# CHAPTER XX SUMMARY
## Characters
**Nelly Dean (narrator)** - Present throughout; serves as Linton's escort to Wuthering Heights. Takes on role of explaining family relationships and comforting the child. Observes and reports on all interactions.
**Young Linton Heathcliff** - Central figure; approximately 10-11 years old based on previous context. Physical details: white complexion, slim frame, thick flaxen curls, large languid blue eyes (described as his mother's eyes but lacking her spirit), slender arms, small fingers. Personality: timid, confused, reluctant, frightened, delicate constitution. Wears a cap. Has never heard of his father before, was raised believing Edgar Linton was his uncle. Cannot eat rough food like milk-porridge.
**Mr. Edgar Linton** - Mentioned/referenced; commissioned Nelly to take Linton away early to prevent Heathcliff's threat. Wants Catherine kept ignorant of Linton's proximity. Called "uncle" by young Linton.
**Catherine Linton** - Mentioned as "my daughter" by Edgar, "the little girl I saw yesterday" by young Linton. Must not associate with young Linton anymore.
**Mr. Heathcliff** - Present at Wuthering Heights; young Linton's father. Physical details: black hair and eyes, stern-looking, taller and bigger than Edgar Linton. Personality: scornful, disappointed in his son, calculating about inheritance, rough in manner. Shows contempt for the child while planning to preserve him for inheritance purposes. Lives three hundred miles from where Linton was raised.
**Joseph** - Present; elderly servant at Wuthering Heights. Shares his master's scorn for young Linton but must hide it. Speaks in dialect, makes disparaging comments about the boy's refined tastes.
**Hareton Earnshaw** - Present; preparing for hayfield work. Identified as "Miss Cathy's other cousin, and so yours [Linton's] in a manner." Ordered by Heathcliff to obey young Linton.
**Isabella (Linton's mother)** - Mentioned extensively; deceased. Never told young Linton about his father. Described disparagingly by Heathcliff as having refined tastes and being "a wicked slut."
## Timeline & Events
**Early morning (5 o'clock)**: Nelly rouses young Linton from bed to take him to Wuthering Heights on Catherine's pony (Minny).
**During the journey**: Conversation between Nelly and Linton about his father and new home. Linton asks many questions about why he never knew his father, what Heathcliff is like, and whether he resembles him.
**Half-past six**: Arrival at Wuthering Heights. Family has just finished breakfast, servant clearing table.
**At Wuthering Heights**:
- Initial meeting between Heathcliff and his son
- Physical examination of the boy by his father
- Breakfast scene with milk-porridge rejection
- Nelly's departure, leaving Linton crying and protesting
## Key Facts
**Distances and Geography**:
- Three hundred miles between where Linton was raised and Heathcliff's location
- Wuthering Heights is "a little distance from the Grange," "just beyond those hills"
- Tutor travels twenty miles three times a week
**Physical Descriptions**:
- Wuthering Heights: carved front, low-browed lattices, straggling gooseberry-bushes, crooked firs, not buried in trees, not quite as large as Thrushcross Grange
- Catherine's pony is named Minny
**Household Details**:
- Heathcliff has furnished a room upstairs for Linton "in handsome style"
- Has engaged a tutor for the boy
- Breakfast was milk-porridge (which Linton refuses)
## Ages, Dates & Arithmetic
**Time References**:
- "Ten years" mentioned as seeming different to adults vs. children
- Young Linton would have been "a baby" if Heathcliff had seen him before
- Reference to Heathcliff proposing to visit "from summer to summer" but never finding opportunity
**No specific ages given in this chapter**, but young Linton appears to be around 10-11 years old based on his speech patterns and the "ten years" reference suggesting this is roughly how long he's been separated from his father.
## Unexplained Changes
**Young Linton's complete ignorance** of his father's existence seems implausible given that Isabella must have known she was married to Heathcliff and that the boy would eventually need to know.
**Heathcliff's access to wealth** to furnish rooms handsomely and hire tutors from 20 miles away - no explanation of his current financial status.
## Plot Developments
**New Threads Introduced**:
- Young Linton's integration into Wuthering Heights household
- Heathcliff's plans for using his son to gain control of the Linton estate
- The boy's delicate constitution and inability to adapt to rougher living
**Existing Threads Advanced**:
- Heathcliff's revenge plot now includes using his son as heir to both properties
- Separation of the young cousins (Catherine and Linton) as ordered by Edgar
**Threads Complicated**:
- Young Linton's weakness and refinement make him unsuitable for Heathcliff's purposes
- The boy's terror and resistance to staying at Wuthering Heights
## Foreshadowing & Setups
**Heathcliff's inheritance scheme**: "my son is prospective owner of your place" and his desire to see "my descendant fairly lord of their estates; my child hiring their children to till their fathers' lands for wages"
**Young Linton's fragile health**: Multiple references to his delicate constitution, weakness, and need for special care suggest future health crises
**The boy's unhappiness**: His final cry "Don't leave me! I'll not stay here!" sets up future conflict and possible escape attempts
**Hareton's subservient position**: Heathcliff orders Hareton to obey young Linton, reversing their natural social positions and creating potential for future tension
**Education and class preservation**: Heathcliff's plan to maintain Linton as "the superior and the gentleman" among his associates suggests future class conflicts at Wuthering Heights
The chapter establishes the painful transition of young Linton from the refined world of Thrushcross Grange to the harsh environment of Wuthering Heights, while revealing Heathcliff's calculated plan to use his despised son as a tool for ultimate revenge against the Linton family.