The plot in six lines
Mr Earnshaw brings the foundling Heathcliff home, where Catherine becomes his closest friend, but Hindley's resentment turns into cruelty after their father dies.
Hindley makes Heathcliff a labourer, while Catherine's stay at Thrushcross Grange draws her towards Edgar Linton and the comfort and status he offers.
Catherine accepts Edgar, but Heathcliff overhears only her claim that marrying him would degrade her, leaves, and returns wealthy after she marries Edgar.
Heathcliff takes Wuthering Heights through Hindley's debts, denies Hareton his inheritance, and marries Isabella to hurt Edgar and pursue the Linton fortune.
Catherine's health breaks under the strain of her conflict with Heathcliff, and after her death his revenge reaches the next generation without bringing him peace.
Heathcliff dies and is buried beside Catherine, while the younger Catherine and Hareton plan to marry and move to the Grange, and Lockwood visits the three graves before leaving.
Themes
Love and identity: Catherine's bond with Heathcliff is closer to shared identity than ordinary romance, making separation a threat to her sense of herself.
Class and status: Catherine's attraction to Edgar's comfort and status exposes how social rank shapes intimate choices and deepens Heathcliff's exclusion.
Revenge and cruelty: Heathcliff repeats Hindley's mistreatment through his treatment of Hareton, showing how suffering can become cruelty towards another generation.
Home and belonging: The contrasting houses offer comfort or power but also confinement, while windows and doors repeatedly separate characters from what they desire.
Judgement and storytelling: Lockwood's mistakes and Nelly Dean's opinions make readers question how personal involvement shapes the stories they hear.
Characters
- HeathcliffA dark foundling raised at Wuthering Heights, fiercely devoted to Catherine and bitter about the rank and respect he is denied.
- Catherine EarnshawWild and proud daughter of the house, torn between her bond with Heathcliff and her wish for comfort and status.
- Nelly DeanThe housekeeper who tells most of the story, watching both families closely and sometimes shaping events by what she does or withholds.
- Mr LockwoodA city gentleman who rents Thrushcross Grange, meets Heathcliff and asks Nelly to explain the strange household.
- Edgar LintonGentle, refined master of Thrushcross Grange, who loves Catherine and hopes to give her a calm, comfortable life.
- Hindley EarnshawCatherine's older brother, who resents Heathcliff from childhood and takes control of Wuthering Heights after their father dies.
For the A level English Literature exams, summer 2027
- The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027.
- AQA (Literature A): Paper 1 (7712/1), Love through the ages (prose), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning, 3 hours.
- Pearson Edexcel: Paper 2 (9ET0/02), Prose (Women and Society), Thursday 20 May 2027, morning, 1 hour 15 minutes.
A two-week plan
- Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of Wuthering Heights from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
- Day twoA stranger arrives at a hostile house: Notice how Lockwood's mistaken guesses teach you to question his first impressions of the household. A foundling changes the Earnshaw family: Watch how Nelly presents Heathcliff as both a mistreated child and someone capable of manipulating favour.
- Day threeHindley takes power and Heathcliff is degraded: Trace how Hindley's treatment of Heathcliff connects social humiliation with cruelty passed between generations. Catherine is drawn toward the Grange: Notice how Catherine's changed manners expose the distance between her attachment to Heathcliff and her attraction to comfort.
- Day fourI am Heathcliff, and a choice is made: Watch what Heathcliff hears and misses, and consider how incomplete knowledge turns Catherine's choice into a crisis.
- Day fiveHeathcliff comes back rich and bent on revenge: Compare Heathcliff's outward refinement with his treatment of Isabella and Hareton.
- Day sixLove, class and revenge drive every choice: Follow the distinction between love as shared identity and revenge as the pursuit of power.
- Day sevenTwo houses and the moors tell the story: Notice how houses, moors, windows and repeated names connect belonging with exclusion and generational patterns.
- Day eightNested narrators shape how we judge: Question how Lockwood's distance and Nelly's involvement influence their accounts of the same families.
- Day nineThe cast: Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Nelly Dean, Mr Lockwood and Edgar Linton. Write one line on what each of them wants.
- Day tenThemes: Love and identity; Class and status; Revenge and cruelty; Home and belonging; Judgement and storytelling. Pick one moment in the story for each.
- Day elevenForm: study how the story is told: the narrator, the order of events and the settings.
- Day twelvePractice: plan and write an essay on one theme, then read your argument back and test it against the story.
- Day thirteenPractice: try a second question with a different focus, such as a character or the form.
- Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.
From the boards' published specifications and final summer 2027 timetables, read on 23 October 2026. Ask your school which board and papers you sit.
Questions
What is Wuthering Heights about?
Wuthering Heights is about Heathcliff's bond with Catherine Earnshaw and the conflict between love, social rank and revenge. Their choices shape two families, passing suffering to children who may yet break the pattern.
Who are the main characters in Wuthering Heights?
The central characters are Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, whose relationship connects the Earnshaw and Linton families. Edgar Linton, Hindley Earnshaw and Isabella Linton shape their conflict, while Hareton Earnshaw and the younger Catherine carry the story forward. Nelly Dean tells most of the story within Mr Lockwood's account.
What are the main themes of Wuthering Heights?
The main themes are love, identity, class, revenge, inherited cruelty and the search for belonging. The contrasting houses and layered narrators also raise questions about confinement, perspective and how readers judge other people's actions.
Is Wuthering Heights a set text for A level English Literature?
Yes. AQA (Literature A) lists it in Paper 1 (7712/1), Love through the ages (prose). Pearson Edexcel lists it in Paper 2 (9ET0/02), Prose (Women and Society).
When are the A level English Literature exams in 2027?
The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027. AQA (Literature A): Paper 1 (7712/1), Thursday 13 May 2027, morning. Pearson Edexcel: Paper 2 (9ET0/02), Thursday 20 May 2027, morning.
