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Characters and Setting in Wuthering Heights

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Characters and Setting in Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights Character/Setting Comparison Essay

Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights, published in 1847, is one full of deep-seated passion and wicked duplicity that has caused it to remain among the many classics of British Literature. The unconventional interaction between characters teases the reader because the characters often do not arrive at the readers’ anticipated conclusion. This said, characters in Wuthering Heights often lead complicated relationships that inevitably lead to grief or loss of something revered. This loss, typically taking the form of money, property, or a companion, plays a pivotal role in exposing the characters and tends to display their darker sides. However, the characters invariably manage to bounce back, by getting revenge or simply letting go. The character’s grim moods or other feelings often, frequently parallel to their current residence. These characters’ moods often change, evolving to more closely resemble the abode in which they reside; being especially evident in the characters Heathcliff, Catherine, Edgar Linton, and Isabella. Heathcliff is a dark and malevolent character that is deeply resembles the wind-blown and overcast manor house, Wuthering Heights. He is also perhaps one of the most disappointing characters in the book, at least where fulfilling the expectations of the readers is concerned. He is the original lover of Catherine and the first to have ever held a grip on her heart, but despite this, he evolves into a monster that is frequently branded a demon by many characters. Heathcliff, as an orphaned child, grew up estranged and abused by his envious foster brother. Because of his growing up in such a dark and threatening manor house, Wuthering Heights, his characteristics as a grown man can often reflect his personality and manner. Wuthering Heights was depicted as a Gothic style building with “‘wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its



Cited: Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights, New York: Penguin Group, 1847. Print.

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