wuthering heights essay titles

Wuthering Heights - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë, known for its tragic love story, complex characters, and exploration of social class distinctions. Essays on this novel might explore the gothic and romantic elements, the symbolic use of the natural environment, or the psychological complexities of characters like Heathcliff and Catherine. Other discussions could delve into the novel’s commentary on social mobility and morality, or its influence on Victorian literature and subsequent literary trends. A vast selection of complimentary essay illustrations pertaining to Wuthering Heights you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

A Deeper Meaning of Wuthering Heights

A symbol is a thing that represents or stands for something else and suggests a larger significance. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is full of significant symbols that are important to analyze in order to understand the novel to its fullest. From the ghosts, to the architecture and furnishings (décor) of the two main houses in the novel; and to the moors; this book is full of dark but symbolic aspects. To give readers a realistic point of view, the […]

‘Byronic Hero’ in Wuthering Heights

Haunting and filled with unconventional love, the gothic tragedy Wuthering Heights is a prime example of Emily Bronte’s obsession and inspiration with George Gordon’s own character. The satanic characteristics and lack of “heroic virtue” gives the Byronic Hero a twist compared to a morally sound hero (Thorslev 187). Lord Byron’s extensive collection of poems provided a template for Bronte to include a perfect Byronic Hero in her novel. Inspired by the Byron myth and his personality, Heathcliff and his dark […]

Destructive Love in Novel Wuthering Height

"In the novel, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, two families, the Lintons and the Earnshaws, are forced together which causes conflict described as destructive love, mostly caused by the raging love Heathcliff has for Catherine throughout the novel. Emily Bronte was born July 30, 1818 in Yorkshire, England she was one of three english sisters. Her and her sisters had books published in the mid-1800’s. She is the daughter of Maria Barnwell and Patrick Bronte. She was a poet and an […]

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Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights”

Throughout Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, several characters exhibit a palpable hatred not for men or for women in particular, but for the general population; such misanthropy contributes a curious depth to the novel that could hardly be accomplished otherwise. However, with the multitude of circumstances in which these individuals are granted latitude to express their cynicism, the reader begins to subconsciously decipher the misanthropic qualities and rank characters, compartmentalizing them by level of misanthropy. The most naturally antagonistic character, Heathcliff, […]

Revenge and Justice in Wuthering Heights

"There is a blurred line between revenge and justice. Is revenge, justice? Is revenge, justified? The difference, may be nothing but a shuffling of the same words to make oneself feel morally sound. If we can agree on the idea that revenge is a feeling or act of retribution, and also that justice is no more than a ‘just’ act of retaliation, then we can begin to question the fine structure of moral values and how that affects the definition […]

Discussion of Nature Vs Nurture is the Eerlasting Issue

Genetic Development Nature vs Nurture is the everlasting issue of one’s genetics or outside environmental influence on one’s behavior and actions. One’s nature refers to the hereditary or genetic factors one is born with that influences who one is as a person. However, one’s nurture refers to the outside environmental factors that controls who one becomes. Although outside factors such as one’s childhood experiences, people one associates themselves with, and/or trauma can influence one’s decision making. Their naturally born, or […]

The Romantic-Gothic Nature of Wuthering Heights

Section 25 Throughout the class period, we have talked about several different genres that have caught my eye in terms of relatability and interests. One of those genres is the Gothic period. There are many books that are considered part of this era such as, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jane Eyre, but the one that tops them all is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Wuthering Heights brings to the surface many different parallels for the more romantic aspects of the book […]

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights

The origins of an individual usually serves as a solid indication of their inherent nature and works of literature throughout history have utilized the origins of characters to manipulate the nature of the plot and the conflicts that comprise the narrative. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is an intense tragedy that is driven by the complexities of love and betrayal as a man named Heathcliff, with an abnormal origin, explores the relationship he has with the only woman he truly ever […]

Wuthering Heights Plot Summary

The book Wuthering heights begins at a place called Thrushcross Grange, a manor house that a man named Lockwood rents and describes as a misanthropist’s heaven. This is where he meets his landlord named Heathcliff, a rich man who lives close by in a house called Wuthering Heights. Lockwood has his suspicions about the servants and people that live in there. One night he couldn’t leave because the snow was so bad and kept piling up so he spent the […]

Character Heathcliff in Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”

Of all the characters in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is arguably the most fierce and combative as well as the most complex. Branded as a demon even in childhood, Heathcliff develops into a sadistic, cruel, and almost cliché gothic villain in the second half of the novel (John Coper Powys). However, it would be an oversight to fail to examine the correlation of both the role of his horrible childhood and social exclusion as a demonized member of the […]

Destructive Love is an Emotional Process

"Destructive love is an emotional process of tearing down the love and affection between 2 people in a relationship. The idea of knowing the difference between having a disagreement that is trying to clear up something in comparison to a disagreement that is destructive toxicity can come. The theme of destructive love between different relationships in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Shakespeare's Hamlet Robert Browning's My Last Duchess results in the characters having […]

“Wuthering Heights” and “Rebecca” Analysis

Not every romantic novel is about true love. Books such as Wuthering Heights and Rebecca are far from being romantic. From romance comedies to gothic romance, the novels have plots that are quite different from the normal storyline. These novels are more mysterious and full of suspense. Clearly, authors Daphne du Maurier and Emily Brontë wanted a romantic plot that was unusual and unexpected from readers. Luckily, many people who read either Rebecca or Wuthering Heights were quite surprised with […]

Meaning of Love and its Unintended Consequences in “Wuthering Heights”

True love is often pictured as the cliched ending of romance novels or movies with the scene of the girl riding off into the sunset with the perfect prince on a white stallion. In The Notebook, Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun had the fairy-tale ending with their happily ever after, but does life really end like that? Would one give up everything just to be with their true love? In Wuthering Heights, the true love between Heathcliff and Catherine was […]

Abuse and Trauma in Wuthering Heights

In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, characters are subject to different types of abuse/trauma both mental and physical. This mental and physical stress affects characters such as Catherine Earnshaw, Isabella and Heathcliff in various manners, such as in their daily interactions with others and themselves. How they handle this stress varies among each character, they each choose a distinct type of coping mechanism to help them get through the day. Bronte grew up between 1818 and 1848 during […]

Wuthering Heights Break Assignment

In the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, revenge is an eminent theme. One of the main Heathcliff, is illustrated as a hermit and after of people. He’s greedy and is always looking for ways to complicate the lives of people around him. He gets more and more revengeful as the story progresses. Every action Heathcliff does is destined to hurt the Earnshaw and Linton families, and take ownership over everything. All of these revengeful thoughts and desires actually makes […]

Rage and its Power in Bronte’s Emily

Falling madly in love, then traumatized by betrayal, leading to rage and pain is all experienced by a special character named Heathcliff, in Emily Brontë’s famous novel Wuthering Heights. He is the one who sits at the center of the story. Heathcliff, a resentful and revenge seeking man is the chosen character, to analyze and illustrate from the novel. As an orphan, he was fostered by Mr. Earnshaw and taken to Wuthering heights which is image of a mansion like […]

Wuthering Heights Written by Mary Shelley

"In Wuthering Heights written by Mary Shelley portrayed a similarities and differences between the two families, the Earnshaw and the Lintions, in order to show how they interact with each other. Shelly tries to show the readers how these two families become the major issue of the novel. Shelly try to demonstrates the differences that exists between the social class whereas Lintion’s family is rich and the Earnshaw family is poor. The Linton family is established as an gentry of […]

Emily Bronte’s Novel Wuthering Heights

In 1847, when a novel by Emily Brontë Wuthering Heights was published, feminism or gender equality was an unknown concept, and it was just beginning to emerge as it seemed to be a radical idea to many people. Brontë can be therefore considered a proto-feminist. Women in the Victorian period belonged mainly to the domestic sphere, and the public sphere was for their husbands. All characters in the novel live in a patriarchal society, in women are submissive to men […]

Wuthering Heights Reading Journal: Chapter 29

Chapter 29 Edgar has passed away, leaving the title of Thrushcross Grange master unfilled. Nelly, Edgar’s servant, seeks a new job at Wuthering Heights as a servant for Heathcliff but he denies. Right before the death of Edgar, his daughter Cathy forcedly marries Linton, Heathcliff’s son. The marriage gives Linton and Heathcliff say over the Grange estate after Edgar’s death, therefore making Heathcliff the new master, replacing Edgar. Now the master, Heathcliff use the Grange as a space to rent […]

Wuthering Heights Novel

The five examples that I have come across with, that represent the gothic theme in the novel from chapter 1 through 10 are weather, supernatural, revenge, suffering, and death. One day a huge snowstorm has approached that prevent Mr. Lockwood from leaving, and no one seems to be interested in helping him to reach home, Mr. Heathcliff shows no hospitality and “Gnasher and Wolf—become so excited by the scene that they floor Lockwood, giving him a bloody nose”(chapter 2). Weather […]

Essay about Abuse Cycle

Each person has a different personality. Some people are influential, impulsive, perfectionist, and/or strong-willed. One of the components that influence someone’s personalities is their environment. Just like in “Wuthering Heights” Heathcliff’s abusive environment at such a young age leads him to have an aggressive abusive behavior towards others. When most people think of the word environment they usually just think about their home they live in. But this word actually mean way more than that. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary […]

Novel “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights takes place in the early 19th century. During this time, women were considered second-class citizens. They had the responsibility for the care of their family, as a wife and a mother, and the household. Outside of the home setting, women had no real significance as they were only expected to have a minimum education and were not encouraged to pursue a professional career. Men were highly relied on by women to be the ""power force."" Women did not […]

Wuthering Heights Reading Journal: Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Nelly, the servant from Thrushcross Grange heads over to Wuthering Heights hoping to talk to Hindley, Heathcliff’s ultimate enemy but cannot. The next day at the Grange she, along with Catherine see Heathcliff with his new “lover” Isabella. Catherine, who loves Heathcliff but is married to Edgar Linton, confronts him asking for her true feelings and offers to allow the marriage if their love is true. Heathcliff becomes disgusted at the idea of marrying Isabella, confessing his hate […]

Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights”

Symbols - mostly settings Wuthering Heights - an old farmhouse that Heathcliff and Catherine grew up together symbolizes energy, excitement and affection. Thrushcross Grange is the house owned by the Lintons and later visited by Lockwood. It symbolizes a place with disciplined, elevated and civilized culture. Moors- A place where great adventures dwell in Catherine’s and Heathcliff’s memories. It symbolizes ferocious tendencies and exciting and mysterious mood of the unknown. The moor helps establish a certain mood in the novel […]

The Analysis of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is a remarkable piece of literature, the books character development is one of it’s most appealing features. For example, we all know about Heathcliff, the young boy taken in by Mr. Earnshaw who he raised as his own son and grew to love him more than his actual son. Initially, only Mr. Earnshaw cared for Heathcliff, but soon, his daughter would madly with him, and he with her. There love for one another grew as they did, they […]

Novels – Plot of the Story

"The majority of the time, novels will use hate to create havoc in the plot of the story. Wuthering Heights uses Heathcliff’s hate toward the other characters to insert conflict in the story. Wuthering Heights illuminates the source of Heathcliff’s hate as well as the effect it has on the other characters throughout the story. Heathcliff’s relationships with other characters also suggest the theme that hate only breeds hate. Heathcliff never finds peace through his revenge. With every act of […]

Emily Bronte – Facts of Life

"Emily Bronte was born on July 30, 1818, in a village located in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. She had five other siblings but sadly lost her mother to cancer when she was only three years old. Emily was extremely shy and loved animals. She had a passionate nature and wrote several poems with her two sisters in 1845. They published the poems under pseudonyms, which began her literary endeavors. Emily began her teaching career at Law Hill School in November of […]

Devon Komar Honors English

The book is set in an extremely secluded area within England. This suits Lockwood extremely well, as he defines himself as a “misanthropist”. Lockwood states, “‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the mower of the north wind blowing over the edge…” (2). This shows that the property is often exposed to harsh […]

The Extraordinary Life of Novelist and Poet Emily Brontë

“Emily Brontë has become mythologized both as an individual and as one of the Brontë sisters” ("Overview of Emily Brontë"). Emily made her way as an individual with the release of her best selling and only novel, Wuthering Heights, in 1847. Life before Emily found her passion in writing was chaotic. Emily’s life was unusual and often unhappy, but everything changed when she learned how to sit down and write ("Overview of Emily Brontë"). Emily Brontë is an English novelist […]

Catherine Earnshaw is a Complex Character

To say that Catherine Earnshaw is a complex character would be an understatement. Torn between love and status, Catherine must make a decision on whether she’ll marry Heathcliff, the man she loves, and build a fortune together, or marry Edgar Linton and place herself in the upper echelon of classes to fulfill some crude desire within herself. She chose the latter, a choice that seemed, in a way, harmful to everyone else, as well as herself. Let’s begin with submissiveness. […]

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Wuthering Heights Historical Context: Study Guide

For decades, literary critics and scholars have discussed the various aspects of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights . Its genre transcends traditional literary classifications, and the text itself is filled with meaning and historical significance.

In this guide, IvyPanda’s expert team tried to cover all attributes of this novel, including its symbols, themes, characters, and significant elements. Here, you’ll find the main facts and historical context of Wuthering Heights . If you wish to know more, you can pick one of the topics in the related articles section.

Let’s begin!

🗝️ Wuthering Heights Main Facts

The only published gothic novel by Emily Jane Bronte , Wuthering Heights , remains one of the prime examples of 19th-century English literature. It stands proud in the company of such works as Great Expectations and The Picture of Dorian Gray . Here are some of the top facts about this masterpiece:

🕯️ All You Need to Know about Wuthering Heights

Emily Bronte’s novel can be considered lengthy since it’s over 400 pages long. We’ve decided to address the critical elements of this story and answer the most common questions about its contents.

• What is the moral lesson of the Wuthering Heights? One of the main lessons of this literary work is the destructive nature of revenge and obsession, as demonstrated in Catherine’s and Heathcliff’s relations. It also criticizes the ills of social class divisions, cruelty, and poor parenting. The novel protests 19th-century English morals and society.
• Why did Emily Bronte write Wuthering Heights? The novelist did it to express her own frustration at life in seclusion and isolation. Bronte also wished to explore the complex relations between people and the inner struggle in their souls. Heathcliff’s character is a prime example of this, as he’s capable of great love and anger.
• Is Wuthering Heights a feminist novel? Yes, it can be viewed from this angle, as it depicts the poor conditions and laws that constrained women in the Victorian era. Catherine Earnshaw, for example, has to navigate the complex world of obligations and expectations that conflict with her desires and wants.
• How does Catherine die in Wuthering Heights? Catherine Earnshaw passes away in the novel when giving birth to her daughter, Cathy. It’s a premature birth that’s intensified by a fever and emotional distress from her separation from Heathcliff. After her loved one departs, Catherine becomes erratic, refuses food, and experiences hallucinations.
• What mental illness does Heathcliff have in Wuthering Heights? The novel’s central character suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder. Throughout the text, he is hellbent on revenge against people who mistreated him and driven to seek Catherine Earnshaw’s love. This condition stems from his traumatic childhood and the fact that Catherine was the only friend he had for many years.

📚 Wuthering Heights: Summary, Historical Context, Characters, & More

This 19th-century novel has a significant number of themes, ideas, and details. They are too vast for a single article to uncover fully. At IvyPanda, we’ve decided to give each component of this novel the praise and attention it deserves in the following sections:

Summary of Wuthering Heights

Here, we overview the work’s chapters and notable events.

Characters of Wuthering Heights

In this study guide segment, we closely examine the various characters in Emily Bronte’s novel, such as Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Edgar, Hindley, Nelly, and others.

Analysis of Wuthering Heights

This part of the analysis dives deep into examples of literary devices throughout the book.

Themes of Wuthering Heights

Here, we’ll uncover the issues of revenge, isolation, and forgiveness, to name a few.

Wuthering Heights Genre

Assessing Wuthering Heights from the perspective of a single genre is near impossible, so we’ve decided to discuss how it fits into different categories.

Wuthering Heights Essay Topics & Samples

The final part of our comprehensive guide offers the most exciting essay questions and topic ideas you can use for various assignments.

Wuthering Heights Q&A

In this section, you will find a collection of short yet informative answers to the most pressing questions about the novel.

📜 Historical Context of Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was first published in 1847. To fully comprehend the novel’s background and events, we must first look at the life of Emily Bronte and the British society of that time. She was born in 1818, and a few years later, her mother passed away, leaving Emily and her sisters to be raised by their strict Christian aunt. They all lived in the middle of the moors in a secluded town called Hawork and led an alienated lifestyle. Emily Bronte died early at her 30.

The novel vividly paints what the fate of 19th-century England was for women. The division between the gentry and the commoners was considerable. The role of women adds to the Wuthering Heights historical context, as females were seen either as wives or as future wives. Those of lower status could do manual labor, while women of higher class didn’t do housework. They couldn’t own something as small as a hill house, inherit from their husbands, or divorce them. In general, women were seen as being less than men. That’s why Emily and her sisters published their first novels under male-sounding names. The society of that time didn’t take female authors seriously despite many reading their books.

Men had complete rule over their spouses, with beatings treated like common occurrences. In order for women to obtain a divorce from their husbands, men had to commit truly heinous crimes against them. The Church of England had a tight grip on society during Emily Bronte’s life. Due to its influence, the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 only made it a little easier for women to get a divorce. A man had to be convicted of desertion or bigamy to convince the civil court and end the marriage.

The Industrial Revolution leveled the playing field for people of the lower class. There were more opportunities for women to garner wealth and raise one’s social status. Still, they were looked upon by the aristocracy. Despite technological progress, life expectancy in the 19th century was abysmal. Women died during childbirth, and a lack of sanitation and poor ventilation, especially in the cities, had people barely making it to 40.

To learn more about Wuthering Heights and its characters, check out the links above.

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Wuthering Heights

Emily brontë.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Wuthering Heights: Introduction

Wuthering heights: plot summary, wuthering heights: detailed summary & analysis, wuthering heights: themes, wuthering heights: quotes, wuthering heights: characters, wuthering heights: symbols, wuthering heights: literary devices, wuthering heights: quizzes, wuthering heights: theme wheel, brief biography of emily brontë.

Historical Context of Wuthering Heights

Other books related to wuthering heights.

• Full Title: Wuthering Heights
• When Published: 1847
• Literary Period: Victorian
• Genre: Romanticism / Realism / Gothic (e.g., mysterious family relationships, vulnerable heroines, houses full of secrets, and wild landscapes)
• Setting: Yorkshire, England, late 18th to early 19th century
• Climax: Heathcliff and Catherine's tearful, impassioned reunion just hours before Catherine gives birth and then dies
• Antagonist: Heathcliff (we root both for and against Heathcliff)
• Point of View: Nelly Dean, a housekeeper, tells the story of the Lintons and Earnshaws to Mr. Lockwood, who passes along her story to the reader.

Extra Credit for Wuthering Heights

The Bronte Family: Two of Emily Brontë's sisters are also respected writers. Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre , Shirley , Villette , and The Professor , and Anne Brontë wrote Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall . Because the Brontës collaborated, critics love to analyze the whole family, not just the individual authors. The family also appeals to readers because it experienced so much tragedy: five of the six children died young (four daughters died of tuberculosis, or "consumption," as it was known at the time, and Branwell, the only son, turned to drugs and alcohol when his career as an artist failed).

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Wuthering Heights

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A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-9

Chapters 10-13

Chapters 14-17

Chapters 18-22

Chapters 23-27

Chapters 28-31

Chapters 32-34

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

In an article about Wuthering Heights by British journalist Kathryn Hughes, Emily Brontë is described as “the patron saint of difficult women.” Defend or refute this notion, using Brontë’s depiction of female characters as evidence of your argument.

Analyze Heathcliff’s status as “other.” To what effect does his dark appearance impact his experience in the Earnshaw family?

Comment on your particular strategy of differentiating between the female and the male characters, especially the ones with similar or identical names. How do you imagine them as individuals despite their similar names and tones of voice?

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — Wuthering Heights

Essays on Wuthering Heights

Prompt examples for "wuthering heights" essays, love and obsession.

Explore the theme of love and obsession in "Wuthering Heights." How do characters like Heathcliff and Catherine demonstrate both destructive and enduring forms of love, and what are the consequences of their obsessions?

Nature and Setting

Analyze the significance of the novel's natural setting, particularly the moors and the houses of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. How does the environment reflect the characters' emotions and the novel's themes?

Heathcliff's Transformation

Discuss the transformation of Heathcliff's character throughout the novel. How does his upbringing, love for Catherine, and experiences with the Lintons shape him into the complex and vengeful figure he becomes?

Social Class and Revenge

Examine the role of social class and revenge in the story. How do issues of class and the desire for revenge drive the characters' actions and relationships?

Narrative Structure

Consider the novel's narrative structure, which includes multiple narrators and time shifts. How does Emily Brontë use this structure to provide insight into the characters and their motivations?

The Gothic Tradition

Analyze how "Wuthering Heights" fits within the Gothic literary tradition. What elements of the Gothic genre, such as supernatural occurrences and dark, brooding atmospheres, are present in the novel?

Analysis of Wuthering Heights Through Freud’s Personality Theory

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Nature Against Culture: "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte

Reading wuthering heights through marxist lens, wuthering heights: a theme of good and evil in brontë's novel, the exploration of the gender question in wuthering heights, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Symbolic Meaning of Mirrors, Windows and Glass in Wuthering Heights

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Wuthering Heights and The Marxist Critique

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Emily Bronte

Novel, Gothic Fiction, Tragedy

Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Edgar Linton, Ellen (Nelly) Dean, Isabella Linton, Hindley Earnshaw, Hareton Earnshaw, Cathy Linton, Linton Heathcliff, Joseph, Mr Lockwood, Frances, Mr and Mrs Earnshaw, Mr and Mrs Linton, Dr Kenneth, Zillah, Mr Green

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Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Literature › Analysis of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

Analysis of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on March 25, 2019 • ( 3 )

Wuthering Heights is constructed around a series of dialectic motifs that interconnect and unify the elements of setting, character, and plot. An examination of these motifs will give the reader the clearest insight into the central meaning of the novel. Although Wuthering Heights is a “classic,” as Frank Kermode has noted, precisely because it is open to many different critical methods and conducive to many levels of interpretation, the novel grows from a coherent imaginative vision that underlies all the motifs. That vision demonstrates that all human perception is limited and failed. The fullest approach to Emily Brontë’s novel is through the basic patterns that support this vision.

Wuthering Heights concerns the interactions of two families, the Earnshaws and Lintons, over three generations. The novel is set in the desolate moors of Yorkshire and covers the years from 1771 to 1803. The Earnshaws and Lintons are in harmony with their environment, but their lives are disrupted by an outsider and catalyst of change, the orphan Heathcliff. Heathcliff is, first of all, an emblem of the social problems of a nation entering the age of industrial expansion and urban growth. Although Brontë sets the action of the novel entirely within the locale familiar to her, she reminds the reader continually of the contrast between that world and the larger world outside.

Aside from Heathcliff’s background as a child of the streets and the description of urban Liverpool, from which he is brought, the novel contains other reminders that Yorkshire, long insulated from change and susceptible only to the forces of nature, is no longer as remote as it once was. The servant Joseph’s religious cant, the class distinctions obvious in the treatment of Nelly Dean as well as of Heathcliff, and Lockwood’s pseudosophisticated urban values are all reminders that Wuthering Heights cannot remain as it has been, that religious, social, and economic change is rampant. Brontë clearly signifies in the courtship and marriage of young Cathy and Hareton that progress and enlightenment will come and the wilderness will be tamed. Heathcliff is both an embodiment of the force of this change and its victim. He brings about a change but cannot change himself. What he leaves behind, as Lockwood attests and the relationship of Cathy and Hareton verifies, is a new society, at peace with itself and its environment.

It is not necessary, however, to examine in depth the Victorian context of Wuthering Height s to sense the dialectic contrast of environments. Within the limited setting that the novel itself describes, society is divided between two opposing worlds: Wuthering Heights, ancestral home of the Earnshaws, and Thrushcross Grange, the Linton estate. Wuthering Heights is rustic and wild; it is open to the elements of nature and takes its name from “atmospheric tumult.” The house is strong, built with narrow windows and jutting cornerstones, fortified to withstand the battering of external forces. It is identified with the outdoors and nature and with strong, “masculine” values. Its appearance, both inside and out, is wild, untamed, disordered, and hard. The Grange expresses a more civilized, controlled atmosphere. The house is neat and orderly, and there is always an abundance of light—to Brontë’s mind, “feminine” values. It is not surprising that Lockwood is more comfortable at the Grange, since he takes pleasure in “feminine” behavior (gossip, vanity of appearance, adherence to social decorum, romantic self-delusion), while Heathcliff, entirely “masculine,” is always out of place there.

Even Cathy’s passionate cry for Heathcliff, “Nelly, I am Heathcliff,” is less love for him as an individual than the deepest form of self-love. Cathy cannot exist without him, but a meaningful relationship is not possible because Cathy sees Heathcliff only as a reflection of herself. Heathcliff, too, has denied an important aspect of his personality. Archetypally masculine, Heathcliff acts out only the aggressive, violent parts of himself.

The settings and the characters are patterned against each other, and explosions are the only possible results. Only Hareton and young Cathy, each of whom embodies the psychological characteristics of both Heights and Grange, can successfully sustain a mutual relationship.

This dialectic structure extends into the roles of the narrators as well. The story is reflected through the words of Nelly Dean—an inmate of both houses, a participant in the events of the narrative, and a confidant of the major characters—and Lockwood, an outsider who witnesses only the results of the characters’ interactions. Nelly is a companion and servant in the Earnshaw and Linton households, and she shares many of the values and perceptions of the families. Lockwood, an urban sophisticate on retreat, misunderstands his own character as well as the characters of others. His brief romantic “adventure” in Bath and his awkwardness when he arrives at the Heights (he thinks Cathy will fall in love with him; he mistakes the dead rabbits for puppies) exemplify his obtuseness. His perceptions are always to be questioned. Occasionally, however, even a denizen of the conventional world may gain a glimpse of the forces at work beneath the surface of reality. Lockwood’s dream of the dead Cathy, which sets off his curiosity and Heathcliff’s final plans, is a reminder that even the placid, normal world may be disrupted by the psychic violence of a willful personality.

The presentation of two family units and parallel brother-sister, husband-wife relationships in each also emphasizes the dialectic. That two such opposing modes of behavior could arise in the same environment prevents the reader from easy condemnation of either pair. The use of flashback for the major part of the narration—it begins in medias res—reminds the reader that he or she is seeing events out of their natural order, recounted by two individuals whose reliability must be questioned. The working out of the plot over three generations further suggests that no one group, much less one individual, can perceive the complexity of the human personality.

Taken together, the setting, plot, characters, and structure combine into a whole when they are seen as parts of the dialectic nature of existence. In a world where opposing forces are continually arrayed against each other in the environment, in society, in families, and in relationships, as well as within the individual, there can be no easy route to perception of another human soul. Wuthering Heights convincingly demonstrates the complexity of this dialectic and portrays the limitations of human perception.

Bibliography Barnard, Robert. Emily Brontë. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Benvenuto, Richard. Emily Brontë. Boston: Twayne, 1982. Berg, Maggie. “Wuthering Heights”: The Writing in the Margin. New York: Twayne, 1996. Davies, Stevie. Emily Brontë: Heretic. London: Women’s Press, 1994. Frank, Katherine. A Chainless Soul: A Life of Emily Brontë. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Glen, Heather, ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Brontës. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Liddell, Robert. Twin Spirits: The Novels of Emily and Anne Brontë. London: Peter Owen, 1990. Miller, Lucasta. The Brontë Myth. London: Jonathan Cape, 2001. Pykett, Lyn. Emily Brontë. Savage, Md.: Barnes & Noble, 1989. Rollyson, Carl, and Lisa Paddock. The Brontës A to Z: The Essential Reference to Their Lives and Work. New York: Facts On File, 2003. Vine, Steve. Emily Brontë. New York: Twayne, 1998. Winnifrith, Tom, ed. Critical Essays on Emily Brontë. NewYork: G. K. Hall, 1997.

Major works Poetry: Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, 1846 (with Charlotte Brontë and Anne Brontë); The Complete Poems of Emily Jane Brontë, 1941 (C. W. Hatfield, editor); Gondal’s Queen: A Novel in Verse by Emily Jane Brontë, 1955 (Fannie E. Ratchford, editor). Nonfiction : Five Essays Written in French, 1948 (Lorine White Nagel, translator); The Brontë Letters, 1954 (Muriel Spark, editor).

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I found it very informative. Representation of the two worlds is amazing. Thanks a lot.

VERY NICE;I LIKED THE WAY OF ANALYSIS OF WHOLE NOVEL AND DESCRIBE EVERY THING,

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