Chapter XXXIII Practice Quiz — Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXXIII
What do Catherine and Hareton do in Joseph's garden at the start of Chapter 33?
They uproot Joseph's prized currant and gooseberry bushes to clear space for a flower bed, importing plants from Thrushcross Grange.
How does Catherine tease Hareton at breakfast?
She sticks primroses in his plate of porridge, provoking him to laugh and drawing Heathcliff's angry attention.
How does Joseph react when he discovers his destroyed shrubs?
He is furious and demands his wages, threatening to leave Wuthering Heights after sixty years of service. He blames Catherine for "witching" Hareton.
What bold accusation does Catherine make against Heathcliff during the breakfast confrontation?
She accuses him of taking all her land and money, and also Hareton's land and money. She declares that she and Hareton are now friends and allies against him.
What happens when Heathcliff seizes Catherine by the hair?
He gazes intently into her face, and something causes him to suddenly release her. He draws his hand over his eyes and tells her to leave, warning that he might "really murder" her someday.
What does Catherine threaten will happen if Heathcliff strikes her?
"If you strike me, Hareton will strike you." She uses her alliance with Hareton as protection against Heathcliff's violence.
How does Hareton demonstrate loyalty to Heathcliff after the confrontation?
He refuses to let Catherine speak ill of Heathcliff, saying he would stand by him even "if he were the devil." He tells Catherine he'd rather she abuse him directly than disparage Heathcliff.
What metaphor does Nelly use to describe Hareton's bond with Heathcliff?
"Chains, forged by habit, which it would be cruel to attempt to loosen" — ties stronger than reason could break.
How does Catherine show maturity after understanding Hareton's bond with Heathcliff?
She resolves never again to speak against Heathcliff in Hareton's hearing, recognizing and respecting the deep attachment Hareton feels toward his guardian.
What scene does Heathcliff witness when he returns in the evening?
He finds Hareton and Catherine reading together by the red firelight, their faces animated with the "eager interest of children," a peaceful domestic tableau.
What physical resemblance does Nelly note about Hareton and Catherine?
Their eyes are "precisely similar" to those of the original Catherine Earnshaw. Hareton's resemblance to the first Catherine is "particularly striking" when his mind is alert and active.
What extended metaphor does Heathcliff use to describe the failure of his revenge?
He compares it to gathering "levers and mattocks to demolish the two houses" and training himself "to be capable of working like Hercules," only to find the will to lift a slate off either roof has vanished.
What does Heathcliff mean when he says "there is a strange change approaching"?
He senses a mysterious inner transformation — he has lost interest in daily life, can barely remember to eat and drink, and feels consumed by a single wish that has "devoured my existence." This foreshadows his death.
How does Heathcliff describe seeing Catherine Earnshaw everywhere?
"In every cloud, in every tree — filling the air at night, and caught by glimpses in every object by day — I am surrounded with her image!" The whole world is a "dreadful collection of memoranda that she did exist."
What does Heathcliff call Hareton in his confession to Nelly?
He calls Hareton "a personification of my youth" and "the ghost of my immortal love" because Hareton's resemblance to Catherine Earnshaw connects him painfully with the past.
What biblical allusion is present in the garden scene?
Joseph's fury at the young couple's transformation of his garden echoes the story of Adam and Eve — a new couple reshaping a garden over the outraged protests of its old guardian.
What does the flower garden symbolize in this chapter?
It symbolizes renewal, the merging of the two rival households (Heights and Grange), and the displacement of the old, harsh order by the younger generation's capacity for love and beauty.
How does Heathcliff behave at dinner after the morning confrontation?
He sends for Catherine when he notices her vacant seat, then speaks to no one, eats very little, and goes out immediately, saying he would not return before evening.
What ages are Hareton and Catherine at this point in the novel?
Hareton is twenty-three and Catherine is eighteen, though Nelly says they have "so much of novelty to feel and learn" that they seem like children.
Why does Heathcliff say Hareton's company is "no benefit" but rather "an aggravation"?
Because Hareton's striking resemblance to Catherine Earnshaw constantly reminds Heathcliff of his lost love, making the young man's presence a source of torment rather than comfort.