David M., 12th Grade: The Villain in Wuthering Heights
Since its publication over one hundred years ago, Wuthering Heights has been the subject of countless analytical essays. The vast majority of these essays describe Nelly Dean, a seemingly minor character, as a “normal” or “good” character. However, these descriptions are false. Nelly Dean is the true, and most perfect, villain of Wuthering Heights.
The false interpretation of Nelly Dean as a “good” character has been present since the publication of the novel. In fact, Emily Brontë’s own sister, Charlotte, stated that Nelly was “a specimen of true benevolence and homely fidelity”
(Hafley 199). Other critics have described Nelly as a normal character or as a character that Brontë uses simply to express her own opinions of the protagonists in her novel. Even critics who find faults with Nelly cannot help but praise her at the same time (200). However, despite the common perception of Nelly as a virtuous character, there is evidence in the novel itself that proves otherwise.
The first instances of Nelly’s villainous nature are expressed by her contempt towards Heathcliff, as shown in chapter four when she explains to Mr. Lockwood how Heathcliff came to be a part of the Earnshaw family. She refers to him as“it,” allows Cathy to spit at him, and even places him on the bottom of the stairs at night so that Cathy and Hindley do not have to sleep in the same room as him. Nelly even tells Mr. Lockwood outright that she hated Heathcliff (Hafley 202).
Nelly’s resentment towards Heathcliff could be partially explained by her desire to have the same, or greater, social status as the Earnshaws. Before Heathcliff arrives at Wuthering Heights, Nelly eats and plays with the other Earnshaw children.
However, upon Heathcliff’s arrival, Mr. Earnshaw orders Nelly to bathe him, give him things, and let him be with the other children. This action threatens Nelly’s position as an equal to the other Earnshaw children; she is being required to take on the roles of one of a lower class (Hafley 202).
In chapter six, Nelly explains, “‘We don’t in general take to foreigners, here, Mr. Lockwood, unless they take to us first’ ” (Hafley 203). Though Nelly is not speaking of her treatment of Heathcliff, her comment does reflect that sentiment
as well as her belief that she should be of the same social level as the Earnshaws. Therefore, when Hindley returns to Wuthering Heights and orders Nelly to move into the back-kitchen, she plans to turn against him for revenge by
encouraging Heathcliff’s and Cathy’s poor behavior. She admits,“ ‘[M]any a time I’ve cried to myself to watch them growing more reckless daily, and I not daring to speak a syllable, for fear of losing the small power I still retained over the unfriended creatures’ ” (203-4).
Nelly’s resentment is not exclusively towards Heathcliff; she also shows aversion towards Cathy. For example, when Cathy is dying, Nelly decides to not tell anyone of her mistress’s poor condition. Furthermore, while the doctor tells Nelly that Cathy should not be crossed in her poor health, Nelly continues to antagonize her mistress by “creating a false impression of Edgar’s response to the situation” (Hafley 208). Once Edgar discovers Cathy’s true condition, it is too late; she is nearly dead. Yet, right before death, Cathy seems to come to a realization of Nelly’s evil:
I see in you, Nelly, … an aged woman: you have grey hair and bent shoulders. This bed is the fairy cave under
Peniston Crag, and you are gathering elf-bolts to hurt our heifers; pretending, while I am near, that they are only
locks of wool. Shake your head as you will, Nelly, you have helped to unsettle me. … Ah! Nelly has played traitor. …
Nelly is my hidden enemy. You witch! So you do seek elf-bolts to hurt us! (Hafley 208)
Of course, Nelly attributes this “revelation” to a bout of lunacy, and the reader typically accepts her claim. By chapter seventeen Nelly has gained considerable power. She is essentially acting as mistress of the Grange when Isabella visits her. This is apparent by the fact that as soon as Isabella complains of young Cathy’s crying, Nelly has a servant take care of the problem rather than fixing the problem herself (Hafley 209).
Nelly also extends her villainy to Cathy Linton’s daughter, Cathy. When Nelly takes Cathy to Wuthering Heights to meet Linton, she does so against Edgar’s will. She then realizes that Linton is bitter, spiteful, and most likely not safe, yet she
does not pressure Cathy to leave the dangerous situation. Finally, when Nelly discovers the secret letters between Cathy and Linton, she does not mention anything to Edgar even though she is fully aware of the dangers her young mistress is in (Hafley 210).
The day that Cathy is trapped at Wuthering Heights by Heathcliff is perhaps one of the most dramatic moments in the novel. Though many point disapprovingly to Heathcliff for taking Cathy prisoner, they often forget, or ignore, the fact
that Nelly was the one who had arranged for Cathy to go beyond the boundaries of the Grange and onto Heathcliff’s property. She is also the one who allowed Cathy to follow Heathcliff into his own house—they were not taken by force, as Nelly tells Edgar when she returns to the Grange (Hafley 211).
Many readers wonder why Nelly takes the time to tell her rather long tale to Mr. Lockwood. The reason becomes evident when she concludes her story. Up to this point, Mr. Lockwood only knows what Nelly has told him, yet he believes every
word of it. His disposition to like her and his willingness to believe everything that she tells him would make him the perfect “master” for her; she would have complete control over him. For this reason, she hints that since Linton has died, Cathy may need to remarry again (Hafley212).
Although she does not succeed in uniting Cathy and Mr. Lockwood, Nelly does succeed in gaining as much power as she probably could. When Mr. Lockwood visits her a year later he discovers that she has control of Cathy, and, indirectly, the estate, for she manages all of Cathy’s affairs. Furthermore, Cathy has married Hareton, an equally controllable character. Nelly regards the marriage as “‘the crown of all [her] wishes’” (Hafley 213).
Considering Nelly’s actions, Heathcliff’s death at the end of the novel is perhaps the most tragic. It could be argued that Nelly’s treatment of Heathcliff leads to the development of his nasty character. What is most sad, however, is the fact that
throughout his whole life, Heathcliff trusts Nelly. He shares his innermost secrets with her, and she turns him into a wicked person. However, in the end, Nelly does not triumph, for she is forced to face Heathcliff after his death in a way that proves to make her uncomfortable: “‘I tried to close his eyes: to extinguish, if possible, that frightful, life-like gaze of exultation, before anyone else beheld it. They would not shut: they seemed to sneer at my attempts; and his parted lips and sharp white teeth sneered too’” (Hafley 213-4).
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights was masterfully crafted. She created a character who worked so meticulously and
inconspicuously as to not only fool the characters in the novel but the readers themselves. Nelly Dean’s presence not only adds interest to the novel but an incredible amount of depth and perplexity as well.
Works Cited
Hafley, James. "The Villain in Wuthering Heights." Nineteenth-Century Literature13.3 (1958): 199-215. JSTOR.
Web. 29 Aug. 2013.
The false interpretation of Nelly Dean as a “good” character has been present since the publication of the novel. In fact, Emily Brontë’s own sister, Charlotte, stated that Nelly was “a specimen of true benevolence and homely fidelity”
(Hafley 199). Other critics have described Nelly as a normal character or as a character that Brontë uses simply to express her own opinions of the protagonists in her novel. Even critics who find faults with Nelly cannot help but praise her at the same time (200). However, despite the common perception of Nelly as a virtuous character, there is evidence in the novel itself that proves otherwise.
The first instances of Nelly’s villainous nature are expressed by her contempt towards Heathcliff, as shown in chapter four when she explains to Mr. Lockwood how Heathcliff came to be a part of the Earnshaw family. She refers to him as“it,” allows Cathy to spit at him, and even places him on the bottom of the stairs at night so that Cathy and Hindley do not have to sleep in the same room as him. Nelly even tells Mr. Lockwood outright that she hated Heathcliff (Hafley 202).
Nelly’s resentment towards Heathcliff could be partially explained by her desire to have the same, or greater, social status as the Earnshaws. Before Heathcliff arrives at Wuthering Heights, Nelly eats and plays with the other Earnshaw children.
However, upon Heathcliff’s arrival, Mr. Earnshaw orders Nelly to bathe him, give him things, and let him be with the other children. This action threatens Nelly’s position as an equal to the other Earnshaw children; she is being required to take on the roles of one of a lower class (Hafley 202).
In chapter six, Nelly explains, “‘We don’t in general take to foreigners, here, Mr. Lockwood, unless they take to us first’ ” (Hafley 203). Though Nelly is not speaking of her treatment of Heathcliff, her comment does reflect that sentiment
as well as her belief that she should be of the same social level as the Earnshaws. Therefore, when Hindley returns to Wuthering Heights and orders Nelly to move into the back-kitchen, she plans to turn against him for revenge by
encouraging Heathcliff’s and Cathy’s poor behavior. She admits,“ ‘[M]any a time I’ve cried to myself to watch them growing more reckless daily, and I not daring to speak a syllable, for fear of losing the small power I still retained over the unfriended creatures’ ” (203-4).
Nelly’s resentment is not exclusively towards Heathcliff; she also shows aversion towards Cathy. For example, when Cathy is dying, Nelly decides to not tell anyone of her mistress’s poor condition. Furthermore, while the doctor tells Nelly that Cathy should not be crossed in her poor health, Nelly continues to antagonize her mistress by “creating a false impression of Edgar’s response to the situation” (Hafley 208). Once Edgar discovers Cathy’s true condition, it is too late; she is nearly dead. Yet, right before death, Cathy seems to come to a realization of Nelly’s evil:
I see in you, Nelly, … an aged woman: you have grey hair and bent shoulders. This bed is the fairy cave under
Peniston Crag, and you are gathering elf-bolts to hurt our heifers; pretending, while I am near, that they are only
locks of wool. Shake your head as you will, Nelly, you have helped to unsettle me. … Ah! Nelly has played traitor. …
Nelly is my hidden enemy. You witch! So you do seek elf-bolts to hurt us! (Hafley 208)
Of course, Nelly attributes this “revelation” to a bout of lunacy, and the reader typically accepts her claim. By chapter seventeen Nelly has gained considerable power. She is essentially acting as mistress of the Grange when Isabella visits her. This is apparent by the fact that as soon as Isabella complains of young Cathy’s crying, Nelly has a servant take care of the problem rather than fixing the problem herself (Hafley 209).
Nelly also extends her villainy to Cathy Linton’s daughter, Cathy. When Nelly takes Cathy to Wuthering Heights to meet Linton, she does so against Edgar’s will. She then realizes that Linton is bitter, spiteful, and most likely not safe, yet she
does not pressure Cathy to leave the dangerous situation. Finally, when Nelly discovers the secret letters between Cathy and Linton, she does not mention anything to Edgar even though she is fully aware of the dangers her young mistress is in (Hafley 210).
The day that Cathy is trapped at Wuthering Heights by Heathcliff is perhaps one of the most dramatic moments in the novel. Though many point disapprovingly to Heathcliff for taking Cathy prisoner, they often forget, or ignore, the fact
that Nelly was the one who had arranged for Cathy to go beyond the boundaries of the Grange and onto Heathcliff’s property. She is also the one who allowed Cathy to follow Heathcliff into his own house—they were not taken by force, as Nelly tells Edgar when she returns to the Grange (Hafley 211).
Many readers wonder why Nelly takes the time to tell her rather long tale to Mr. Lockwood. The reason becomes evident when she concludes her story. Up to this point, Mr. Lockwood only knows what Nelly has told him, yet he believes every
word of it. His disposition to like her and his willingness to believe everything that she tells him would make him the perfect “master” for her; she would have complete control over him. For this reason, she hints that since Linton has died, Cathy may need to remarry again (Hafley212).
Although she does not succeed in uniting Cathy and Mr. Lockwood, Nelly does succeed in gaining as much power as she probably could. When Mr. Lockwood visits her a year later he discovers that she has control of Cathy, and, indirectly, the estate, for she manages all of Cathy’s affairs. Furthermore, Cathy has married Hareton, an equally controllable character. Nelly regards the marriage as “‘the crown of all [her] wishes’” (Hafley 213).
Considering Nelly’s actions, Heathcliff’s death at the end of the novel is perhaps the most tragic. It could be argued that Nelly’s treatment of Heathcliff leads to the development of his nasty character. What is most sad, however, is the fact that
throughout his whole life, Heathcliff trusts Nelly. He shares his innermost secrets with her, and she turns him into a wicked person. However, in the end, Nelly does not triumph, for she is forced to face Heathcliff after his death in a way that proves to make her uncomfortable: “‘I tried to close his eyes: to extinguish, if possible, that frightful, life-like gaze of exultation, before anyone else beheld it. They would not shut: they seemed to sneer at my attempts; and his parted lips and sharp white teeth sneered too’” (Hafley 213-4).
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights was masterfully crafted. She created a character who worked so meticulously and
inconspicuously as to not only fool the characters in the novel but the readers themselves. Nelly Dean’s presence not only adds interest to the novel but an incredible amount of depth and perplexity as well.
Works Cited
Hafley, James. "The Villain in Wuthering Heights." Nineteenth-Century Literature13.3 (1958): 199-215. JSTOR.
Web. 29 Aug. 2013.