Role Of Class Ambiguity In Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

Social class and class ambiguity play a substantial role in the novel and create a large proportion of the events that occur. In Emily Bronte’s novel she has given the reader a sense of what the credentials were of belonging to each class and what relations between them were like in nineteenth century England. The story of Wuthering Heights provides us with the idea of class ambiguity through a selection of characters that do not belong to one specific social class and whose status changes throughout the novel, which is contrary to the main idea that in Victorian England a person was born into one social class and usually stayed there for the rest of their lives.
The main example of the changing social class in the novel is Heathcliff. Heathcliff
Hareton was born into the middle class, being an Earnshaw and the heir to Wuthering Heights; however, he loses this status and becomes a labourer with no education due to Heathcliff’s treatment of him and his securing of the property prior to Hindley’s death. Cathy Earnshaw is also born into a upper class life at Thrushcross Grange, constantly having attention and always getting the things that she wants. She is then transformed into a servant due to Heathcliff’s trickery in obtaining her rightful fortune by securing the marriage between his dying son Linton and her when Cathy’s father Edgar is also dying. Heathcliff’s death provides relief for both of them as it signifies that Hareton becomes the owner of Wuthering Heights and Cathy gets back her home, Thrushcross Grange. Cathy Linton also demonstrates the relationship between the classes through her treatment of Hareton when they first meet. Once she finds out that he is a servant she is very quick to judge and act the ‘lady’: ‘But Ellen,’ cried she, staring, fixed in astonishment. ‘‘How dare he speak so to me? Mustn’t he be made to do as I ask him? You wicked creature, I shall tell papa what you said- Now then!’’ and ‘‘Papa is gone to fetch my cousin from London-my cousin is a gentleman’s son-That my-’ she stopped, and wept outright; upset at the bare notion of relationship with such a