Student Essay on The Importance of Setting in Wuthering Heights

The Importance of Setting in Wuthering Heights

Summary:   The setting in Wuthering Heights is so important because it defines the entire story. The characters lives revolve around the setting. In no other story I have read has the setting been so important.

The setting in a Gothic novel is greatly influential on the entire story. In Gothic

novels the setting not only shows the dread and horror but also depicts the deterioration

of the world. The setting shows that there was a once thriving world. At one time the setting was something valued and esteemed. Now, all that lasts is the decaying shell of a once thriving abode. These things can be seen in the setting in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The element of mood in a gothic novel has been described as, "gloomy, dark, terror, death, revenge, hate, mystery, horror." In Wuthering Heights, the two most convincing elements of mood are loss of life and retribution.

Wuthering Heights takes place in England in the 19th century and takes place in two locations throughout the book. One of the two locations is Wuthering Heights a manor house built on a moor, and on the other side of the moor is Thrushcross Grange. Wuthering Heights is much darker then Thrushcross Grange and is almost its exact opposite.

Bronte has used Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange as a way to depict separation and isolation. The dark and threatening environment depicted at the beginning of the novel foreshadows the gloomy atmosphere found in the remainder of the novel. Wuthering Heights is a gloomy, darker manor and Thrushcross Grange is more modernized for its time and much brighter. The inhabitants of the houses also differ due to these surroundings. The setting of these two houses plays a large role throughout the novel. The two houses serve as a direct opposite of each other both in there looks and what happens within them due to the difference in inhabitants.

Wuthering Heights is a murky, ominous manor where there are little plants in the yard and the only trimming the hedges or grass get is from the cows that eat it. It isn't well maintained nor has it been updated or modernized throughout the novel. This also reflects in the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. In the novel the description of Heathcliff in Chapter 1 directly contrasts him to his dwelling, and shows just what Wuthering Heights isn't.

"But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style of living. He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman, that is, as much a gentleman as many a country squire: rather slovenly, perhaps, yet not looking amiss with his negligence, because he has an erect and handsome figure--and rather morose. Possibly, some people might suspect him of a degree of under-bred pride; I have a sympathetic chord within that tells me it is nothing of the sort: I know, by instinct, his reserve springs from an aversion to showy displays of feeling--to manifestations of mutual kindliness. He'll love and hate, equally under cover, and esteem it a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again--No, I'm running on too fast--I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him." (Wutheing Heights, Bronte Ch. 1)

The quote says, Heathcliff is a direct contrast to that of Wuthering Heights. For example, he is a dressed gentleman, where Wuthering Heights is an undressed, old rickety manor.

The inhabitants of Wutheing Heights are direct results of there surrounds. For example, Heathcliff is an orphan brought to live in the house by Mr. Earnshaw, and falls into a deep love with his daughter Catherine. This love he has for Catherine causes them to almost be one person in the same:

"It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and [Edgar's] is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire." (Wutheing Heights, Bronte)

Heathcliff being from Wuthering Heights turns out to be a bleak person. He becomes unmannered as a child, has an ill-temper, and becomes a outlandish and discontented man as he grows old. Although his manners change as he becomes older this does not change the fact that Heathcliff becomes almost insane towards the end of his life, in which he lives in Wuthering Heights. Another instance of a character from Wuthering Heights is Hindley. Hindley is the son of Mr. Earnshaw and grows up resenting Heathcliff and the love his father has for Heathcliff. Hindley takes a bit of revenge on Heathcliff after his father dies, but is no match for Heathcliff. Eventually Hindley goes on to lose his son and his family's home.

Thrushcross Grange is a manor house that is about 4 miles away from Wuthering Heights. Thrushcross Grange is much better maintained and more modernized. It is also a brighter house and that reflects on its inhabitants. For example Edgar Linton is a well-mannered man and grows to love his wife Catherine till the day he dies. He is a good father and cares for his daughter dearly. Isabella Linton also lived in the Grange and was a good person until she moved into Wuthering Heights and changed for the worse.

Besides the interior of the two manors, the setting of the houses is also important. The two houses lay on the Yorkshire moors. Dictionary.com defines a moor as "A broad area of open land, often high but poorly drained, with patches of heath and peat bogs." The moors seem to symbolize the line that separates the two lifestyles of the residents of the manors. The moors are also used during the story to show a place of relief. Heathcliff towards the end of his life often wanders the moors to think. They also act as a boundary between the two houses, such as when Linton and Cathy meet in the moors. They play a significant role in separating the two families, as well as being a burial place for both the families. Catherine is later buried in between both Edgar and Heathcliff.

Weather is also a part of the setting Bronte plays with in her work. Bronte uses weather and atmospheric conditions to stress events and to highlight the frame of mind of the characters in the work. Many of the noteworthy events that take place between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are accompanied by a alteration in the weather. Emily Brontë uses the weather to show the beginning of a transition from

calm to unstable events in the plot.

Lastly, time is important in the setting of Wuthering Heights. In modern day United States, the social classes seem to blend together smoother then that of the social statues of 19th century England. The class statuses in 19th century England were separated by a much bolder class line. Without this class line that was so drawn so boldly Heathcliff and Catherine may have very well been married. But due to the class line, Catherine complains that it would "degrade" her to marry Heathcliff.

The setting in Wuthering Heights is so important because it defines the entire story. The characters lives revolve around the setting. In no other story I have read has the setting been so important. Bronte depicts an incredible setting where the characters are caught in a constant tension due to the setting. That is why the setting in this novel is so important, it defines the characters lives.