the will

The will is a legal document that becomes a central instrument of Heathcliff's revenge, determining the inheritance of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Edgar Linton's attempt to protect his daughter Catherine by altering his will is thwarted by Heathcliff's manipulation of Linton Heathcliff's will, which transfers all property to Heathcliff and leaves Catherine destitute and trapped at Wuthering Heights.

Edgar Linton's Will and Its Revision

As Edgar Linton lay dying, he divined that one of Heathcliff's purposes was to secure the personal property, as well as the estate, to his son Linton—or rather to himself. Ignorant of how nearly his nephew would quit the world alongside him, Edgar felt that his will had better be altered. Instead of leaving Catherine's fortune at her own disposal, he determined to put it in the hands of trustees for her use during life, and for her children, if she had any, after her. By that means, it could not fall to Heathcliff should Linton die. Edgar gave orders to fetch the attorney, Mr. Green, but the lawyer delayed, having sold himself to Heathcliff. Fortunately, no thought of worldly affairs crossed Edgar's mind to disturb him after Catherine's arrival, and he died blissfully, kissing her cheek and murmuring that he was going to her.

Linton Heathcliff's Will and Its Consequences

After Edgar's funeral, Heathcliff came to Thrushcross Grange to fetch Catherine to Wuthering Heights. He revealed that Linton had bequeathed the whole of his—and what had been Catherine's—moveable property to his father. The poor creature had been threatened or coaxed into that act during her week's absence when his uncle died. The lands, being a minor, Linton could not meddle with. However, Heathcliff claimed and kept them in his wife's right and his own, legally. Catherine, destitute of cash and friends, could not disturb his possession. Zillah later reported that Heathcliff went up once to show Catherine Linton's will, confirming that she was left with nothing.

The Will as an Instrument of Revenge

The will functions as a legal mechanism through which Heathcliff completes his systematic dispossession of both the Earnshaw and Linton families. By securing Linton's inheritance and then Linton's will, Heathcliff ensures that Hareton Earnshaw, who should have been the first gentleman in the neighbourhood, is reduced to a state of complete dependence on his father's inveterate enemy, living in his own house as a servant, deprived of the advantage of wages, unable to right himself because of his friendlessness and his ignorance that he has been wronged. The will thus becomes the final, legal seal on Heathcliff's revenge, transforming personal vendetta into binding property law.

The Will's Role in the Resolution

The will's power is ultimately broken not by legal challenge but by Heathcliff's own loss of will to enforce it. As he tells Nelly Dean, he finds that the will to lift a slate off either roof has vanished. His old enemies have not beaten him; he simply no longer cares for striking. The union of Hareton and Catherine, which Nelly Dean crowns as the fulfillment of all her wishes, represents the de facto overturning of the will's intended dispossession. Their marriage on New Year's Day and their move to Thrushcross Grange restore the property to its rightful heirs, rendering the will's cruel provisions moot through love and reconciliation rather than legal contest.