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Chapter 32
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Wuthering Heights, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gothic Literature and the Supernatural
Nature and Civilization
Love and Passion
Masculinity and Femininity
Class
Revenge and Repetition
Summary
Analysis
The morning after Cathy gives Hareton the book, she and Heathcliff get into an argument at breakfast over her inheritance. Hareton takes her side. Heathcliff grabs Cathy and nearly hits her, but then suddenly lets her go—her eyes remind him of Catherine.
In the past, Heathcliff would have just hit Cathy, but his visions of Catherine are changing him, blunting his need for revenge.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
That same night, he sees Cathy and Hareton sitting together, and they both remind him of Catherine. All of these reminders of Catherine torment him, and he admits to Nelly that he no longer much cares about taking out his revenge on Cathy and Hareton.
Being haunted by Catherine torments Heathcliff, but it is also what he always wanted., and so he no longer feels the need for vengeance, breaking the cycle of revenge and allowing Cathy and Hareton to live in peace.
Themes
Quiz
Test Yourself
