Setting Analysis and Symbolism of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

In Emily Brontë's only book Wuthering Heights, her descriptions of the two houses Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange create distinct atmospheres that mirror the actions of the inhabitants that reside within them. Although they lie within miles of each other, they are two very different places. Never have two more opposing places existed than Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights is a representation of uncontrollable emotions, lack of discipline and chaos. Thrushcross Grange is a peaceful, beautiful abode which epitomizes all that is good and lovely. The houses differ greatly in appearance, location and landscape, and the feelings and actions of the inhabitants within reflect the residence in which they live.

It may seem apparent, to the reader, that Wuthering Heights could be a mirror, at least to some extent, of Emily Bronte's own life.

2. “Wuthering” is descriptive of the atmospheric tumult of the novel in that it describes the violent winds that blow during storms on the moors. Wuthering Heights is removed from society. The adjective not only describes the setting itself, but the inhabitants as well, who are fierce, strong, and fervent.

Wuthering Heights is a novel which deviates from the standard of Victorian literature. The novels of the Victorian Era were often works of social criticism. They generally had a moral purpose and promoted ideals of love and brotherhood. Wuthering Heights is more of a Victorian Gothic novel; it contains passion, violence, and supernatural elements (Mitchell 119). The world of Wuthering Heights seems to be a world without morals. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë does not idealize love; she presents it realistically, with all its faults and merits. She shows that love is a powerful force which can be destructive or redemptive. Heathcliff has an all-consuming passion for Catherine. When she chooses to marry Edgar, his spurned love turns into a

As a consequence of Heathcliff's visit to the Grange, Edgar's sister Isabella falls in love with him, and her feelings seem to be sincere. In this one-sided love affair Heathcliff takes advantage of the innocent girl's infatuation to foster his obsession for revenge. (Isabella is her brother's heir). Catherine's reaction is very hard to interpret. It is natural that she is jealous, if she still feels the same for him as before, and that may be the reason why she dissuades Isabella from marrying Heathcliff. But the words she uses, telling her what an abominable creature Heathcliff is, are not the sort you expect to hear from someone talking of a sweetheart. Later on when her husband and Heathcliff are having a quarrel, she stops Edgar from hurting her friend . There is an excess of emotion, and her explanation to this behaviour is that she wants them both, Edgar and Heathcliff: "Well, if I cannot keep Heathcliff for my friend - if Edgar will be mean and jealous, I'll try to break their hearts by breaking my own" (109).Her love for Heathcliff has not cooled down, instead it seems to be a stronger obsession than ever considering the torments she goes through, when she becomes seriously ill.The last time Catherine and Heathcliff see each other is a very heart-rending meeting. Their love for each other is as strong as ever, and Heathcliff

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights display of cultural and physical features of an environment affecting one’s character and moral traits is showcased through the first Catherine’s development throughout the novel. Catherine is forced to “adopt a double character”, as she lives as a rebellious, passionate woman on the turbulent Wuthering Heights, while behaving politely and courtly on the elegant Thrushcross Grange(Bronte, 48). Each of these environments also contains a love interest of Catherine’s, each man parallel with the characteristics of their environments: Heathcliff, the passionate and destructive, residing in Wuthering Heights, while the civilized and gentle Edgar inhabits Thrushcross Grange. Catherine’s development in character due to her setting significantly contributes to the theme that pursuing passionate love is dangerous, such as the love shared by Heathcliff and Catherine.

In this novel, the use of contrasting places becomes a prominent role is showcasing the two opposing forces that is Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. With both these houses being isolated to the nearest town, they both exhibit a deserted outcast aura that helps to describe the characters residing there. Throughout the story, these two houses represent the contradicting ideas and the problems that the characters go through. Both houses are located in the eye of the moors within Scotland; where storms and weather are a common threat toward the landscapes.

Wuthering Heights is depicted as a cold, threatening, and dark manor, situated on a "bleak hilltop." In the novel, "wuthering" is the local adjective to describe the "atmospheric tumult" present in the region. The rugged manor, Wuthering Heights, represents a "storm", characterized by the wild emotions and harsh behaviors of the inhabitants. The depressing atmosphere causes people to "shiver through every limb" at the "sorrowful sight" of the Heights. In deep contrast, Thrushcross Grange is described as a "splendid place" of elegance and comfort. The peaceful dwelling of the Grange represents higher values and morals, and is considered the "calm" residence of the novel. The author creatively reveals the theme of good versus evil, or the calm versus the storm, through the pronounced symbolic differences in the houses.

On Mr. Lockwood’s first visit to Wuthering Heights, he is strongly impressed by its rusticity. Mr. Lockwood explains the meaning of the house’s name with “‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather” (5). His impression of the house inform the reader that this manor isn’t of friendly manner or concerned with welcoming visitors. Then there is Thrushcross Grange which is discovered through young Heathcliff description of the dining room to Nelly Dean, “It was beautiful--a splendid place carpeted with crimson, and crimson-covered chairs and tables, and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold, a shower of glass-drops hanging in silver chains from the centre…” (95). He speaks of Thrushcross Grange as rich, cultured life filled with light and warmth which is appropriate home of the children of the calm. Here is where Cathrine found the Lintons were hospitable and civilized with life being quiet and gentle here. No doubt Brontë meant for these to be opposing description for the reader to view the difference between these two manors, since they become more significant as the symbolic roles unfolds. She meant to demonstrate the incompatibility of “civilized” and “uncivilized” people as the

While at Thrushcross Grange, she grows infatuated with Edgar, despite her love for Heathcliff. Edgar came from an upper class family as well and took care of her when she was in a dog accident. This leads to her acceptance of Edgar Linton’s marriage proposal despite her statements regarding her love for Heathcliff. Heathcliff overhears unfortunate passages of Catherine's discourse and disappears for a period during which he mysteriously makes his fortune and changes irrevocably from the person he was. Vengeance consumes him, and Heathcliff attempts to destroy the lives of those who wronged him, (as well as their children). Ultimately, Heathcliff’s bitterly executed vengeance is effaced by a love between Hareton and Cathy that mirrors Heathcliff’s own love for Catherine. Hareton is Catherine’s nephew and Cathy is Catherine’s daughter, which makes the two first cousins.

Wuthering Heights, a novel by Emily Bronte is one of the most admired and favorable written works in English literature. When the novel was published in the year 1847, it sold very poorly and only received a minimum amount of reviews. Although the novel does not contain any sexual relations or bloodshed, it is considered to be inappropriate due to its portrayal of an unconstrained love and cruelty. Wuthering Heights is formed on the Gothic tradition in the late 18th century, which consists of supernatural encounters, malformed imagery, and the effects of mystery and fear. The novel has been studied and analyzed for many years, yet it remains unexhausted as a result of its memorable powerful characters. Because of the depiction of Catherine and Heathcliff’s corrupted love, their story remains one of the most nostalgic love stories in all of literature. Also, during the Victorian Age there were some drastic changes economically, socially, and politically. So as a Victorian writer, Emily Bronte clearly distincts the difference between the wealth of middle and upper class in Wuthering Heights. The setting of the novel is mainly within the Yorkshire moors of northern England and rural areas at that time were controlled by a strict Hierarchy government. Bronte represents this accurately in the novel by entitling the Linton family as the gentry’s class and the Earnshaw family as gentlemen farmers. In Wuthering Heights, the theme of revenge takes place as a necessity after the loss

The continual intensity on landscape in The Wuthering Heights leaves symbolic importance. Mostly of Moors: widel, wild expenses and thus infertile. It appear especially waterlogged patches in which people could potentially drown. The moorland moves its symbolic circle onto the love affair.(Spark Notes 2)

“Is Wuthering Heights as nice a place as Thrushcross Grange?” (Brontë 329). That seems to be the question quickly answered in the start of the novel, Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë, and the answer is very clearly: No. In Wuthering Heights, contrast between the two main and unique places, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, helps to define and separate the lifestyles of the main characters. Wuthering Heights is distinctively more dark and chaotic and is full of troubles that make it seem a much darker place, while Thrushcross Grange is a brighter and more peaceful house. Brontë is able to use the two contrasting places to help support the drastically different character personalities, whether it be troublesome Catherine or her peaceful and calmer husband, Edgar. The use of the drastically different places, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, are vital to the novel because they offer contrast in the physical houses and define the people living in them and are meaningful to the novel by providing a deep and drastic connection to each place for the reader to separate and understand the characters thoroughly.

Contrary to Wuthering Heights and its inhabitant, Thrushcross Grange and the Linton family represent culture, refinement, convention, and cultivation of the Victorian Ideals. Catherine attraction toward Thrushcoss Grange signifies her subjugation toward the Victorian civility under its panoptic nature. Catherine has changed a lot during her stay at Thrushcross Grange. No longer the tomboyish wild child, she is composed and groomed, looking quite the little lady- the very epitome of Victorian ladyship. She returns to Wuthering Heights a true prima donna. This is the dream of Catherine: a privileged lady of the house. Analyzing the character of Catherine, Engel Heardt, author of the “raging hormones” suggests that “Catherine betrayed herself, her own nature and integrity by separating from Heathcliff and forgoing androgyny — a free space outside gender ideology — to become feminine” (Engelheardt, 137). Catherine’s speech to Nelly about her acceptance of Edgar’s proposal, in Chapter IX, shows how inevitable it is for a women to escape the social norms. She

Thrushcross Grange is initially described as “beautiful—a splendid place carpeted with crimson, and crimson-covered chairs and tables, and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold, a shower of glass-drops hanging in silver chains from the centre, and shimmering with little soft tapers” (48). On the other hand, Wuthering Heights is described as a place with “narrow windows [that] are deeply set in the wall, and . . . corners [that are] defended with large jutting stones” (4). Wuthering Heights is also described as having “a quantity of grotesque carving[s] lavished over the front” (4). Here, the appearances of the two houses are described in completely different tones. The blissful and admiring description of Thrushcross Grange is full of “good” imagery; for example, the crimson and white color scheme represents warmth and light. Wuthering Heights, contrastingly, is described with a gloomy and critical tone related to “bad” qualities. The severity of words like “narrow”, “jutting”, and “grotesque” helps establish the evil and darkness that is present at Wuthering Heights.