Education of the 18th and 19th century connects closely to the gender association of this period. Men from wealthy families were the only persons provided the opportunity to be educated at the university level. Just as many men use golf to prove their status and superiority today, these gentlemen pursued cricket and rugby. Another similarity with society today involves the importance of personal connections to further your education possibilities and business opportunities. Social standing was extremely important during this time. "Manners, money, birth, occupation and leisure time were crucial indicators of social standing, determining not only one's place in society but one's freedom to act, speak, learn, and earn" (Longman p. 1886).
(alternate view on Victorian society)
In the Victorian Era, social class was not solely dependent upon the amount of money a person had; rather, the source of income, birth, and family connections played a major role in determining one's position in society. And, significantly, most people accepted their place in the hierarchy. In addition to money, manners, speech, clothing, education, and values revealed a person's class. The three main classes were the elite class, the middle class, and the working class. Further divisions existed within these three class distinctions.
The struggle between social classes roughly resembles a real-life conflict during this time. The book was published during the Industrial Revolution, a time of great economic change in which laborers fought for fair conditions in the workplace, and employers fought to defend themselves. People formed groups to work for their own benefit, thus, causing the separation of classes
THE GENERAL EFFECT THAT STRESS ON EDUCATION AND THUS SOCIAL CLASS BRINGS OUT IN THE NOVEL:
Education is the one of the central themes in Wuthering Heights, it brings about social status and class distinction in the novel, one of the major differences