Wuthering Heights is a novel written by Emily Brontë and published in 1847. It tells the story of what had been happening at the Wuthering Heights manor but through a servant's experience called Nelly Dean. This servant says what she knows and what she saw in the past to Mr Lockwood, a man who wants to rent the place. The extract we are going to study is taken from the tenth chapter of the novel. In this text, Lockwood is sick in bed at Wuthering Heights and calls Nelly to keep on telling her story, as he already knows Heathcliff had left for three years and Catherine married Mr. Linton: she says she did not know how Heathcliff built his wealth, and then that Catherine and Linton's relationship seemed to her quite happy. Later, she tells about the day Heathcliff came back to Wuthering Heights and demanded Nelly to tell Catherine he wanted to see her, while the latter was at Thrushcross Grange. This scene is a turning point in the novel since the two of the main characters are about to reunite. Therefore, one may wonder to what extent is Heathcliff seen as a threat, or a powerful figure, when he comes back to Wuthering Heights. First, we will talk about Catherine's life during Heathcliff's absence until his return; then, we will deal with Heathcliff's return at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, its impact on Nelly's point of view, and the setting of the story.
When Heathcliff left Wuthering Heights, Catherine decided to marry Edgar Linton. Their relationship seems to be more cordial than loving one: “There were no mutual concessions: one stood erect, and the others yielded”, their relationship does not seem very love-like, however, Catherine still manages to make Linton happy. Indeed, Catherine was ill and the Lintons took good care of her, when she felt better, her husband would also feel better to see her good, as Nelly says: “The return of sunshine was welcomed by answering sunshine from him.”. She even says “I believe I may assert that they were really in possession of deep and growing happiness.”, which shows Catherine had overcome her “grief” due to Heathcliff leaving thanks to Linton. However, this relationship that was supposed to make Catherine happy ended, for the lovers were not from the same background and they felt like they did not appreciate each other anymore: “and it ended when circumstances caused each to feel that the one’s interest was not the chief consideration in the other’s thoughts.”. Nevertheless, the place is peaceful despite Linton and Catherine's breakup, the Lintons keep on doing anything Catherine wants: “They were both very attentive to her comfort, certainly.”. Catherine plays the role of the “man” in the house in a way since men are usually the ones who have authority over anything, but here, it is Catherine whom we listen to. Also, it underlines the fact that even Linton has no power in the house because everyone keeps their eyes on Catherine to realize all of her wishes. The house is seen as peaceful by Nelly, she says: “Both the room and its occupants, and the scene they gazed on, looked wondrously peaceful.”, until Heathcliff's return.
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His return is a turning point in the novel, for no one expected him to ever come back, they had no news from him or about him, and even Catherine would not imagine this would happen. We can probably assume it is her biggest wish that would be realized. When Nelly goes to the Lintons to announce Heathcliff wants to see Catherine, she hesitates, but when she does it, she says it is “‘Someone mistress does not expect,’ I replied. ‘That Heathcliff—you recollect him, sir—who used to live at Mr. Earnshaw’s.’” to Edgar. She knows Catherine is happy about this news and does not hide it as she immediately wants tea to be made. The news makes Edgar angry and he starts insulting him: “‘What! the gypsy—the plowboy?’ he cried”. This quotation underlines the fact that he immediately rejects him without even seeing why Heathcliff wants to see Catherine, we can even say he starts feeling threatened, as both Nelly and him know why Catherine seems to feel good about it. Nelly does not bother exposing her opinion by saying “‘She’d be sadly grieved to hear you. […] I guess his return will make a jubilee to her.’”, almost as if she was mocking Linton. Both know he is the one Catherine wants, Linton has already lost to Heathcliff and feels threatened although he is not here yet. Just the fact that if he is back, something is going to occur, Heathcliff is automatically synonymous with a bad omen and even foreshadows it.
We know Catherine and Heathcliff are about to reunite, however, Heathcliff's return in itself is one of the most important turning points in the novel. Indeed, the moment when he came back has many other impacts and significations.
At the beginning of the extract, Lockwood is sick in bed and asks Nelly to tell him more about her story about here, and therefore about Heathcliff and Catherine. “Why not have up Mrs. Dean to finish her tale?” He even says it is a tale. He associates Heathcliff with a “hero” and Catherine with the “heroine” of the tale; by the way, this story could be associated with a bed tale that we read to children or in the evening, like in ancient times. It could also be seen as so unreal, and crazy, that Lockwood cannot take it seriously and may see it as a tale, a story for children.
As for Nelly, when she tells how she felt about Heathcliff's comeback, there are some Gothic or scary elements. She says her eyes were “on the moon” when he arrived, the moon often being synonymous with supernatural elements. He was all in black, from the very beginning his clothes and aura were black, as well as his face and hair that qualifies as “dark”. We can add that his physical gives a bad effect on people, and could foreshadow something bad. Moreover, the servant does not recognize him at first, which makes him look even more mysterious and scary: “‘Who can it be?’ I thought.”, she says he is “altered” as if he is not the same man anymore. But also, from the beginning, Heathcliff is angry and seems also angry that she does not recognize him: “You do not know me? Look, I’m not a stranger!”. We can say he is seen as a demoniac figure, since there is no light emanating from him or anything that surrounds him, to the point where, even if the moon was out, its light did not shine on the windows, where he was looking: “glancing from me up to the windows, which reflected a score of glittering moons, but showed no lights from within.”. Indeed, he holds power, and gives Nelly orders right from the start: ‘I’m in hell till you do!’. The use of the expression underlined can also be seen as a sign added to the fact that he can be seen as a demoniac figure, which adds him even more power.
Heathcliff's comeback also has an impact on the setting. Even Wuthering Heights is associated with power: “Wuthering Heights rose above this silvery vapor”, it is a higher place than the Linton's, probably as high as Heathcliff's will to gain power. On the contrary, Nellys qualifies the Lintons' house as “invisible”. As we saw in the first part, Edgar Linton immediately rejects Heathcliff's visit because of his origins and status, but at the same time Catherine is still fond of him and it is obvious. Linton is scared, the owner of Wuthering Heights even has power over someone else's property, which brings the impact of his return to the light.
Furthermore, we can make another comparison between the two properties: indeed, Thrushcross Grange is peaceful, it is a house of culture, and the Lintons are a good, wealthy family, until Heathcliff arrives, who is feared like a savage, a primitive being, the same way Wuthering Heights is a place of nature as if there was no culture, no civilization. This may sound like the law of the strongest.
Thanks to all these elements, we can conclude that Heathcliff is the black sheep, he scares the others which makes his desire for revenge even bigger than it already was. He is almost seen as a demoniac presence, adding to the gloomy atmosphere and Gothic elements of the novel. However, only Catherine loves him, it is like a light in the darkness. He almost endorses the role of the bad person no one likes in stories, but who turns out to be a good one, given the context of the story is told through Nelly's point of view and written by Lockwood
We can probably link Heathcliff and Lucifer, Healthcliff would be Lucifer's alter ego: Heathcliff is the contrary of light, he is a dark person, whereas as Lucifer's name means “to create light”; he was never liked and always rejected, to Lucifer who was the most beautiful angel, and mostly God's favorite angel; yet, both end up rejected anyway, one by his surroundings, and the other by Heaven.
Heathcliff is seen as a threat and powerful figure in this extract, but also throughout the whole novel. He indeed foreshadows a bad omen for the next generation of characters, Cathy and his son.
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