The novel opens with Lockwood, a tenant of Heathcliff. A sequential visit to Wuthering Heights brings to light an incident and an unexpected supernatural encounter, which irritates Lockwood's inquiring mind. Returning to Thrushcross Grange and recovering from illness, Lockwood begs Nelly Dean, a servant who grew up in Wuthering Heights, to tell him Heathcliff's story. Nelly narrates the main plot of Wuthering Heights. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The owner of Wuthering Heights, Mr. Earnshaw, a Yorkshire farmer, brings home an orphan from Liverpool. The boy is called Heathcliff and he grew up with his children Earnshaw, Hindley and Catherine. Catherine is obsessed with Heathcliff and Hindley has nothing but hatred for Heathcliff. After Mr. Earnshaw's death, Hindley does what he can to destroy Heathcliff, but Catherine and Heathcliff grow up playing wildly on the moor, unaware of anything or anyone else, until they meet the Lintons. Edgar and Isabella Linton live at Thrushcross Grange and are extremely different from Heathcliff and Catherine. The Lintons welcome Catherine into their home but shun Heathcliff. As a result, Heathcliff begins to think about revenge. Catherine, at first, divides her time between Heathcliff and Edgar, but soon spends more time with Edgar, which makes Heathcliff jealous. He leaves Wuthering Heights and goes away for three years. During Heathcliff's absence, Catherine marries Edgar, although their union exists only through social class and wealth. Their relationship had already begun to wither, but Heathcliff's arrival put it further to the test. Heathcliff ends up living with his enemy, Hindley (and Hindley's son, Hareton), in Wuthering Heights and marries Isabella, Edgar's sister. Soon after Heathcliff's wedding, Catherine gives birth to Edgar's daughter, Cathy, and dies. Heathcliff swears revenge and doesn't care who he hurts as he carries it out. He wishes to gain control of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange and destroy everything Edgar Linton holds dear. To get his revenge, Heathcliff must wait 17 years. Eventually, he forces Cathy to marry his son, Linton. At this point he is in control of the Heights and with Edgar's death, he is in control of the Grange. In all this, however, Catherine's ghost haunts Heathcliff. What he truly wants more than anything is to be reunited with his soulmate. At the end of the novel, Heathcliff and Catherine are united in death, and Hareton and Cathy are united in marriage. The charactersHeathcliff- The main character. Orphaned as a child, he is constantly out, constantly losing people. Although he and Catherine Earnshaw claim to complement each other, her decision to marry Edgar Linton nearly destroys their relationship. He spends much of his life contemplating and enacting revenge. It is offensive, brutal and cruel. Catherine Earnshaw: The love of Heathcliff's life. Wild, impetuous and arrogant since she was a child, she grows up getting everything she wants. When two men fall in love with her, she torments them both. Ultimately, Catherine's selfishness ends up hurting everyone she loves, including herself. Edgar Linton: Catherine's husband and Heathcliff's rival. Educated and wealthy, he falls in love with Catherine and marries her. His love for her allows him to overlook their incompatible nature. Catherine Linton- Daughter of Catherine and Edgar. A mild form of her mother, she serves as a reminder of her strengths and weaknesses. Linton Heathcliff- Son of Heathcliff and Isabella. Weak and sniveling (both physically and emotionally), he serves as a pawn in Heathcliff's game of revenge. He marries Catherine.