Wuthering Heights Chapter 20 Summary

Summary

Mr. Edgar Linton asks Nelly to take his sick son back to his father early, and to tell Catherine that the child has been called away rather than that he is nearby. Nelly wakes the reluctant boy and persuades him to ride to Wuthering Heights, soothing him with promises that Edgar and Catherine will visit and describing the new house and local rambles to calm him. The boy frets about not knowing his father and wonders whether he resembles him.

They arrive at Wuthering Heights early in the morning. Heathcliff inspects the child with derisive amusement and astonishment at the boy’s appearance, mocking his frailty and pale complexion. The boy is terrified and clings to Nelly; Heathcliff drags him roughly into his lap, petitions to be acknowledged, and proclaims him his son while berating the boy’s mother for not having raised the child to know his parentage. Heathcliff announces he will keep and provide for the child because he serves Heathcliff’s larger purpose: to secure a future owner who can dominate the Grange’s descendants. He orders comforts and instruction for Linton but makes clear his contempt for the boy’s weakness. Nelly leaves as Heathcliff settles the household to attend to the new charge; the boy cries after her, pleading not to be left behind as the door closes.

The chapter closes on Nelly’s uneasy departure, the locked gate, and Linton’s frightened protests as Heathcliff’s control takes effect, ending her brief guardianship.

Key events

1. Edgar Linton commissions Nelly to return his son early and conceal his location from Catherine.
2. Nelly wakes and persuades the reluctant, ill Linton to ride to Wuthering Heights.
3. Nelly describes Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff to calm Linton en route.
4. They reach Wuthering Heights; Heathcliff inspects and mocks the boy’s appearance.
5. Heathcliff claims Linton as his son, announces plans for his care and education, and insists on exclusive control.
6. Nelly departs; Linton pleads not to be left but is kept inside under Heathcliff’s authority.

Analysis

This chapter shifts custody and control: the child, previously under Edgar’s roof and Nelly’s care, is reclaimed by Heathcliff, who immediately reframes the boy as property and instrument rather than as an object of tenderness. The scene intensifies themes of possession, inheritance, and social power: Heathcliff’s desire is not paternal affection but the strategic advantage of having his descendant succeed to local estates. The contrast between Edgar’s gentleness (recounted by Nelly) and Heathcliff’s coarse dominance sharpens character oppositions and underlines the moral and emotional stakes of family legacy.

Narratively, the chapter accelerates plot movement by relocating Linton and creating an enclosed, hostile environment at Wuthering Heights that will test other characters’ loyalties. Brontë uses direct speech and brisk stage-like action to reveal Heathcliff’s calculating cruelty: his alternating mockery and ostensible provision expose a complex motive—revenge dressed as care. The child’s timorousness and physical delicacy function as a foil to Heathcliff’s forceful presence, symbolizing vulnerability exploited by ambition. The locked door and Linton’s cries foreshadow constriction and loss of agency, while Nelly’s reluctant exit emphasizes the narrator’s moral discomfort and limited power within the household structure.

Important quotes

““My father!” he cried, in strange perplexity. “Mamma never told me I had a father. Where does he live? I’d rather stay with uncle.””

Linton HeathcliffLinton expresses confusion and reluctance when Nelly tells him he is to visit his father, revealing his ignorance of Heathcliff and attachment to Edgar.

““You are my son, then, I’ll tell you; and your mother was a wicked slut to leave you in ignorance of the sort of father you possessed.”

HeathcliffHeathcliff asserts paternity with coarse condemnation of the boy’s mother, exposing his mixture of possession and hostility.

““Don’t leave me! I’ll not stay here! I’ll not stay here!””

Linton HeathcliffThe boy’s frightened protest as Nelly departs emphasizes his vulnerability and the coercive separation about to be enforced.

Characters in Chapter 20

• Edgar Linton
• Nelly Dean
• Linton Heathcliff
• Heathcliff
• Hareton Earnshaw
• Joseph
• Catherine Linton