When one first dives into a novel, it is common knowledge that there is an already preconceived agreement of trust that the reader instills in the narrator of the story. The reader almost always relies on the narrator to illustrate the story in an honest and unbiased way, but the storyteller in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights seems to break the chains of trust understood by the audience. The novel is heard by the attentive ears of Mr. Lockwood, to whom his housekeeper, Ellen Dean, relates the story of the Earnshaws, Heathcliffs and the Linton family. Establishing herself as the main narrator, Nelly recalls her experiences at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. She fails to give Lockwood and ultimately the reader an accurate narrative of the affairs that took place in the past. Throughout her gripping flashback, Nelly repeatedly softens the impact of her role and participation in certain events to keep her hands clean of the tragedies that more or less ruined those among her presence in Wuthering Heights. As Nelly Dean launches into her story in Lockwood, she is caught uttering the words: "I must follow my story in true gossip fashion" (Bronte 51). From his own confession, it can be inferred that his account of what really happened could very well be exaggerated to give a more fascinating version of the truth. It is obvious that Nelly is creating her identity as a key witness instead of the manipulative agent she really is. The fact that she has some sort of interaction with all the characters in the novel makes her more than just a spectator. Additionally, one reviewer reiterates that Nelly is too close to the action and is often neck-deep in Wuther's world...... middle of paper ......ctions of duty; from there I hit him then, all the misfortunes of my bosses were born. This was not the case, in fact, I am aware of that; but it was, in my imagination, that dismal night; and I thought that Heathcliff himself was less guilty than I” (Brontechp27). It is here that Nelly is no longer blinded by her own ignorance. She is one of the last living but is cursed to tell a tale of villainy, just like the remaining survivor of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Nelly Dean's poor narration to Mr. Lockwood is the governess's way of justifying that she does not have blood on her hands. Her upbringing with the main characters in the novel gives her a poor choice of judgment and makes her extremely biased on how the story is portrayed. Nelly's actions only cause despair among the Earnshaws and Lintons, pushing the idea that she is the silent villain of Wuthering Heights..