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What happens in Chapters 1–5 of Wuthering Heights?
Lockwood, a tenant at Thrushcross Grange, visits his landlord Mr. Heathcliff, but is received coldly. During Lockwood’s second visit, he spends the night in a forbidden room and encounters the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw. At Lockwood’s cry of terror, Heathcliff rushes into the room, begging Catherine to come back. At Thrushcross Grange, Nelly Dean, Lockwood’s housekeeper, clarifies the family relationships at Wuthering Heights. Nelly begins her tale, beginning when Heathcliff has just come to Wuthering Heights as a young orphan. He is loved by Catherine and hated by her older brother, Hindley, who becomes master of the house upon the death of their father.
Looking for our Summary & Analysis of Chapters 1–5? Click here! (3-minute read)
What key characters are introduced in Chapters 1–5 of Wuthering Heights?
- Lockwood: Lockwood is a presumptuous gentleman, and Heathcliff’s tenant at the start of the novel. He relays the events of the novel as a series of letters.
- Heathcliff: At the beginning of the novel, Heathcliff is the master of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The novel’s protagonist (and ultimately one of its antagonists as well), he is driven by revenge.
- Cathy: Young Cathy is Heathcliff’s daughter-in-law; she was married to his son prior to his death.
- Hareton: Hareton is Heathcliff’s nephew, the son of Heathcliff’s nemesis, Hindley.
- Catherine: Catherine is Hindley’s sister, and the love of Heathcliff’s life. She is conveyed to Lockwood only through flashbacks, and is described as wild and tempestuous as a child.
- Hindley: Hindley is Catherine’s brother. He resents Heathcliff and abuses him when their father dies, leaving Wuthering Heights to Hindley.
- Nelly Dean: The primary narrator of the story, Nelly Dean has strong opinions about the events and people she relays to Lockwood, particularly Catherine and Heathcliff, which compromises her reliability as a storyteller.
- Mr. Earnshaw: Mr. Earnshaw is Catherine and Hindley’s father who brings home Heathcliff as an orphan from Liverpool. He favors Heathcliff, sowing resentment in Hindley.
Read our Character List descriptions for Wuthering Heights. (4-minute read)
What famous quotes from Wuthering Heights appear in Chapters 1–5?
In the following quote from Chapter 1, Lockwood attempts to make sense of Heathcliff, his mysterious landlord whom Lockwood sees as a kindred spirit, though nothing could be further from the truth:
But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style of living…
Read the complete quote and a full analysis of it in Famous Quotes Explained. (1-minute read)
In this quote from Chapter 3, Lockwood, sleeping in Catherine’s old bed, sees her various names scratched into the window ledge before he has the first of his troubling dreams:
In vapid listlessness I leant my head against the window, and continued spelling over Catherine Earnshaw—Heathcliff—Linton, till my eyes closed…
Read the complete quote and a full analysis of it in Famous Quotes Explained. (1-minute read)
What genre is Wuthering Heights?
Wuthering Heights is a work of Gothic fiction, and contains many staples of the genre: supernatural elements, ominous and isolated settings, and intense emotions.
Read more about the novel’s Genre. (1-minute read)
From what point of view is Wuthering Heights told?
Wuthering Heights is told from a first-person perspective, initially from Lockwood’s and then from Nelly Dean’s (which Lockwood transcribes through a series of letters), then back to Lockwood’s. Both are prone to their own biases and misinterpretations, making them unreliable narrators.
Read more about why Lockwood and Nelly Dean are unreliable narrators. (2-minute read)
What key theme is introduced in Chapters 1–5 of Wuthering Heights?
It’s clear from the outset that Catherine Earnshaw’s memory haunts Heathcliff. In fact, it’s possible her ghost does as well. Lockwood’s supernatural experience in Chapter 3 suggests Catherine’s ghost is a manifestation of Heathcliff’s psychological suffering and the turmoil that has occurred at Wuthering Heights over the years.
Read important quotes about Physical versus Psychological Haunting. (3-minute read)
What key motif is introduced in Chapters 1–5 of Wuthering Heights?
Repetition is a motif that will pervade the novel. In these chapters, Lockwood observes the newer generation (that of Cathy and Hareton) repeating patterns established in the previous one (with Catherine, Heathcliff, and Hindley). Lockwood also sees Catherine’s name etched into the window ledge along with various surnames, contributing to the confusion deliberately generated with the introduction of both Cathy (the daughter) and Catherine (the mother). Such repetition is eerie, leaving the reader feeling unsure and unmoored, and adds to the story’s tension.
Read more about Repetition as a Motif in Wuthering Heights. (1-minute read)
What key symbols are introduced in Chapters 1–5 of Wuthering Heights?
Symbols introduced in these chapters include windows and ghosts. Catherine’s ghost attempts to enter through the window in Lockwood’s room, symbolizing the ways in which the past intrudes on the present and the fact that there exists a separation between life and death, which Catherine ultimately cannot cross.
Read more about Windows and Ghosts as Symbols in Wuthering Heights. (2-minute read)
