows a deeper exploration of the characters’ thoughts and motivations. We hope that you learned something from this Wuthering Heights summary and find our templates to visualize the whole story. For more upcoming book summaries and mind maps, do follow GitMind.
Leave a Comment