Nelly Dean

In a novel full of violent, dramatic, and downright detestable characters, Nelly Dean at first appears a beacon of normalcy. A closer examination of the text reveals a darker truth; the unassuming narrator, Nelly, is in fact the primary instigator of conflict in Wuthering Heights. How could Nelly, who possesses none of Heathcliff’s vengeful rage or Cathy Earnshaw’s sharp and cutting wit, a mere servant in the Earnshaw household, cause the some of the most tragic events in Wuthering Heights? The answer lies in her ability to turn a disadvantage of her low status into her greatest asset. Nelly is unusually close to her employers because she was raised alongside them and later has a filial relationship with their children. Within the household,

She uses the knowledge that she gathers from each character to control the situation at hand, gaining a unique power over her masters. Nelly makes a fatal error while exercising this power during Cathy’s illness when she elects to withhold crucial information from Edgar. Cathy’s death acts as a catalyst for two other tragic events; Heathcliff’s revilement of Isabella and the kidnapping of Cathy’s daughter. The careful reader of Brontë’s novel should hold Mrs. Dean accountable for Catherine’s death and the subsequent tragedies that directly result because Nelly instigates unnecessary conflict by deliberately using her position in the household to manipulate communication. In this exploration of Nelly’s accountability, her critical role in conflict creation reveals that the power of knowledge transcends the power of class in Wuthering

When Cathy orders to Nelly to tell Edgar about her illness, Nelly dismisses this order and neglects to tell Edgar, believing Cathy is dramatizing the situation: “I did not wish to 'frighten' her husband, as she said, and multiply his annoyances for the purpose of serving her selfishness. Therefore I said nothing when I met the master coming towards the parlour”(117). Nelly wants to spare Edgar any “annoyances” by withholding information about Cathy’s condition. Even though Cathy is dramatizing the situation initially, Nelly continues to keep Edgar unawares as Cathy starves herself and gradually becomes more ill. As the situation worsens, Nelly realizes her error but lies to Edgar to protect herself: “'She's been fretting here,' I continued, 'and eating scarcely anything, and never complaining: she would admit none of us till this evening, and so we couldn't inform you of her state, as we were not aware of it ourselves; but it is nothing’”(127). Nelly uses the word “fretting” to soften her language, making Cathy’s situation appear less severe. She then hurriedly finishes her justification by again affirming that the situation is “nothing” and not actually a problem Edgar needs to worry about. Even after she has withheld this crucial knowledge from Edgar, Nelly still twists her language and manipulates the understanding of the