Wuthering Heights Group

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harleyangel
harleyangel
Student
High School - 10th Grade

In Chapters 11 and 12 of "Wuthering Heights" after the encounter between Edgar and Hindley, what action does Catherine take?

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Posted by harleyangel on Thursday August 21, 2008 at 9:51 AM and tagged with catherine, chapter 11, chapter 12, characters, wuthering heights.

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  1. lit24
    lit24 Teacher
    Doctorate

    eNotes Editor

    In Ch.11 Heathcliff and Edgar quarrel in the presence of Catherine. She becomes very angry with both the men and after they have left she goes to her room upstairs accompanied by Nelly. She then confides to Nelly her future course of action. 

    She first tells Nelly that she does not want to see Isabella at all because Isabella is mainly responsible for the present commotion:"tell Isabella to shun me; this uproar is owing to her."

    Next she instructs Nelly to lie to Edgar that she is "in danger of being seriously ill."  She wishes to frighten Edgar and annoy him in order to quarrel with him and prove that she is innocent: "you (Nelly) are aware that I am no way  blameable in this matter."

    She is very angry with Edgar who has overheard her conversation with Heathcliff and has become  jealous, so she reveals to Nelly, "well, if I cannot keep Heathcliff for my friend-if Edgar will be mean and jealous, I'll try to break their hearts by breaking my own."

    These words uttered by Catherine in a fit of passion when she is under great mental stress, however prove to be prophetic for Catherine soon becomes really dangerously ill never to recover.

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    Posted by lit24 on Thursday August 21, 2008 at 7:42 PM