Wuthering Heights, Chapter 34 summary
Chapter 34 of 34 · 19 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 34, Heathcliff becomes absorbed in an unseen presence, stops eating and resting, and dies in his rain-soaked bed, leaving Hareton deeply distressed. Nelly describes his burial and reports of ghosts, announces Catherine and Hareton’s marriage plans, and finishes her account before Lockwood visits the graves and reflects on their stillness.
What happens
- Heathcliff avoids meals and company, returns excited from a night outside, and seems absorbed in something others cannot see.
- He denies deliberately refusing food, rejects religious advice, and gives Nelly instructions for his burial.
- After Heathcliff refuses the doctor, Nelly finds him dead beside an open window in his soaked bed.
- Hareton mourns deeply, and Heathcliff receives the burial he requests.
- Nelly recounts reported ghost sightings and announces Catherine and Hareton’s planned marriage and move to the Grange.
- Lockwood leaves the returning couple, visits the three graves, and questions the idea that their occupants lack peace.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Mr. Heathcliff describes his happiness as physically destructive yet incomplete. This explains his own understanding of the agitation that accompanies his decline.
Quick check
Who stays beside Heathcliff’s body all night and weeps?
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