THE NARRATORS OF WUTHERING HEIGHTS.

The two narrators of Wuthering Heights are Lockwoo an Ne!!" #ean$ %ut there are a!so
&arious narrators use through out the no&e! %ecause E'i!" (ronte wante the action of
the %ook to %e )resente as an e"ewitness narration %" the )eo)!e who ha&e )!a"e so'e
)art in the %ook. Un!ike 'ost no&e!s$ wuthering heights has a 'u!ti*!a"ere narration
which he!)s 'aintain a continous narrati&e +Ne!!" #ean re!ates the stor" to Lockwoo,
e&en though there ifficu!ties %ecause of the ti'e*ga)s in&o!&e in the no&e! e.g.
Heathc!iff-s e)ature for . "ears.
The )ur)ose of !ockwoo-s narration is to raw the reaer into the househo! of the
heights$ so that it-s characters cou! %e unerstoo which therefore 'akes the reaer
introuce to the rea!ities of the hatefu! an %ewi!ering en&iro'ent. The uni/ue as)ect
a%out the narration of wuthering heights is that the author cannot use her own &oice to te!!
the stor" es)ecia!!" in e'otiona! 'o'ents e.g. the co&ersation in&o!&ing Heathc!iff$ 0ath"
an Egar on Heathc!iff-s return is recore %" the wors of the )artici)ants.
Each narrati&e takes )!ace insie the action occu)"ing an i')ortant )!ace in the
ra'atic structure inorer to 'ake sure that the reaer ne&er stans co')!ete!" outsie of
the stor"$ therefore 1ust !ike !ockwoo the reaer a!so %eco'es the irect reci)ient of Ne!!"
#ean-s narrati&e an this 'akes the reaer 'ore in&o!&e in the stor" an the e&ents !ook
'uch 'ore !arger an ha&e a 'ore ra'atic i')act %ecause the stor" has not %een
trans!ate for the reaer through eitoria! co''ent.
Lockwoo is inte!!igent an )erce)ti&e an his )recise etai!e escri)tions are use
%" his creator to create su%t!e changes in situation an character$ an e2a')!e of this is
that when Lockwoo first &isite Wuthering Heights$ he co''ente on the chaine gate$
whi!e at the en of the no&e! when he returns to fin Heathc!iff ea$ he notice 3(oth
oors an !attices were o)en3.
0hanges in character are a!so hinte at %" Lockwoo4s e"e for etai!$ he has notice
changes in %oth 0ath" an Hareton * 0ath" once escri%e %" Lockwoo as 3the !itt!e
witch3$ now has 3a &oice as sweet as a si!&er %e!!3. Hareton escri%e in the o)ening
cha)ters as a %oor an a c!own an has %" the en of the no&e! %eco'e 3a "oung 'an
res)ecta%!" resse3 with 3hanso'e features3$ therefore Lockwoo$ %" fu!fi!!ing the ro!e
as the etache outsier an o%ser&er$ %rings a i'ension to the no&e! which is /uite
ifferent fro' the )erce)tion )ro&ie %" Ne!!".
5ost of Ne!!" #ean-s narrati&e is to! in the wors of the characters %ut her narrati&e
see's to arise out of c!ear 'e'or"$ the reaers fee!s the ra)i e2cite'ent fro' her
narrati&e %ecause of the concentration on action an reaction 6 'o&e'ent an gesture.
Ne!!" 'akes the reaer fee! as though she re'e'%ers e&er"thing as if it ha))ene an
hour ago an a!so her e2cite'ent to te!! it a!! is shown %" her use of )!ain !anguage$
ia!ogues that hints not trace of st"!e an a!so the %rief ra)iit" of a sentence$ an e2a')!e
of this is Ne!!"4s reco!!ection of the ti'e !eaing u) to 0atherine4s eath$ when 0atherine
orere her to o)en the winow of her roo' * 3Oh$ if I were %ut in '" own %e in the o!
house73 she went on %itter!"$ wringing her hans$ 3An that win souning in the firs %"
the !attice. 3#o !et 'e fee! it7 * it co'es straight own the 'oor * o !et 'e ha&e one
%reath73
Ne!!" as a narrator %rings us c!ose to the action an in a wa" she-s ee)!" into the
action. The )ro%!e's of the Heights an the Grange ha&e %een a huge )art of her !ife an
we know this %" seeing the generations of Earnshaws an Lintons through her e"es.
Ne!!" is an unre!ia%!e narrator %ecause she %oth encourages an iscourages
re!ationshi)s$ her attitue changes %etween a))ro&a! an isa))ro&a! e)ening on her
'oo$ this is 'ost!" o%&ious in the ro!e she )!a"s in the !o&e triang!e %etween Heathc!iffe$
0atherine an Egar 8 (" taking Egar-s sie whi!e arranging the !ast 'eeting %etween
0atherine an Heathc!iffe %" !ea&ing the winow o)en for hi'$ she a!so at ti'es )!ots with
0atherine an at other ti'es 1uges her for writing against her Father-s wishes.
When Ne!!" s)eaks as a narrator her !anguage is !i&e!" an i'aginati&e an she %rings
the charcter to !ife whi!e )ro&iing the reaer with &i&i an )recise i'ages$ an e2a')!e is
her reference to heathc!iffe-s !ife 3It4s a cuckoo4s$ sir * I know a!! a%out it$ e2ce)t where he
was %orn$ an who were his )arents$ an how he got his 'one" at first. An that Hareton$
has %een cast out !ike a unf!ege unnock.3 In this e2a')!e the tagging on of the )hrase
3at first3 suggests that Ne!!" knows how he got his 'one" !ater an therefore arouses our
interest in Heathc!iff.
Ne!!" an Lockwoo are 'ere!" e&ices )ro&iing a 'echanis' through which the reaer
can enter a wor! of Wuthering Heights an react in an ini&iua! wa" to the e&ents which
occur.