Wuthering Heights Essay Research Paper Settings and

Wuthering Heights Essay, Research Paper

Settings and Characters in Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliff’s dwelling. Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather . . . One may guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting cornerstones (Bronte 2).

This is a description of Wuthering Heights by Mr. Lockwood, a narrator, who is first witnessing the foreboding household.

Ah! 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, and shimmering with little soft tapers (Bronte 40).

This is a description of Thrushcross Grange from the point of view of young Heathcliff, a major character in the novel. The two main settings in Wuthering Heights, the houses of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, are so opposite that it simply begs for analysis. Similarly, the characters juxtapose each other and personify each house’s characteristics. The wild, uncivilized manner of Wuthering Heights and the high, cultured, civilized nature of Thrushcross Grange are reflected in the characters who inhabit them by use of their dissimilar settings.

Wuthering Heights is a grim, thick-walled farmhouse built near the moors (Bloom 10). According to Eleanor Hubbard, it could simply not exist anywhere else (1). The moors are described as cruel and unsheltering, and as a savage earthly paradise (Bloom 12). There is a certain harshness to the moors around Wuthering Heights which suits its inherent qualities. The Heights is “strong,” “built with narrow windows and jutting cornerstones,” and is “fortified to withstand harsh conditions” (Bronte 2). There are a few stunted firs at the end of the house, and there are thorns bordering the house’s frame. The Heights’ appearance inside and out is wild, untamed, disordered, and hard (Laban 394). It is said to be the “epitome of the storm” (Smith 1). It is subject to extremes in weather. Winds, snow, and cold buffet the house and the grounds (Barth 7314). When Lockwood is describing the house at first sight, he says that Wuthering’ is “descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather” (Bronte 2). It is described as primitive, aboriginal, and Bohemian (Bloom 49) and identified with the outdoors and nature, displaying strong “masculine” values. Wuthering Heights is described as rustic and wild, as open to the elements of nature (Laban 394). It is severe, gloomy, and brutal in aspect and atmosphere, while staying firmly rooted in local tradition and custom, according to Derek Traversi. The Heights is chaotic and cheerless, but its bleakness takes on a sort of wild beauty. Presented as a monstrous place, Wuthering Heights’ violence is the mark of its own spirit (Bloom 49).

Compared to the abundance of information presented about Wuthering Heights, considerably less is known about Thrushcross Grange. What is known is this: it has crimson carpets and crimson-covered tables and chairs, white ceilings with a gold border, and an intricate chandelier in the center of the main living area (Bronte 40). It is surrounded by orderly parks and gardens which suit its tidy, regulated nature. The Grange is extremely luxurious and beautiful (Hubbard 1). It expresses a civilized, controlled atmosphere; the house is neat and orderly, comfortable and refined, and there is always an abundance of light (Laban 394). It reflects a conception of life at first sight altogether more agreeable and more human, yet sometimes shows signs of decadence (Traversi 130). The values of Thrushcross Grange are social, political, and personal, compatible with the emerging England of the time period (Bloom 49). The weather seems somewhat less severe here (Barth 7315).

Aside from the obvious contrasts between the two houses, according to Harold Bloom the juxtaposition of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange is inescapable, but it is not simple (49). It has been long recognized that the two houses represent the fundamental polarities in the novel (Dawson 1). Wuthering Heights is surrounded by wild, windy moors while Thrushcross Grange is bordered by neat, orderly parks (Baxter 1). The Heights houses a sort of rough freedom which contrasts with the Grange’s dignified calmness (Wasowski 26). Wuthering Heights is associated with childhood and is seen as the place of the soul, whereas Thrushcross Grange is likened to adult compulsions and the place of the body (Bloom 49).

Wuthering Heights is home to Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff, Hindley Earnshaw, Hareton Earnshaw, the servant Joseph, and lots of dogs. The characters at Wuthering Heights tend to be strong, wild, and passionate, much like the house itself (Wasowski 14). The stunted plants surrounding the house reflect the inability of anything to flourish or grow normally there, just as the characters find it difficult to fulfill their own needs or seek help from