Introduction
Emily Bronte provided perhaps one of the vivid works of romantic desperation in the form of her novel Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights, being one of a kind due to the immediate death of Bronte shortly after release, features the story of the owner of two manor estates told by his housekeeper to his tenant, apparently intrigued by the mystery brought by the stormy countryside and the manor he is renting. Much of Wuthering Heights focused on events that happened within and between the two manors owned by the protagonist – Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, both separated yet nevertheless located within the moorlands of England. Much of the events focused mostly on romantic love, with emphasis on the eventual desperate obsession of the protagonist.
Symbolic Significance: Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights came from the name of the manor of the protagonist named Heathcliff Earnshaw, whose ancestors and contemporaries have owned and lived the manor in his earlier years, alongside his other manor named Thrushcross Grange. Details on Wuthering Heights first emerged when Lockwood, a man who rented the Thrushcross Grange, became curious of his proprietor Heathcliff due to his mysterious nature enhanced by his place of residence, Wuthering Heights. Lockwood then obtained the whole story behind Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights through Nelly Dean, the housekeeper in charge of Thrushcross Grange. Nelly, having been in charge of Wuthering Heights since her youthful days, first served under the senior Earnshaw and his children Hindley and Catherine. Heathcliff is an adopted son of the senior Earnshaw from Liverpool and the subject of aversion by Hindley and Catherine, although the latter eventually became fond of him. Both Catherine and Heathcliff became close friends and eventually formed romantic feelings towards one another, although further developments in the story forced the emergence of complicated events between the two of them (Bronte; Gilmour 188-196).
Catherine, after suffering from a dog bite at the Thrushcross Grange – then under the ownership of the Linton family, had to stay at said manor for recuperation away from Heathcliff, who then had to work as a common laborer under the ruthless Hindley, whose takeover of Wuthering Heights followed the death of the senior Earnshaw. Although Heathcliff had no choice but to stay at Wuthering Heights during the time of Catherine inside Thrushcross Grange, such circumstance effectively led him to take control of the former manor shortly after the death of Hindley. Catherine, being the only other legitimate heir of Wuthering Heights, eventually chose to marry Edgar Linton, to whom she became close with during her stay in Thrushcross Grange. Such allowed Heathcliff to gain wealth – one that significantly influenced the course of Wuthering Heights alongside his desperation and obsession brought forth by his romantic feelings for Catherine (Bronte; Gilmour 188-196).
Symbolic Significance: Thrushcross Grange
Heathcliff eventually took over Thrushcross Grange with his newfound wealth, shortly after returning from his exile from Wuthering Heights and the eventual death of Hindley. With revenge in mind, Heathcliff planned to take over Thrushcross Grange from the Linton family as well by marrying Isabella Linton, the sister of the husband of Catherine, Edgar. Apparently, the purpose of Heathcliff is to get closer to Catherine, noting that his romantic feelings towards her have not yet faded. However, Catherine died shortly after giving birth to her daughter with Edgar, also named Catherine. In a strong showing of obsession, Heathcliff went to the point of pleading for her soul not to leave the Earth in any way. At the same time, however, the cruelty of Heathcliff towards Isabella and their son Linton exemplifies that his marriage is not one out of genuine romantic love, as it is just part of his plan to get closer to Catherine when she was alive (Bronte; Gilmour 188-196).
Like Wuthering Heights, Thrushcross Grange became the venue of several controversies in Wuthering Heights. Nelly, the housekeeper of the Earnshaws, also served as the nursemaid of the younger Catherine, left alone after the death of her mother. Although the younger Catherine initially did not have exposure from the controversial past of both Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, her meeting with Hareton - the son of Hindley to his wife Frances, became the starting point of her involvement. The younger Catherine played with Hareton a lot in the moorlands, where she eventually met Heathcliff. Heathcliff, being in his obsessive self, learned about the younger Catherine and planned to have her married with his son, Linton. Albeit sickly, Linton managed to meet the younger Catherine and became close with one another. However, the younger Catherine did not know that Heathcliff was just coercing Linton into meeting her for marriage, being part of his objective to consolidate his ownership of Thrushcross Grange. To force the marriage, Heathcliff held both Nelly and the younger Catherine captives inside Wuthering Heights until the latter married Linton. The forced marriage, however, did not last as Linton died from illness shortly after the death of Edgar. Heathcliff eventually took over Thrushcross Grange and forced the younger Catherine to administer Wuthering Heights as a common servant. While Catherine eventually married Hareton after forming a romantic relationship during their stay inside Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff rented out Thrushcross Grange to Lockwood. Heathcliff continued with his illusions with the elder Catherine until his death (Bronte; Gilmour 188-196).
Symbolic Significance: The Moorlands
Apart from being the natural characteristic of the area occupying both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, the moorlands became a notable setting for the key characters of the story. Firstly, the moorlands figured as the place where the elder Catherine and Heathcliff played during their younger days, until the former got a bite from the dog of the Linton family, compelling her to recuperate inside their home then, the Thrushcross Grange. Secondly, the moorlands also became the playground of the younger Catherine and Hareton until the former met Heathcliff, who eventually introduced her to his son Linton and initiated his plans from there. Thirdly, the moorlands became the venue of Heathcliff as he wandered in his illusions of the elder Catherine, to whom his obsession went. The moorlands, therefore, was an important scenery for the key characters of Wuthering Heights. At the same time, one could imply that the moorlands further emphasized the darkness of Wuthering Heights as it played on the obsession of Heathcliff (Bronte; Gilmour 188-196).
Conclusion
The overall characteristic of Wuthering Heights as a dark Victorian period novel of romantic desperation and obsession would not have been complete without the Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange manors, and the moorlands. Bronte played the obsession of Heathcliff well by alternately using both manors as key venues for his plans. The moorlands became a crucial setting for the key characters, perhaps as a venue where everything has begun and ended.
Works Cited
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights (Wordsworth Classics). United Kingdom: Wordsworth Editions Limited, 2000. Print.
Gilmour, Robert. The Victorian Period: The Intellectual and Cultural Context of English Literature. United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited, 1993. Print.
