The person01–03
01·Who they are
Who is Zillah?
Zillah is the housekeeper at Wuthering Heights, introduced in Chapter II as "the stout housewife." She serves as a middle-ranking member of the household—under Heathcliff but above no one in particular, sharing this space with Joseph. Occasionally, she travels to Gimmerton and stays attuned to the local gossip circulating in the village.
02·Arc & motivation
What is Zillah's arc and motivation?
Zillah doesn’t undergo a dramatic character arc, but her role in the story changes over time. In the early chapters, she reacts to crises—like Lockwood's nosebleed or Linton's coughing fit—and follows Heathcliff's orders around the house. By Chapters XXX–XXXII, she becomes a crucial source of information, giving Nelly—and through her, the reader—the only detailed account of young Catherine's imprisonment and suffering at the Heights. Her motivations primarily revolve around self-preservation and self-interest: she follows Heathcliff's commands, avoids conflict, and withdraws her goodwill when she feels slighted. By Chapter XXXII, she has left Wuthering Heights entirely, with Nelly stepping into her role.
03·Key moments
What are Zillah's key moments?
- Chapter II: Zillah intervenes after Lockwood's nosebleed, splashes him with cold water, gives him brandy on Heathcliff's orders, and shows him to bed—her first and most striking moment in the narrative.
- Chapter III: Lockwood finds Zillah stoking the kitchen fire at dawn, caught in "a stormy scene" with Heathcliff, who scolds her while she gives "an indignant groan." Lockwood tells Heathcliff that it was Zillah who led him to the haunted room.
- Chapter XXIV: Young Cathy recalls Zillah preparing a tidy room and bringing warm wine and gingerbread during her early visits to Linton; later, Cathy runs into the yard calling for Zillah when Linton collapses, prompting Zillah to rush in from milking the cows to help bring Cathy back inside.
- Chapter XXVIII: Zillah, wrapped in her scarlet shawl and wearing a black silk bonnet, comes to unlock Nelly's room, delivering Heathcliff's message and a rumor about Nelly being lost in the marsh.
- Chapter XXX: Zillah shares with Nelly a detailed account of young Catherine's life at the Heights—her isolation, her two weeks confined upstairs, and her difficult Sunday in the kitchen with Hareton—while expressing her own resentment toward Catherine's pride.
The cast04–05
04·Relationships
What are Zillah's most important relationships?
Zillah's connection with Nelly Dean is the most significant aspect of her character: she acts as Nelly's informant and, by extension, provides the reader with insights into the Heights during a narrative gap. However, Nelly views everything Zillah shares with skepticism, describing her as "a narrow-minded, selfish woman" who "willingly acquiesced" to Heathcliff's cruelty toward young Catherine. This perspective urges the reader to approach Zillah's testimony cautiously.
With young Catherine, Zillah transitions from being conditionally helpful to openly antagonistic. After Linton’s death, she visits Catherine twice a day but observes that Catherine "proudly and promptly repelled" her attempts at kindness. In response, Zillah becomes "as stiff as herself" and tells Nelly that she would take pleasure in seeing Catherine's pride humbled.
Her relationship with Linton Heathcliff reveals her practical side: she is the servant he depends on, and his complaint that she is "constantly gadding off to Gimmerton" suggests she isn’t always reliable.
05·Connected characters
How is Zillah connected to the other characters?
Study06–07
06·Questions
Questions readers ask about Zillah
What does Zillah do when Lockwood has a nosebleed in Chapter II?
She steps into the chaos, douses Lockwood with a pint of icy water, drags him into the kitchen, pours him some brandy as Heathcliff instructed, and finally leads him to bed.
Why does Heathcliff threaten to turn Zillah out of the house in Chapter III?
Zillah took Lockwood to the forbidden chamber, where he was unsettled by what he thought was a ghost. Lockwood informs Heathcliff that it was "your servant Zillah" who brought him there, which infuriates Heathcliff.
How does Nelly describe Zillah's character?
Nelly describes her as "a narrow-minded, selfish woman" who chose to follow Heathcliff's orders and abandon young Catherine to fend for herself.
What is Zillah's role in Chapter XXX?
She encounters Nelly on the moor and shares a thorough account of young Catherine's life at the Heights since her arrival—her feelings of isolation, the two weeks she spent confined upstairs after Linton's death, and the challenging Sundays she faces in the kitchen with Hareton.
How does Zillah treat young Catherine at the Heights?
She visits Catherine twice a day while Catherine is stuck upstairs. Zillah might have been friendlier, but her efforts to show kindness are quickly and proudly pushed away. Heathcliff has told Zillah not to help Catherine, and Zillah follows his orders. Gradually, she begins to resent Catherine's arrogant demeanor and tells Nelly that she wishes to see her pride brought down a notch.
What happens to Zillah by the end of the novel?
By Chapter XXXII, Zillah is no longer at Wuthering Heights, having left, and at Heathcliff's request, Nelly Dean has taken her position there.
How does Zillah help young Cathy during the crisis with Linton in Chapter XXIV?
When Linton collapses and starts coughing up blood, young Cathy rushes into the yard, shouting for Zillah. Zillah quickly comes running from the shed where she's been milking cows. After pulling Cathy inside, Zillah helps carry her back into the house and later takes her to a room where Linton is recovering.
07·Essay angles
Use this in your essay
Tool · Essay angles
Zillah as unreliable narrator
Domesticity and complicity
The servant as social observer
Narrative structure