Unreliable Narration of Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontл’s Wuthering Heights is the story of two intertwined families from late 18th century England through the beginning of the 19th century. Living on an isolated moor, the families interact almost exclusively with each other, repeatedly intermarrying and moving between the manors Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The reader hears the story from Lockwood, the tenant of Thrushcross Grange, through the housekeeper, Nelly Dean. After he inquires about Heathcliff, his strange landlord living at nearby Wuthering Heights, Nelly recounts her experiences with the Earnshaws, former owners of Wuthering Heights; the Lintons, former owners of Thrushcross Grange; and Heathcliff, a gypsy urchin adopted by Mr. Earnshaw. Nelly narrates the story inaccurately to downplay her own involvement and responsibility for the tragic events that occur in Wuthering Heights.

Nelly is an unreliable narrator. Lockwood is a poor judge of character who believes Nelly’s every word, but upon meeting Catherine Heathcliff (Heathcliff’s daughter-in-law), even he recognizes Nelly’s inaccuracy. Cathy “‘does