This article contains spoilers for Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
It’s no secret that Emerald Fennell‘s version of Wuthering Heights is more of a loose adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel than a traditional retelling.
While the bones are still there — the movie features several scenes and lines ripped straight from the source — Fennell also makes several key changes, cutting characters, expanding others, altering storylines, and omitting the entire second half of the novel.
Below, EW breaks down the major differences between the book and film (now in theaters).
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More to the story
Fennell’s adaptation focuses solely on the passionate relationship between doomed soulmates Cathy and Heathcliff and ends immediately after her demise. However, readers of Brontë’s novel will know that’s only half the story, with the remainder dedicated to Heathcliff’s bitter quest for revenge against those who wronged him — as well as their respective children — and his descent into madness.
Mr. Lockwood
Mr. Lockwood is one of multiple characters cut from Wuthering Heights. He serves as a narrator in the novel, providing an outsider’s perspective on Heathcliff and Cathy’s relationship and its generational repercussions after he moves into the nearby Thrushcross Grange following her death.
Hindley
Cathy and Heathcliff’s brother Hindley was also removed from the film. A major antagonist, Hindley is physically and emotionally abusive toward Heathcliff because he’s their father’s favorite. When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley gets his revenge against Heathcliff by demoting him to servant status, denying him access to education, and forcing him to perform manual labor.
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Mr. Earnshaw
Mr. Earnshaw, on the other hand, sees his role greatly expanded within Fennell’s film. Initially kind, he becomes increasingly violent toward Heathcliff and Cathy as his alcohol addiction worsens, causing him to lose his fortune. He dies as a result of his alcoholism later in the film.
Cathy and Heathcliff’s final meeting
Fennell also makes some key changes to the final time Cathy and Heathcliff see each other. In the novel, Nelly helps Heathcliff sneak in and reunite with Cathy before her death. However, in the film, no such meeting takes place. Instead, a feverish Cathy believes she is speaking to Heathcliff at one point, even though he is not actually present.
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Cathy’s pregnancy
In a major twist, Cathy never gives birth to her and Edgar’s daughter in the film. Instead, she loses the baby at some point during her illness. In the book, the child, named Catherine Linton in honor of her mother, survives and plays a major role in the second half, marrying Heathcliff and Isabella’s son, Linton Heathcliff.
Cathy’s death
In the book, Cathy dies of complications relating to premature childbirth and her fragile mental state. But in the film, her cause of death is said to be sepsis.
From beyond the grave
Since Fennell’s adaptation ends right after Cathy’s death, it does not feature any of the supernatural elements woven into Brontë’s novel. In the book, a ghostly apparition of Cathy visits Lockwood one evening at Wuthering Heights, demanding to be let in through a window. Heathcliff also claims to be haunted by Cathy throughout the novel, and local villagers say they’ve seen the pair strolling on the Moors together after their deaths.