Wuthering Heights | 1939

Main Plot

Wuthering Heights follows the passionate and tumultuous relationship between Heathcliff, an orphan taken in by the Earnshaw family, and Catherine Earnshaw, the daughter of the house. After being raised together at the remote estate of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff and Catherine develop an intense bond that defies social conventions. However, their love is tested by pride, jealousy, and the rigid class structure of their time. Catherine ultimately chooses to marry Edgar Linton, a wealthy neighbor, leaving Heathcliff heartbroken and vengeful. Consumed by his feelings, Heathcliff sets out to exact revenge on those who wronged him, setting off a cycle of bitterness and tragedy that affects both families for generations. The story is recounted by Nelly Dean, a longtime servant, to a visiting outsider, as she reveals the deep-seated passions and destructive consequences of love and obsession on the moors of Yorkshire.

Characters

• Merle Oberon portrays Cathy, a passionate and headstrong woman torn between love and societal expectations. Her internal struggle between desire and duty drives the film’s tragic romance.
• Laurence Olivier plays Heathcliff, a brooding outsider consumed by his love for Cathy and thirst for revenge. His journey explores the destructive power of obsession and longing.
• David Niven is Edgar Linton, a gentle and refined suitor vying for Cathy’s affection. His presence highlights the contrast between comfort and wild, tumultuous passion.

Ending Explained

The ending of Wuthering Heights brings the tragic saga of Cathy and Heathcliff to a haunting close. After years of bitterness, revenge, and longing, Heathcliff is left alone, consumed by his obsession with Cathy and the pain of their lost love. His relentless pursuit of vengeance against those he holds responsible for their separation ultimately leaves him hollow and isolated. In the final moments, Heathcliff’s health and spirit deteriorate as he becomes increasingly haunted by visions of Cathy, unable to find peace in her absence. Eventually, Heathcliff dies, his body discovered in the room where he once shared memories with Cathy, suggesting that death finally reunites the star-crossed lovers. The story ends with a sense of eerie calm, as the next generation is free from the cycle of hatred that plagued their elders. The servant’s tale to the traveler thus concludes with the implication that love and suffering are intertwined, but that peace is possible, even if only in death.