Redscar has given you a terrific outline of the characters
in this novel. The only thing I might add is this: not all characters in fiction are
considered "main characters". Characters have different roles in literature. For
example, Mr. Lockwood and Nellie Dean are characters, but they are both used as vehicles
for advancing the plot. This is a technique the author uses to tell the story in
retrospect. Nellie narrates the story to Mr. Lockwood but Nellie is also a character in
the action that has taken place in the past. She has experienced the tale she is telling
to Mr. Lockwood. She is both a storyteller and part of the plot itself. Keep in mind
that Nellie's story is biased, however, but this too has its purpose in the
novel.
It is my opinion (and some will disagree) that the
two main characters of this novel are Heathcliff and Catherine. Wuthering
Heights is THEIR story. All of the other characters have significance only as
they relate to Heathcliff and Catherine. In other novels, there are many subplots, and
so it can be said that there are many "main" characters, but in this novel, the entire
story is about Heathcliff and Catherine. Even after Catherine dies and the younger
generation comes into play, the story is still about Catherine and Heathcliff because
Heathcliff cannot give Catherine up. So, I think if you really want to boil things down,
Catherine and Heathcliff are the two main characters and all of the other characters are
vehicles that enrich their story.
What do you think? Is
this too radical an idea?
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