What happens in Chapter XXXII of Wuthering Heights?
In September 1802, Lockwood is traveling north and finds himself just fifteen miles from Gimmerton. On a whim, he decides to stop by Thrushcross Grange, the property he’s renting, and arrives just before sunset. He discovers the house is mostly empty, attended only by an unfamiliar housekeeper and a girl; Nelly Dean has moved to Wuthering Heights. After leaving his servant at the Grange, Lockwood strolls up to the Heights in the evening light. Peering through an open window, he sees a young woman playfully teaching a young man to read, rewarding him with kisses. He recognizes the young man as Hareton Earnshaw and, feeling "mean and malignant," quietly slips around to the kitchen, where he finds Nelly sewing and singing while Joseph grumbles nearby. Nelly greets Lockwood, and when he inquires about the rent, she reveals that Heathcliff passed away three months ago, leaving Catherine Heathcliff as the new mistress. Over a drink, Nelly recounts the events since Lockwood's last visit. She explains how Catherine initially mocked and distanced herself from Hareton, leading him to burn his books, but later tried to make amends. On Easter Monday, while Joseph is away at the Gimmerton fair, Catherine breaks Hareton's pipe, forces a conversation, confesses her desire for him to be a cousin and friend, and—when he turns down her outstretched hand—kisses his cheek. She then wraps a book as a gift for him, offering to teach him to read it. He accepts it in silence, and they soon find themselves bent together over its pages. Joseph returns, horrified, and retreats. Nelly concludes by expressing her hope that Catherine and Hareton will marry, adding that she’s relieved Lockwood did not pursue Catherine himself.
Analysis
The chapter is crafted as a frame within a frame: Lockwood's first-person travel narrative encases Nelly Dean's retrospective account, which includes scenes of dialogue and action. This layered storytelling creates an ironic distance—Lockwood, the self-important outsider, becomes a voyeur peering through a window, biting his lip "in spite" at the beauty he has lost, while Nelly, the insider, holds the real story. The chapter opens with a landscape passage—"In winter nothing more dreary, in summer nothing more divine"—which sets up a tonal shift from bleakness to warmth, reflecting the human drama that follows. Imagery of light and transition fills the walk to the Heights: the "beamless amber light along the west" and the "splendid moon" symbolize a shift from one era to another. The Heights itself has transformed: the gate opens effortlessly, and the air is filled with "a fragrance of stocks and wallflowers"—sensory details that indicate a softer domestic atmosphere. The reconciliation scene between Catherine and Hareton unfolds through a series of small physical gestures—a broken pipe, an extended hand, a stolen kiss, a ribbon-wrapped book—each gesture deepening their intimacy. Nelly's narration employs free indirect style to convey Catherine's changing emotions, illustrating her journey from contempt to remorse to tenderness. Joseph serves as a comic foil and moral commentator, with his dialect speeches highlighting the limitations of the old order's understanding. The chapter concludes with Nelly directly addressing Lockwood—"You see, Mr. Lockwood, it was easy enough to win Mrs. Heathcliff's heart"—which reestablishes the frame and gently rebukes the man who never fully grasped what he was witnessing.
Key quotes from Chapter XXXII
“In winter nothing more dreary, in summer nothing more divine, than those glens shut in by hills, and those bluff, bold swells of heath.”
Lockwood describes the moorland scenery on his walk down the valley toward the Grange.
“I bit my lip in spite, at having thrown away the chance I might have had of doing something besides staring at its smiting beauty.”
Lockwood, watching Catherine through the window at Wuthering Heights, reflects on his own lost opportunity.
“I shall envy no one on their wedding day: there won’t be a happier woman than myself in England!”
Nelly Dean concludes her narrative to Lockwood, expressing her hope for Catherine and Hareton's union.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter XXXII
- malappropriated
- Picked up or used the wrong object through mistake; took something for a purpose it was not meant for, confusing it with the right tool.