Good and evil. Light and dark. These words describe the contrasts in setting in the novel Wuthering Heights.
Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights are two settings that appear throughout the novel. Thrushcross Grange represents the benign and good side, while 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 have many contrasts. From Mr. Lockwood’s description in chapter one, it can be perceived that Wuthering Heights has a menacing, foreboding air about it.
The moors surrounding Wuthering Heights are dark, misty, and rugged, giving the weather-beaten farmhouse a mysterious and supernatural aura of evil. In contrast, Thrushcross Grange is bucolic and tranquil, which clashes with the dark and brooding atmosphere 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 between good and evil, the characters contribute to the underlying meaning of the novel. Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff are synonymous with each other, both being dark and rugged, as well as stormy and violent. Similarly, Thrushcross Grange and Cathy are alike, with Cathy personifying the sunlight and tranquillity at the Grange through her radiance and calmness.
Cathy’s opposition to Heathcliff’s evil plans of revenge is symbolic of light versus dark. A parallel can be made between the struggle of Cathy and Heathcliff and the places they dwell in, Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Cathy and Thrushcross Grange represent the light side, while Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights represent the evil side. The contrast of setting between Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights in the novel is significant because of what it represents and contributes to the story.
These differences include light versus dark and good versus evil. These contrasts help provide a greater understanding of the turmoil the characters experience as they battle their inner forces of good and evil.
