Скачать или смотреть Wuthering Heights: Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five serves as a somber bridge between Edgar Linton’s fading life and Heathcliff’s tightening grip on both families. The story resumes in the frame narrative, with Nelly Dean recounting events from the previous winter to Mr. Lockwood. Her recollection begins with Edgar’s failing health and Catherine’s dutiful obedience to her father’s wishes. Although still affectionate and spirited, Catherine refrains from visiting Wuthering Heights, honoring her father’s command out of love and respect.

Edgar, aware that his strength is waning, reflects on his mortality with quiet resignation. He confides in Nelly his fears for his daughter’s future, expressing sorrow that he must leave her alone in a world dominated by enemies—chiefly Heathcliff. He contemplates Catherine’s possible marriage to Linton Heathcliff, hoping it might provide her with companionship and protection, yet he is deeply troubled by the thought that Linton may be unworthy or weak. His internal conflict—between hope and despair—reveals his profound love for his daughter and his dread of abandoning her to an uncertain fate.

Despite Edgar’s physical decline, Catherine remains optimistic, mistaking his flushed cheeks and bright eyes for signs of recovery. Edgar, tender but weary, writes to Linton to request a meeting, hoping to assess the boy’s character. Linton’s reply, though apparently affectionate, bears traces of Heathcliff’s manipulation. He pleads for permission to see Catherine, portraying himself as lonely and oppressed by his father’s cruelty. Edgar, sympathetic but cautious, refuses direct contact, fearing that Heathcliff will use any meeting to advance his vengeful schemes.

As Edgar’s condition deteriorates through spring and into summer, he reluctantly allows Catherine and Linton to meet occasionally under Nelly’s supervision. His decision stems from both paternal affection and a lingering belief that a union between them could restore peace between the two houses. What Edgar cannot know is that both he and Linton are dying—and that Heathcliff’s ambition drives the boy’s forced enthusiasm for the relationship.

Emily Brontë uses Chapter Twenty-Five to contrast Edgar’s quiet virtue with Heathcliff’s ruthless obsession. Edgar represents moral decency and selfless love, while Heathcliff embodies power, greed, and emotional domination. The tone of the chapter is elegiac and reflective, filled with premonitions of death and the collapse of an old moral order. Beneath the surface of tender domestic scenes lies the relentless advance of tragedy, as both Edgar and his world near their end.