Chapter XXXIV Practice Quiz — Wuthering Heights
by Emily Bronte — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXXIV
What unusual behavior does Heathcliff display when he returns after being out all night?
He appears strangely bright, cheerful, and wildly excited, with a joyful glitter in his eyes. He is pale and trembling, yet joyful—an expression Nelly has never seen on him before.
What does Heathcliff mean when he tells Nelly he was "on the threshold of hell" last night but is now "within sight of my heaven"?
He is referring to his approaching reunion with Catherine Earnshaw in death. His "heaven" is not the Christian afterlife but being united with Catherine—his entire spiritual world revolves around her.
How long does Heathcliff go without eating before his death?
Four days. Nelly conceals this from the doctor, believing the fasting was a consequence of his strange illness rather than a deliberate act of starvation.
What invisible presence does Heathcliff appear to see throughout Chapter 34?
He appears to gaze at something about two yards away that communicates both extreme pleasure and pain. It is strongly implied to be Catherine Earnshaw’s ghost, though Nelly cannot see anything.
What burial instructions does Heathcliff give Nelly?
He asks to be carried to the churchyard in the evening, with only Nelly and Hareton accompanying him. He insists the sexton follow specific directions about the two coffins (his and Catherine’s) and says no minister or religious service is needed.
How is Heathcliff found dead?
Nelly finds him lying on his back in the panelled bed with the lattice window open, rain soaking his face and body. His eyes are keen and fierce with an expression of exultation, and his hand rests on the sill with grazed, bloodless skin.
What is the symbolic significance of the open window in Heathcliff’s death scene?
It echoes Catherine’s ghost at the window in Chapter 3 and symbolizes the permeable boundary between life and death, civilization and the wild moors. It suggests Heathcliff’s spirit has passed through to join Catherine.
Why is Hareton’s mourning of Heathcliff significant?
Despite being the person Heathcliff wronged most, Hareton is the only one who genuinely grieves. His generous-hearted sorrow demonstrates the capacity for love and forgiveness that Heathcliff lacked, making Hareton worthy of the restored happiness to come.
What do the ghost sightings at the end of the novel suggest?
A boy claims to see Heathcliff and a woman on the moor, and Joseph sees two figures at the chamber window on rainy nights. These sightings suggest Heathcliff may have achieved his desired reunion with Catherine, though Brontë leaves it ambiguous.
What is the significance of the three headstones Lockwood finds at the kirkyard?
The three headstones—Catherine’s (grey, half-buried in heath), Edgar Linton’s (harmonized by turf and moss), and Heathcliff’s (still bare)—represent the central love triangle. Their proximity in death mirrors the entanglements of their lives.
What future is planned for Hareton and young Catherine at the novel’s end?
They plan to marry on New Year’s Day and move to Thrushcross Grange, leaving Wuthering Heights to Joseph. Their union restores the Earnshaw and Linton families and replaces destructive passion with a healthier love.
How does the novel’s final line create ambiguity about the afterlife?
Lockwood wonders how anyone could imagine "unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth," suggesting peace. But the phrase "unquiet slumbers" raises the very possibility it claims to dismiss, and the preceding ghost stories make that peace uncertain.
Why does Nelly compare Heathcliff to a "ghoul or a vampire"?
His nocturnal wandering, refusal to eat, ghastly pallor, glittering eyes, and seemingly supernatural energy make Nelly think of the demonic creatures she has read about. This Gothic imagery reinforces the ambiguity about whether Heathcliff is experiencing something supernatural.
What does Heathcliff’s rejection of a minister reveal about his character?
It reveals that his moral universe is built entirely around Catherine, not Christianity. He declares he has "nearly attained my heaven" and that conventional religion’s heaven is "altogether unvalued and uncoveted" by him—his only salvation is reunion with Catherine.