Wuthering Heights Chapter 25 - 34
Catherine bore her father’s command, and he, in turn, began to worsen in health. All of the winter passed, and spring waned, but Edgar’s health yet continued to grow worse. He wrote again to Linton to invite him to the Grange and received a reply that Heathcliff had forbidden him to enter Grange. Linton pleaded that the two cousins be allowed to reunite somewhere on the moors given their parent's hostility for one another. Edgar began to entertain the notion of Catherine’s marriage to Linton, for he understood that Linton was his heir, and he wished to ensure that Catherine would be looked after his death. Edgar sought to understand Linton’s character from Nelly, but she did not wish to worry him and so did not give him an accurate account. Linton’s entreaties finally moved his uncle, and he allowed Catherine to meet him for a ride on the moors. Nelly accompanied Catherine for the ride, but they did not find Linton capable of a ride. His health had worsened significantly, a fact that had been purposefully hidden by Heathcliff. Linton did not appear to be happy for meeting Catherine but rather relieved, and he never once seemed to take pleasure in her company. Catherine noted this and wished to depart but Linton pleaded for her to stay a little longer. He begged that she should report him as being healthy to her father and cheerful to his. Catherine agreed to follow his wishes and promised to return to see him the following Thursday. In the ensuing week, Edgar’s health worsened and it was evident to all that he was not long a resident of this world, yet Catherine kept her promise and returned to meet Linton. This second meeting turned into a kidnapping, as Heathcliff entered the scene and caused Linton to compel Catherine to return to Wuthering Heights. He wished for Linton and Catherine to be married the following day, and then return to the Grange with Linton, for he feared that Linton would die before his uncle.
Catherine was devastated to learn of Heathcliff’s plan, and readily assented to a marriage with Linton but begged him to allow her to return to her father that night for she could not ever forgive herself if he were to die while she was away. The thought of causing Edgar pain only seemed to make Heathcliff all the more delighted, and though Catherine attempted to wrestle and plead with him, he just hit her and had her locked along with Nelly. Nelly was particularly shocked by the change in Linton, who had been mortally afraid of Heathcliff just a few moments prior but now seemed content for he had fulfilled his role in bringing Catherine to Wuthering Heights. Nelly and Catherine were locked together that first night, but Heathcliff took Catherine away the next morning while Nelly was left locked in the room for the next several days with Hareton acting as her jailor.
Nelly was soon allowed to return to her master but Catherine remained yet a prisoner of Heathcliff and her new husband, Linton, who had been manipulated by Heathcliff to hate Catherine. Upon returning to the Grange, Nelly made efforts to have Catherine rescued but could not manage to do so, yet the girl managed to escape on her own with a little aid from Linton. She managed to spend some time with her father before he drew his last breath, and never said a word to him about the treatment she had received at the hands of both her new husband and the new family. Nelly learned that Catherine had been aided by Linton, who had been severely punished by Heathcliff, as he told her when he came to collect his daughter-in-law. He decided to put up the Grange for rent and claimed that he wanted to have his children about him. Nelly learned about Catherine’s terrible treatment at Wuthering Heights from Zillah, who described the terrible isolation that Catherine was forced to bear. Heathcliff compelled her to care for the dying Linton all by herself without the aid of any other servants, and his death was not long in coming. All the members of the house seemed unconcerned with the loss of Linton, but Hareton expressed a little concern for Catherine’s condition.
Hareton attempted to be friends with her once she had finished mourning and begun to sit with the other members of the house for the warmth of the fire. Hareton wished to be on cordial terms with his cousin and sought to aid her by helping her reach the books she desired but she was still bitter over her isolation. In such later meetings, she made fun of Hareton’s attempts to educate himself which inevitably ended up with him burning the few books that he had been attempting to learn in private, all of which had been favorites of Catherine. Nelly finished her telling of the tale of Heathcliff, and Mr. Lockwood visited Wuthering Heights to inform Heathcliff that he had decided to return to London. In his meeting with Catherine and Hareton, Lockwood observed the obvious regard that Hareton had for the beautiful Catherine but that the lady seemed to completely despise him. He departed for London the following week and could only return to the Grange in 1802, and found that Nelly had been removed from the Grange for the service of Wuthering Heights. He also learned from that Heathcliff had passed away nearly three months ago, and glimpsed a most unlikely couple in the transformed persons of Catherine and Hareton. Nelly explained that Heathcliff had suddenly called her away from the Grange after Lockwood had departed and instructed Nelly to wait on Catherine and put together a parlor for her. He wished for her to be kept away from his person as much as possible, and remain in the parlor, but Catherine would have none of it. Nelly’s caring presence allowed Catherine to recover significantly but she wouldn’t confine herself to the parlor at all and now seemed determined to establish friendly relations with Hareton. Nelly aided her and soon the two of them began to act quite cordially with one another, but they had to face a hurdle in the form of Heathcliff. Catherine attempted to provoke Heathcliff and have Hareton act against him as well, but had failed to realize that Hareton regarded Heathcliff more as his father than his oppressor. Heathcliff failed to stamp out the warm spark of their love as he could not quite bring himself to hate the two persons who resembled Catherine so closely. He had once confessed to Nelly that he had struck one side of Catherine’s coffin so that he may be laid with her upon his death, and continued to believe that her ghost had followed him since the very night of her burial. Heathcliff’s health soon began to fail, and he began to shun food, but his passing was not accompanied by tears and woe but rather a joy that he experienced from the belief that he would be reunited with his Catherine. His end seemed to be a gentle one, for although he had no malady or sickness, his aversion to food had caused him to pass away in the night while his room windows had been opened to the rain outside. Nelly informed Lockwood of the rumors in town which claimed that Heathcliff still roamed the moors with his lady. She also informed him of Catherine and Hareton’s marriage that would occur on the day of the new year, and their intention to move their residence to the Grange.
Analysis
Edgar Linton served as the foil to Heathcliff, while the former was a representative of culture and civility, the latter represented the untempered force of nature. The author describes a process in which the forces of nature corrupt the civility of culture, contrary to the common theme of nature being corrupted by culture. Charlotte Brontë's preface had argued that her sister had depicted qualities that ought not to be treasured in just women but rather in men as well. Other critics have disagreed with this view and concluded that though the Lintons are representatives of culture, the author never intended for them to be depicted as more righteous than the representatives of nature. Most descriptions of Edgar Linton and his siblings do not elicit any feelings of admiration but rather pity. In the end, Edgar failed to secure his daughter's future and died with the false belief that his enemy, Heathcliff, would not act malevolently towards her.
Revenge is another major theme of Wuthering Heights and is developed chiefly through the charismatic and demonic Heathcliff. He returns to Wuthering Heights to exact revenge on those that caused his separation from Catherine and works tirelessly to punish even the relatives of those individuals. The second half of the book demonstrates the futility of revenge, for although Heathcliff manages to enact his version of twisted justice on characters like Hindley, and Edgar, these accomplishments do not yield him any happiness. He continues to lead a miserable existence until he begins to believe that his death will reunite him with Catherine.
Ghosts are an important symbol in Wuthering Heights, and although their existence is never quite explicitly established, it is evident that the author wishes for us to treat them as real. The first introduction to the ghost of Catherine occurs when Lockwood encounters it in a nightmare, which could readily be dismissed as an actual nightmare. Heathcliff then claims to have been haunted by the ghost of Catherine since the night of her burial, and lastly, Nelly describes a meeting with a boy who claims that Heathcliff and his lady's ghost prevent him from grazing his sheep on the moors. All of these instances can be dismissed through rational means, yet the author hints that these occurrences may actually be supernatural.
