Ellen 'Nelly' Dean
(1757–)

Biographical

Nelly spent her childhood at Wuthering Heights as her mother nursed Hindley Earnshaw, and she grew up with both Hindley and his sister, Catherine Earnshaw. Nelly then became a servant for the Earnshaw family. She is later a nursemaid to Hindley's son, Hareton, but is then made to move to Thrushcross Grange with Catherine when she marries Edgar Linton in 1783. Her happiest period is when she is nursemaid to their daughter, Catherine Linton, forming a deep attachment to her. On the 30th of August 1801 she and Catherine Linton go to the Heights to visit Linton Heathcliff , and they are then held hostage there by Heathcliff as part of his plan to force Catherine into marriage with Linton. Nelly is released on the 4th of September 1801, and she returns to the Grange to find Edgar dying. In early February 1802 she returns to the Heights as housekeeper to Heathcliff, Catherine, and Hareton Earnshaw, replacing Zillah. A staunch, strong, and loyal woman, she actively intervenes in the events that take place, and remains firm and defiant in the face of Heathcliff's aggression. Her advice and good intentions are mostly ignored by the more fiery members of the families she serves. She is one of the main witnesses to the tragic events of the two families, and acts as one of the narrators of the story. She begins to recount the saga to Mr Lockwood from November 1801.

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