the good, the evil, and the in-between

Hello everybody! I couldn’t decide between two of my sections so I am posting both of them, plus the “title” section (why I’m doing this will make sense if you read the “setting” section). Anyways, here ya go!

1. Title
The title, Wuthering Heights, is significant because the place, Wuthering Heights, is the center of the whole story. The word “wuthering” is used to describe a wind that is blowing very strongly or a place where the wind blows strongly, which sets the mood of the place Wuthering Heights as dark, unfriendly, etc. In the novel, the manor is described as “grotesque, with strong, narrow windows… deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large, jutting stones” (Bronte 3). All of the characters and actions in Wuthering Heights reflect this cruel environment and set up the characters for their futures as adults in the book, which ultimately creates the story.

2. Setting
The two primary settings in the novel are Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Since Wuthering Heights was already described in the “Title” section, Thrushcross Grange will be explained here. Thrushcross Grange is a luxurious place with a light and kind mood. Thrushcross Grange is described as “a splendid place carpeted with crimson, and crimson covered chairs and tables, and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold” (Bronte 31). This place represents the upper-class Victorian society and the social ideals associated with it. Thrushcross Grange is synonymous with the character of Edgar Linton (just as Heathcliff is synonymous with Wuthering Heights). Edgar is considered a true gentleman and follows all social norms and ideals. When Catherine stays with the Lintons at the Grange after getting injured, she is transformed into “a proper lady.” Despite her undying love for Heathcliff, she is drawn in by the social standing that Edgar and Thrushcross Grange represent. Catherine inhabits both spaces and their respective characteristics.
Furthermore, you could apply id, ego, and superego to the settings as if they were characters. Thrushcross Grange represents the superego, whereas Wuthering Heights represents the id (Catherine (or even the moors) represents the mix of both: the ego).

3. Symbol
The Moors symbolize the in-between of good and evil, with Wuthering Heights representing evil, and Thrushcross Grange representing good. For Heathcliff and Catherine, the moors represent freedom from their home life and social circumstances, which keep them apart.
For Isabella, the moors represent something quite different. When she flees Wuthering Heights after an abusive encounter with Heathcliff she likens the moors to something preventing her from escaping the hell that is Wuthering Heights. Isabella describes her passage to Nelly, “…blessed as a soul escaped from purgatory, I bounded, leaped, and flew down the steep road; then, quitting its windings, shot direct across the moor, rolling over banks, and wading through marshes: precipitating myself, in fact, towards the beacon-light of the Grange” (Bronte 116). Isabella sees the moors as an obstacle she has to pass in order to get to Thrushcross Grange, where she wants to be.