Lewis James

The chapter begins with Cathy pretending to be tired and tells Nellie that she is going to bed. Nellie tries to find her but realises she as lied and has visited the Heights. She finds Cathy dismounting her pony outside Thruscross Grange. Once Nellie confronts her about her disappearance Cathy tells her about all of her visits to see Linton. She tells her of how they would sit and talk about what they would consider to be their ‘perfect’ day. It then becomes clear to Cathy that they actually has nothing in common and his bad health prevents him from enjoying the same things as her.

On the way out of the Heights she encounters Hareton. He shows her he is learning to read and proves it by reading the sign above the entrance. Cathy then calls him a “dunce” because he cannot read the date “1500”. Enraged, he interrupts her meeting with Linton and throws him to the ground. Linton blames Cathy for his embarrassment. Once she has confessed this to Nellie she tells her secret to Edgar who stops Cathy visiting the heights but agrees to allow Linton to visit Thruscross Grange.

Cathy – I think her character develops significantly in this chapter. We see a very deceiving side of her towards the start of the chapter when she fakes being ill and escapes. Then we see her maturing mentally and emotionally when she realises that maybe she doesn’t love Linton as much as she once thought because they are such different people with different interests. She also shows her trademark naivety when she calls Hareton a “dunce”, she is naive enough to believe that it won’t offend him and it is okay to treat him the way Linton does. Cathy and Linton – the relationship between the two characters changes drastically in this chapter. The conversation about each others perfect day makes it clear that the relationship is doomed because of their dissimilarity.

Nellie – Towards the end of the chapter where Nellie tells Edgar her secret shows her manipulative and influential side. It is this trait of Nellie’s that influences the key events throughout the novel. Such as the separation of Cathy and Heathcliff.

Love – Much like Catherine’s relationship with Edgar, Wuthering Heights proves that love is not always genuine and fairy tale like. In this chapter the relationship between Cathy and Linton also proves this. Catherine’s attraction towards Linton is just a pubescent infatuation and doesn’t really understand the seriousness and diversity of love. Manipulation – Cathy manipulates Nellie and makes her believe that she is not visiting Linton at the heights. She uses Nellie’s illness to sneak away from Thruscross grange. This is reminiscent of Catherine’s behaviour when she was younger and would manipulate everyone around her to get her way.

Pathetic fallacy – “ lying from morning to evening on a bank of heath among the moors, with the bees humming dreamily among the bloom, and the larks signing high up over head, and the blue sky, and bright sun shining steadily and cloudlessly”. “Mine was rocking in a rustling green tree, with a west wind blowing, and bright, white clouds flitting rapidly above. The whole world awake with joy”. The first quote represents Linton as a person, the fact that he dreams about lying down shows his lack of mobility and energy. Also he dreams about being in the moors, in this novel the moors are seen as a depressing place. I think this shows how the company of Heathcliff and the Heights as a whole has influenced him. The imagery of his ‘heaven’ also symbolises death and the way he imagines dying “ lying form morning to evening”.

The second quote represents Cathy’s mood and character. She dreams of “rocking rustling green trees” this shows complete contrast to Linton because she wants to be active and enjoy life. I think her hyperactivity strands from her mothers early death, therefore Cathy believes she must live life to the full and do as many things as possible because her mother didn’t have the chance. A key section from the quote to sum up the contrast between them is “The whole world awake with joy”.

Symbolism – I believe that Hareton not being able to clearly read and understand the sign above the Heights symbolises the younger generations naivety towards the situation of the elders. The sign reads “Hareton Earnshaw 1500” this shows that Hareton is the rightful owner of the heights and also shows that Hareton is unaware of the situation between Heathcliff and Hindley.

Cathy uses her innocence to persuade Nellie not to be angry with her about lying to her and visiting the heights. This is reminiscent of Catherine and how she used to manipulate people with her innocence and beauty. For example, in volume 1 chapter 5 where Mr Earnshaw is very ill, he says to Catherine “Why canst thou always be a good lass, Cathy? And she turned her face up to his, and laughed, and answered “why cannot you always be a good man, father?” This shows how Catherine also used to use her innocence to avoid punishment.

I have also seen a comparison with chapter 15. In this chapter Heathcliff sneaks into Thruscross Grange to visit Catherine who, much like Linton, is very close to death. This shows the similarities and likenesses between the generations but also how they differ because it is Cathy who is the visitor this time and it is to The Heights instead of Thruscross grange.

“And why should you try to deceive me, by telling a tale? Where have you been? Speak!.” “to the bottom of the park” she stammered. “I didn't tell a tale”. “Promise not to be angry and you shall know the truth”. These quotes show Catherine trying to manipulate Nellie and shows how stubborn she is because she will not accept that she has done nothing wrong and does not want to be punished “it was not to amuse myself I went” This shows how Cathy differs from her mother. She is taking other peoples feelings into account and wants to do something that will not just benefit her, which is a change from her mothers selfish behaviour

“he wanted all to lie in an ecstasy of peace; I wanted all to sparkle and dance in a glorious jubilee” “I said his heaven would be only half alive, and he said mine would be drunk; I said I would fall asleep in his; he said he could not breathe in mine”. These quotes show the difference between the two characters. Cathy is much like her mother and Heathcliff in that she wants to go out and enjoy herself and make the most of her teenage years. It also reflects the lifestyle of Thruscross Grange compared to the Heights. Happiness vs. Depression. “I beat him constantly; and he got cross again, and coughed” Again this shows the difference between the two characters but it also shows how Linton's sickness is coming between them

The End