Question 7 EMILY BRONTE: Wuthering Heights
For what do you admire Nelly in the novel?
This was a popular question. It requires the candidates to discuss their opinion on Nelly in the novel, stating the traits that they admire in her.
Candidates were expected to discuss the following:
- Statement of the theme of love and vengeance.
- Character identification of Nelly
- Loyalty
- She serves loyally as a housekeeper and nanny.
- She takes good care of Hindley, Catherine, Heathcliff, Edgar and Cathy.
- She monitors the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff.
- She protects Catherine after finding out about Catherine’s indiscretion.
- Wisdom and strength of character
- She strives to solve difficult problems.
- She intervenes in the hatred between Hindley and Heathcliff.
- She is undaunted by Heathcliff’s resistance to her persuasion to relent in his inordinate passion.
- She brokers the meeting between Heathcliff and Catherine at the Grange.
- She protects Catherine’s love for Edgar.
- She destroys Catherine’s tell-tale love letters.
- Observation and narrative skill
- Her narration is credible and authoritative.
- Her narration reveals her deep knowledge and power of observation.
- Without Nelly, the plot would have been defective.
- Nelly fills in the salient gaps in the general plot
Candidates performed well.