Chapter Analysis of Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

Chapter 6:

Character analysis:

Nelly Dean: Nelly Dean is a servant in the Wuthering Heights, who originally grew up there. Also she is the narrator for this particular chapter. Nelly can be seen as quietly observant. Unlike Mr. Lockwood who makes assumptions and is quick to blurt out the first words that come to his mind, Nelly pays attention and then may, make her judgments. This can be seen in the first and second paragraphs where she talks recounts her first encounter with Mr. Hindley’s wife, Frances and her upsetting towards death and funerals. Also in the third paragraph, she notes how Hindley has changed as after all, she has known him since he was a child. Also, throughout the chapter. Nelly is able to make quite accurate observations of people as she takes time to watch attentively then recount what she has observed as best as she can without making presumptions and unnecessarily inserting her opinions.
Also, we can observe that Nelly is a kind soul. It is not seen in this chapter that she ever chastised the children although she knew they were very mischievous as seen in the line “contrived some naughty plan of revenge” and “watch them growing more reckless everyday”. However, she never sought to discipline the children or encourage them into obedience as she mentioned “and I not daring to speak a syllable, for fear of losing the small power I still retained over the unfriended creatures” .She understood what the children were facing especially with this ‘changed’ Mr. Hindley so she didn’t seek to make matters worst by being the same as him as they would have developed their special bond with her overtime. This would be so as she grew up with the children and reared the children almost as her own especially as she must have had to watch over them due to illness of the late Mr.Earnshaw and with Mrs. Earnshaw already dead.
In addition, this is linked to her caring nature. When it was that Catherine and Heathcliff went about their own business and could not be found, although commanded to lock the doors and not let anyone in, she still stayed up, not being able to got o bed, opening to lattice looking out for the children. She was determined to let the children in, despite the command, “determined to admit them in spite of the prohibition should they return”. And so she did, at least when only Heathcliff returned. This also highlighted her motherly nature, more so for Catherine, as she was the woman who did the work of the house. As mentioned before, she was their caretaker, someone they were accustomed to, much gentler than Joseph, Mr. Hindley, the curate and even Miss Frances. She takes time to listen to Heatcliff’s story although she was very alarmed at him coming back home without Catherine. She didn’t not scold him for the absence of Catherine although she ought to have been very worried. Even after Heathcliff’ told behaviour and themischief that the got themselves into, Nelly’s still listens to his account and then brings him inside “ covering him and extinguishing the light”.