Why do readers so often question the trustworthiness of the storytellers in *Wuthering Heights*? From the novel’s first pages, the tale is filtered through the voices of Nelly Dean and Mr. Lockwood—two characters whose personal biases, limited perspectives, and selective memories shape everything we learn about the Earnshaws, the Lintons, and the wild figure of Heathcliff. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether you’re getting the whole truth, you’re not alone. The answer is rooted in the very structure of Emily Brontë’s masterpiece and the subtle ways these narrators reveal, conceal, and distort the world of the Heights.
Short answer: Nelly and Lockwood are considered unreliable narrators in *Wuthering Heights* because their accounts are deeply colored by their own prejudices, incomplete understanding, and self-interest. Their narratives are filtered through personal experience and emotion, leading to selective storytelling, distortion, and frequent omissions. This unreliability leaves readers to piece together the truth behind the tumultuous events at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.
The Framing Device: Layers of Subjectivity
To understand why Nelly and Lockwood are unreliable, it’s important to first recognize the novel’s narrative structure. Emily Brontë uses a complex frame narrative: Lockwood, a newcomer to the moors, is both the book’s opening narrator and its recipient of the main story, which is told to him by Nelly Dean, the housekeeper who has served both families for decades. This structure means that readers are twice removed from the original events. We see everything through two filters—Lockwood’s impressions and Nelly’s recollections.
As noted by the British Library (bl.uk), this layering “complicates our ability to know the ‘truth’ of the story,” since readers must constantly judge how much faith to place in what Lockwood and Nelly report. Their perspectives are not neutral windows; they are tinted by personal feelings, social positions, and selective recall.
Nelly Dean: The Partial Insider
Nelly Dean’s unreliability stems in large part from her position as both a participant and an observer. She is intimately involved in the lives of the characters, but her role as a servant means she is also an outsider, with limited power and her own loyalties. She claims to be a trustworthy witness, but her narration is often marked by defensiveness and self-justification. For example, Nelly sometimes glosses over her own mistakes or downplays her responsibility in escalating conflicts, such as her part in the tragic events surrounding Catherine and Heathcliff.
Nelly’s opinions about the characters—especially Catherine, Heathcliff, and Hindley—are shaped by her personal judgments. She frequently moralizes or editorializes, often casting herself in a positive light and others in a negative one. This tendency to present herself as reasonable and others as flawed is a classic sign of narrative bias. As the British Library emphasizes, her “account is coloured by her own feelings and values,” making it necessary for readers to question her reliability and motivations.
Lockwood: The Outsider’s Misunderstandings
Lockwood’s unreliability is of a different kind. As an outsider from the city, he is unfamiliar with the moors and their inhabitants. His initial impressions are often superficial and confused. He misreads social cues, misinterprets relationships, and projects his own assumptions onto the people he meets. For instance, Lockwood’s early attempts to make sense of the dynamics at Wuthering Heights are filled with errors—he mistakes Hareton for a servant and fails to grasp the depth of resentment and history among the characters.
Lockwood’s narrative is also laced with irony and self-delusion. He is not always aware of his own limitations as an observer, and he sometimes exaggerates or romanticizes what he sees. The British Library points out that Lockwood’s account “is shaped by his own ignorance and prejudices,” making him a less-than-reliable conduit for the truth of the story.
Selective Storytelling and Omissions
Both Nelly and Lockwood are guilty of selective storytelling. Nelly, for example, sometimes withholds information or delays telling Lockwood (and therefore the reader) key details, either to protect herself or out of a sense of propriety. She is not always forthcoming about her own involvement in pivotal moments, and she sometimes glosses over events that might cast her in a negative light.
Lockwood, meanwhile, is prone to misunderstanding or missing important details entirely. His outsider status means he lacks the context to interpret what he sees and hears. As a result, significant aspects of the story remain obscure or misrepresented in his narration.
Personal Prejudices and Social Position
The backgrounds and social positions of Nelly and Lockwood heavily influence their perspectives. Nelly, though close to the Earnshaw and Linton families, is ultimately a servant, bound by the expectations and limitations of her class. Her judgments are shaped by social hierarchies, and she often displays a certain resentment or favoritism based on her experiences within the households.
Lockwood, on the other hand, is a gentleman renting Thrushcross Grange. His urban background and lack of emotional investment in the families make him prone to misinterpretation. He often projects his own values onto the rural characters, misunderstanding their motivations and actions.
Consequences for the Reader
The effect of having these two unreliable narrators is profound. Readers must constantly evaluate the truthfulness of what they are told, sifting through personal biases, omissions, and misunderstandings. Brontë’s choice to use unreliable narrators adds to the sense of mystery and ambiguity that pervades the novel, inviting readers to become active interpreters rather than passive recipients.
The British Library (bl.uk) sums up this effect by noting that readers are “required to make judgments about what really happened, whose account to believe, and how to interpret events.” This ambiguity is central to the novel’s enduring power and complexity.
Comparisons and Contrasts
It’s instructive to compare the unreliability of Nelly and Lockwood. Nelly’s unreliability is rooted in her emotional involvement and self-preservation, while Lockwood’s comes from ignorance and detachment. Nelly is closer to the action but not always honest about her role; Lockwood is far removed but quick to judge. The interplay between their narratives creates a “web of partial truths and misreadings,” as noted by the British Library.
For example, where Nelly might downplay her responsibility in Catherine’s illness, Lockwood might fail to appreciate the significance of a gesture or a look. Both narrators, in their own ways, limit the reader’s access to the full reality of events.
A Novel Built on Uncertainty
Emily Brontë’s decision to filter the story through these unreliable narrators is no accident. It reflects the novel’s broader themes of isolation, misunderstanding, and the unknowability of other people’s inner lives. By forcing readers to question the reliability of the storytellers, Brontë encourages a deeper engagement with the narrative and a more critical reading of the relationships at its heart.
The British Library emphasizes that this narrative strategy “mirrors the instability and wildness of the world Brontë depicts,” making the novel’s ambiguity not just a feature, but a central part of its meaning and artistic power.
Conclusion: Reading Between the Lines
Nelly and Lockwood are unreliable narrators because their perspectives are filtered through emotion, prejudice, and ignorance. Nelly’s insider knowledge is compromised by her own interests and values; Lockwood’s outsider status leads him to misread and misrepresent what he sees. Their selective storytelling, personal biases, and social positions all contribute to a narrative that is partial, fragmented, and open to interpretation. As a result, readers must actively work to piece together the “truth” of Wuthering Heights—a truth that, fittingly for such a haunting novel, remains elusive and contested. The British Library’s analysis underscores that this narrative complexity is both deliberate and essential, challenging us to read between the lines and question every version of the story we are given.
