Wuthering Heights Explained: What Happens at The End of The Original Story?
Ahead of Emerald Fennell’s take on Wuthering Heights, here’s a brief overview of Emma Brontë’s original novel.
Warner Bros. has dropped a new trailer for Emerald Fennell‘s adaptation of Wuthering Heights, the iconic gothic love story that has stood the test of time. The trailer, accompanied by Charli xcx’s Chains of Love’ from the album of the same name that will be released alongside the movie, offers a glimpse at Catherine and Heathcliff’s torturous affair of love, lust, hatred, and chaos.
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star as the star-crossed lovers in the adaptation, set to grace the big screens on Valentine’s Day. However, don’t expect a feel-good romance if you’re eyeing to experience it next year.
Spoiler Alert !!!
Wuthering Heights: How Does Catherine and Heathcliff’s Story Conclude?
The first half of Emily Brontë’s novel follows the turbulent relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff. While inseparable as children, their bonds begin to fracture as Catherine finds herself torn between her love for Heathcliff, whom society looks down upon for being an orphan, and her growing sense of societal pride.
Things take a turn for the worse after she ties the knot with the wealthy Edgar Linton, despite being conflicted, which prompts Heathcliff to vow revenge and disappear. Upon his return, Heathcliff, now a wealthy figure filled with bitterness, and Catherine’s reunion reopens old wounds and, in turn, breeds chaos and emotional turmoil.
The weight of her tormented heart eventually gets the better of Catherine, who shortly after dies during childbirth, leaving Heathcliff devastated and vengeful. It’s important to note that the book is split into two halves, with Catherine’s daughter serving as the focus of the second part, and the upcoming movie will be confined to the first half.
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights Will Not Adapt the Novel in Its Entirety
The doomed romance of Catherine and Heathcliff will serve as the basis for Fennell’s hypersexualised adaptation of the iconic novel. That means Catherine’s death will serve as the ending of this chapter.
Even before its release, the adaptation has garnered scrutiny for its casting, with some claiming both Robbie and Elordi don’t fit the description of the characters. Fennell, however, being a huge fan of the novel, felt Robbie was pitch-perfect to play Catherine, stressing that, like Cathy, the actor could get away with anything (via The Guardian).
I’ve been obsessed. I’ve been driven mad by this book. I know that if somebody else made it, I’d be furious. It’s very personal material for everyone. It’s very illicit. The way we relate to the characters is very private... It needed somebody like Margot … somebody who has a power, an otherworldly power, a godlike power, that means people lose their minds.
As for Elordi, his sideburns on the set of Saltburn convinced Fennell that he was meant to play Heathcliff, even though the book describes him as having dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. With a few months till its release, it’ll be interesting to see how the greatest love story will unfold on the big screen from the Saltburn director.
Are you excited for the upcoming movie?
