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What happens in Chapters 27–30 of Wuthering Heights?
The next time Nelly and Cathy ride to meet with Linton, they are apprehended by Heathcliff who locks them inside the house until Cathy has married Linton. Nelly is freed by Zillah, the housekeeper, at which point Nelly hurries back to Thrushcross Grange where she tells the dying Edgar that Cathy is safe and will be home soon. Edgar dies before he can change his will, giving Heathcliff exactly what he wanted. Heathcliff tells Nelly that while the sexton was digging Edgar’s grave, Heathcliff had him dig up Catherine’s as well. Linton dies, leaving Cathy at Heathcliff’s mercy. The story now finished, Lockwood intends to return to London.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapters 27–30 of Wuthering Heights. (3-minute read)
What important theme from Wuthering Heights is explored in Chapters 27–30?
Heathcliff’s disturbance of Catherine’s grave emphasizes The Destructiveness of a Love That Never Changes as a theme. Even after all this time, Heathcliff loves Catherine as fiercely as he did when she was alive, though it has not brought him peace of happiness.
Read quotes about The Destructiveness of a Love That Never Changes. (4-minute read)
What famous quote from Wuthering Heights appears in Chapters 27–30?
In this quote from Chapter 29, Heathcliff describes to Nelly how he had the sexton dig up Catherine’s grave while he’s digging Linton’s:
“You were very wicked, Mr. Heathcliff!” I exclaimed; “were you not ashamed to disturb the dead?”
Read the complete quote and a full analysis of it in Famous Quotes Explained. (1-minute read)
What key motif from Wuthering Heights appears in Chapters 27–30?
The doubles motif surfaces again as Cathy stands up to Heathcliff, telling him he will die unloved. The boldness of Cathy’s confrontation with him recalls the boldness of her mother.
Read more about Doubles as a Motif. (1-minute read)
What key symbol from Wuthering Heights appears in Chapters 27–30?
Heathcliff tells Nelly that Catherine’s ghost has tormented him every day for eighteen years; though he feels her presence, he is unable to reach her. In Wuthering Heights, ghosts serve as reminders of the past, and Heathcliff is haunted by a past he cannot return to no matter how much he tries.
Read more about Ghosts as a Symbol. (1-minute read)
Does Nelly want Lockwood to marry Cathy?
Nelly raises the idea in Chapter 25 that Lockwood may fall in love with her, and in these chapters, and in Chapter 30, her tale thus concluded, she hints that the one thing that might save Cathy is a second marriage, possibly suggesting to Lockwood that he court her.
