Good and evil. Light and dark. These words can be used to describe the stark contrasts in setting that appear in the novel Wuthering Heights.
Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights are two such settings that appear throughout the novel. Thrushcross Grange represents the benign and good side; while on the opposite end of the spectrum; Wuthering Heights personifies the dark and malevolent side. These two settings also lend to the meaning of the novel by representing the inner struggle of the characters as they battle between good and evil. Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights are two settings that have many contrasts. From Mr. Lockwoods description in chapter one, it can be perceived that Wuthering Heights has a menacing, foreboding air about it.
The moors, which surround Wuthering Heights, are dark, misty, as well as rugged. These conditions give the weatherbeaten farmhouse a feeling of mysteriousness along with a supernatural aura of evil. Thrushcross Grange, on the other hand, is the antithesis of Wuthering Heights. Thrushcross Grange is bucolic and tranquil, which clashes with the dark, brooding tactility of Wuthering Heights.
There also seems to be a greater degree of sunlight at Thrushcross Grange in comparison to Wuthering Heights. It is clear that the two settings are symbolic. Thrushcross Grange represents the good side while Wuthering Heights represents the evil side. Thrushcross Grange, with the sunlight and calm weather, is representative of the light and benevolent side of human nature. Conversely, Wuthering Heights is dark and stormy and is symbolic of evil. It can be said that Wuthering Heights represents the wild and uninhibited aspect of nature as well.
By representing the inner struggle the characters have between good and evil; the two settings help contribute to the underlying meaning of the novel. Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff are synonymous to each other. They are both dark and rugged. Also, both are stormy as well as violent. Thrushcross Grange and Cathy are also alike. Cathy personifies the sunlight and tranquillity at the Grange with her radiance and calmness.
Cathys opposition to Heathcliffs evil plans of revenge is symbolic of light versus dark. A parallel can be made of the struggle between Cathy and Heathcliff and the places in which they dwell, Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Cathy and Thrushcross Grange represent the light side while Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights represent the evil side. In Wuthering Heights, the contrast of setting that appears between Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights is significant because of what it represents as well as what it contributes to the novel.
These differences include light versus dark and good versus evil. These contrasts help to provide a greater understanding of the turmoil the characters experience as they battle with their inner forces of good and evil.
