Themes In Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Setting Yorkshire Moors, England 1770s - 1802

Genre Fiction, Romance, Tragedy

Historical Context

This novel was written during the Romantic era and contains many characteristics of a Gothic novel. Wuthering Heights received negative reviews immediately after its publishing due to its unapologetic intensity.

Published in 1847, the novel highlights the dark side of human love and emotion to which most initial readers were ambivalent.

Themes

Destructiveness of Unchanging Love

The novel centers around the passion Heathcliff and Catherine have for one another. It is the source of nearly every single major conflict in the novel, as the other characters, namely Nelly, criticize them for being immoral, but the reader

Ghosts appear to characters in the form of nightmares or as visions of superstition and it is unclear whether they are actually real. They symbolize the connection of the past to the present.

Motif

The Conflict Between Nature and Culture

Nature is represented by Catherine and Heathcliff, as their passions control them, not morals or ideals. Their home, Wuthering Heights, illustrates wildness while the Linton’s home, Thrushcross Grange, represents culture and refinement. This motif is evident when Catherine is bitten by the Linton’s dog and their paths cross for the first time. She sees the differences and chooses to marry Edgar over Heathcliff. Hindley’s cruelty and the drama of Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship draws the Lintons in and forces them into the chaos.

Character Development

A snowstorm forces Lockwood to stay at Wuthering Heights, much to Heathcliff 's discontent. Nelly Dean, the housekeeper, proceeds to tell Lockwood the story of the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights after he inquires. Mr. Earnshaw, the original master of the house, took a trip to Liverpool and returned with an orphan boy, Heathcliff. His daughter, Catherine, took to him almost immediately, but his son, Hindley, hated him and never stopped. Hindley becomes master of Wuthering Heights after Mr. Earnshaw dies and begins to treat Heathcliff like a servant and makes life miserable for him. Catherine is Heathcliff’s only source of relief and happiness. While they are spying on the Lintons, Catherine is bitten by their dog and must stay at Thrushcross Grange to recuperate. While there, Edgar Linton falls in love with her and the weeks without Catherine takes a toll on Heathcliff. Frances, Hindley’s wife, dies during the birth of their son, Hareton, and Hindley is even more tyrannical and vengeful toward Heathcliff. He becomes an abusive alcoholic and makes his sole purpose to make Heathcliff’s life miserable. Catherine confesses her love for Heathcliff to Nelly, but still marries Edgar for his class standing, causing Heathcliff to leave the moors for three years. When he comes back, he