Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a story full of passion, wild love and violence where, by the end of the turmoil, few gain happiness. Highly controversial at the time of its release in the 19th century, the destructive love between Heathcliff and Catherine is at the centre of conflict. The complex ideas of revenge, cruelty and suffering are woven in, the main themes portrayed through anti-hero Heathcliff. In addition, the eerie, gothic and depressing mood set by Bronte is assisted by the gloomy and foreboding landscape, serving as a backdrop to the devastations that occur throughout; the tragic nature of two families shattered by their own decisions is enhanced by the cultured but humble narrator, Nelly.
The moors primarily comprise much of the landscape; the constant emphasis on this setting translates to deeper symbolic relevance, reflective of the emotional attachment between the characters and scenery, a disposition supported by Bronte’s heavy imagery. Described as “wild, windy and infertile expanses”, the terrain is stricken with potentially deadly waterlogged patches, diligently used as a symbol of nature’s threat on the people. “There was no moon, and everything beneath lay in misty darkness…” a depiction of the relentless and unguided journey made between both residences, illuminated by darkness. Most importantly, this location serves for the initiation of Catherine and Heathcliff’s blossoming relationship, a symbolic token associated with love affair, both relentless and passionate. The environment itself found in Wuthering Heights takes place far from the bustle of society, affiliated with Bronte’s contemporaries, akin to a combination of her childhood and work as an adult.
At first entering the Wuthering Heights estate, Heathcliff’s earliest and most profound memories are rigid with life as an unequal; by the passing of Mr Earnshaw, Heathcliff