SỰ CÔ LẬP VÀ NHỮNG ẢNH HƯỞNG TÂM LÝ CỦA NÓ TỚI CÁC NHÂN VẤT TRONG TIỂU THUYẾT ĐỒI GIÓ HÚ CỦA EMILY BRONTE

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
GRADUATION PAPER
ISOLATION AND ITS PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS
ON THE CHARACTERS IN WUTHERING
HEIGHTS BY EMILY BRONTE
Supervisor: Đỗ Thu Hương M.A
Student: Kiều Thị Hà
Course: QH2010.F1.E1
HÀ NỘI - 2014

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH
KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP
SỰ CÔ LẬP VÀ NHỮNG ẢNH HƯỞNG TÂM LÝ CỦA
NÓ TỚI CÁC NHÂN VẤT TRONG TIỂU THUYẾT ĐỒI
GIÓ HÚ CỦA EMILY BRONTE
Giáoviênhướngdẫn: Đỗ Thu Hương M.A
Sinhviên: Kiều Thị Hà
Khóa: QH2010.F1.E1
Ha noi May, 2014





Signatures of Approval:
_________________________________________________________________

Supervisor
_________________________________________________________________
Second Grader
ACCEPTANCE
I hereby state that I: Kiều Thị Hà, QH2010. F1.E1 being a candidate for the
degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the
retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the
library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with
the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of
the paper.
Signature
Date: 05/05/2014
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have taken efforts in this study. However, it would not have been possible without
the tremendous support and help of individuals. I would like to extend our sincere thanks to
all of them.
I am highly indebted to my honor supervisor, Ms. Đỗ Thu Hương, for her guide,
advice and suggestions as well as correction during the course of my writing. Secondly, I
would like to express my gratitude to my close friend for helping me get access to
necessary information regarding the topic and their support in completing the study.
Thirdly, my thanks go to Ms. Nguyễn Huyền Ly for her comment and corrective feedback
on my work. Last but not least, I also would like to thank my family for their indispensable
support and encouragement. Therefore, it is possible to state that without the help from the
aforementioned people, this paper would never have been finished
6
ABSTRACT
Wuthering Heights, the only novel written by Emily Bronte, is considered one of the
masterpieces in English literature. The novel was published when the Romantic Age was
taken over from Realism. It still reflected the British’s society during the Victorian era,

albeit this novel was written in the Romantic style. Wuthering Heights touches upon many
issues in the society during the 19
th
century. Today, there have been studies about
Wuthering Heights in many aspects such as setting, characters, the love and revenge
between Catherine and Healthcliff. In 1992, Peterson referred to Sigmund Feud’s claim in
his work that understanding human psychology can help people appreciate works of
literature more. Basing on Freud’s theory, it is possible to apply the knowledge in
psychology to explain change in character’s psyche and behaviors. Therefore, the writer has
decided to examine the novel in terms of characters from psychological perspective. In this
study, the researcher aims at analyzing the reasons why the main characters are isolated and
finding the influences of isolation on people’s life presented in the novel. After completing
this study, it can be seen that, the characters in the novel experience isolation and loneliness
imposed by other people as well as by themselves. In addition, the isolation has big
influences on characters’ lives, personalities, and behaviors. It also causes them troubles in
maintaining relationships with people. Therefore, their lives are despaired and miserable.
7
TABLE OF CONTENT
8
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Statement of research question
Wuthering Heights is the only novel written by Emily Bronte and it is considered
one of the masterpieces in English literature. The novel was published when the Romantic
Age was taken over from Realism. Although this novel was written in the Romantic style, it
still reflected the British’s society during the Victorian era. Like other literary works of this
period, this masterpiece is also set in a new conventional context when a brand new flow of
moral values is stemmed from the Industrial Revolution (Shapiro, 1969). Considered a
social novel, Wuthering Heights touches upon the class structure and the treatise on
women’s role in society as well. Bronte also mentioned other matters in society at that time
such as the effects of racism on people’s relationships, social class and spouse selection.

The social and cultural contexts of the novel are significant elements that can somehow
explain the characteristics of the characters. For a long time, this work of art has been
appreciated for its literature values and its place among readers of all generations.
Today, there have been studies about Wuthering Heights in many aspects such as
setting, characters, the love and revenge between Catherine and Healthcliff. In 2003,
Tamura touched upon the love between the two main characters of the novel, Catherine and
Healthcliff, their perception of life and the ways they behave toward other people. The
article would be more persuasive if the author could present reasons to explain the
characters’ behaviors and reasons that drive them to react in these ways rather than others.
While Dawson (1989) was attracted to find ways to approach this novel, Adam would like
to dig further into the use of fictional factors like dreams in the work which was
9
demonstrated in an article “ Wuthering Heights: the Land East of Eden”, (1958). In this
novel, other aspects offer good topics for further studies as well. Among those aspects are
the psychological features which are depicted in the novel. There are studies on the
psychoanalytical criticism of Bronte’s work. Abdulkareen in 2011 conducted research for
his master degree thesis entitled “A psychoanalytical reading of Wuthering Heights”. In this
thesis, the researcher concentrates on analyzing denial, repression, sublimation as well as
projection in characters. Apart from that, in Peterson’s work (1992), he refers to Sigmund
Feud’s claim that understanding human psychology can help people appreciate works of
literature more. Since it is possible to apply the knowledge in psychology to explain change
in character’s psyche and behaviors, the writer has decided to examine the novel in terms of
characters from psychological perspective. Factors which drive the characters to behave in
some certain ways in Emily’s novel will be investigated in this study which is entitled
“Isolation and its psychological impacts on the characters in Wuthering Heights by
Emily Bronte”
2. Aims and objectives of the study
By conducting this study, the researcher aims at finding the influences of isolation on
people’s life presented in the novel. In addition, the researcher also analyzes the reasons
why the main characters are isolated. To achieve these aims, the researcher carries out the

study to address the following questions:
 What are the reasons for making characters isolated?
 What are the psychological effects of isolation on the characters?
3. Significance of the study
Once completed, this study would bring about some certain benefits for teachers
and students and for those interested in this novel to understand more about the
10
characteristic features and the nature of the main characters. The research is conducted
from a new perspective. It would be a useful source for reference. Therefore, third year
students will probably have more materials to support them during the first semester of the
third year when they study “English Literature” in general, and the novel “Wuthering
Heights” in particular.
4. The scope of the study
It can be seen that “Wuthering Heights” mentioned families, the relation between
family members and society, the conventions in society and others. However, this study
will concentrate on the investigation into isolation factors and how these factors affect the
life and the personality traits of the main characters such as Catherine, Heathcliff and Edgar
in some aspects of life as love, behaviors, and their ways of thinking by understanding
human psychology to explain those matters.
5. Research methodology
To conduct this research, the researcher has had to collect and read the novel and
other research about this work of art to have a deeper understanding about it. Apart from
that, research in psychology about personality, isolation and its effect under the view of
psychology are also sources of materials for the study. The theories by psychologists such
as Sigmund Feud and Karen Horney are backbones for the researcher to analyze characters’
thoughts and behaviors. They provide significant background knowledge for the researcher
to conduct the research paper. The types of sources include such as books, journal articles
and previous studies related to the topic.
With adequate knowledge and information gained from extensive reading, the writer
has started to analyze and synthesize these sources of information before arriving at some

11
conclusion. After being analyzed, the result would be presented in chapter 4 named
“Development”
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Psychoanalysis theory
1.1 Sigmund Feud’s theory
Sigmund Freud is an Austrian psychologist, who is considered the father of modern
personality theory known as psychoanalysis theory. The theory deals with human conflicts
with other people and in himself.
In Freudian theory, the basic concept that needs to be understood is the concept of
“unconscious” which is part of personality that a person is not aware of. Unconscious
contains instinctual drives which are wishes, desires, and demands (FettiJohn, 1997). He
claims that people’s behaviors are made by thoughts, ideas in their brain (unconscious part).
However, this part is not always linked to the conscious part of their mind.
The relationship between the two parts is reflected in his structure of personality.
According to his structure, personality consists of three separate but interacting parts which
are Id, ego and superego.
The Id is the unconscious component of human psyche. Freud shows that the Id is
always inside each person. It consists of all initial actions that seek for pleasure, happiness,
avoid being hurt and painful. The Id can be simply understood as the answer to human
instinct. Because the Id operates according to pleasure principles which aim at minimizing
tension, anxiety and maximizing satisfaction, it is considered an important part in human
life. It somehow guides them to meet the first layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
However, it appears to be impossible to meet all people’s needs and wishes. Some needs
12
can be satisfied but others cannot. As a result, people feel blissful and happy when their
demands are satisfied and they may become aggressive when they are not. Since it belongs
to human’s unconscious part, it is fairly difficult to be affected by any laws.
In reality, there are many obstacles which prevent demands of pleasure being
fulfilled. The relationship between the Id and reality is referred to the term “Ego”. The Ego

is considered a pre-conscious part of human psychology. It is driven by reality principles in
which it takes reality into consideration to make people behave in acceptable manners.
Because the Ego attempts to mediate between the id and reality, it somehow helps people
integrate into the society (Freud, 1933). In 1997, FettiJohn wrote in his book that “it [the
ego] makes decision, controls actions and allow thinking and problems solving of a high
order than the id is capable of” (p. 356). It indicates that the Ego is a part of the mind
controlling human instinct- the unconscious part to match with the community’s
acceptance.
The last part of structure of personality is the Superego which represents the
morality or ethnicity of the society given by caregivers such as parents, teachers and others.
This part of the mind operates by moral principles. The Superego consists of two parts,
conscience and the ego ideal. The conscience causes the feelings of guilt when a person
behaves in inappropriate manners and the ego ideal is the picture of a person that he wishes
himself to become (McLeod, 2008). Therefore, the superego is partly unconnected to the
real world. It can be seen that the superego is opposite to the Id. The Superego is to make
people’s behaviors more civilized and perfect while the Id is driven by the instinct.
However, it is only the difference in the surface of two terms; in fact, they share the
common of not considering the reality in society. The lack of reality in the superego pushes
a person to behave better but it can also be the reason for creating perfectionists who cannot
13
make a compromise that life requires. Similarly, the unrestrained Id can make people
primarily seek for satisfying their pleasures without delay (FettiJohn, 1997). According to
Freud (1923), the balance of the Ego would keep the Id and the Superego in check. The
influential Id can affect interpersonal relationships but the dominance of the superego can
make people obsessive about moral restriction which can lead to straining relationship
among people in the community.
Understanding Freudian theory, the readers can have a link to the characters in
Emily’s novel. Healthcliff is a representative of id- driven personality and in contrast,
Edgar Linton is a typical person who is dominant by the Superego. Last but not least,
Catherine Earnshaw is an outstanding example of struggling Ego. (See Chapter 4 for detail

analysis).
1.2 Karen Horney’s theory of neurosis needs
Karen Horney is a German psychoanalyst, who along with other psychologists such
as Car Jung, Alfred Adler, formed the Neo Freudian discipline. She had developed two
major theories in psychology world, theory of neurosis and mature theory basing on
knowledge about Freudian personality theory.
According to Freud, the Id is controlled by seeking for safety and avoiding pain.
Horney called this conditions “basic anxiety” which is “insidiously increasing, all-
pervading feeling of being lonely and helpless in a hostile world” (Horney, 1937, p. 89). It
is the foundation for the development of neuroses. To feel safer, people try to protect
themselves from basic anxiety by “securing affections and love, being submissive, attaining
power, withdrawing” (Schultz & Schultz, 2004, p. 157).
By securing affection and love from other people, the person has a feeling that if
someone loves him, he will not be hurt by that person. Therefore, people try to gain
14
affection by doing whatever the other person wants, paying kickback to other or threatening
others to gain desired affection.
Another way to seek safety is to submit. People avoid criticizing and making
offense or saying anything that may be against others. People who act submissively often
believe that they are “unselfish and self-sacrificing” (Schultz & Schultz, 2004, p. 157).
Some people believe that attaining power over other people will help them achieve
security through success and sense of superiority. In addition, they also believe that if they
have power in their hands, no one can harm them.
Last but not least, withdrawing is also a way to protect oneself from basic anxiety.
Those people withdraw from other people and from society physically but not
psychologically. They desire to achieve independence concerning psychological needs but
not emotional demands.
The four self-protection mechanisms serve the role of defending against basic
anxiety. Horney believed that any of those mechanisms could become a part of personality
which can drive people behaviors in certain ways. She listed ten needs which can also be

called neurotic needs and grouped into three main categories or “trends” as Horney called
them, which are moving to toward other people, against other people and away from other
people (Schultz & Schultz, 2004)
The first trend, moving toward others or compliant personality, contains the needs
of affection, love and a dominant partner. Those people need approval, affection as they
doubt about their opinions, criticisms and even about themselves. Therefore, they need a
partner such as friends, parents, or spouse who can give them protection and guidance. In
relationship with other people, this type of people can blame and agree with others as well.
They are never critical and demanding.
15
The second trend is moving against others or aggressive personality. It is about the
needs of “power, exploitation, prestige, admiration, and achievement” (Schultz & Schultz,
2004, p. 159). This type of people tends to be hostile and cunning to survive. They are
tough and domineering, especially have no concern about others. They often force
themselves to word hard to become the best or even perfectionists. Aggressive personality
appears confident of their abilities. Simply understanding, they are driven by anxiety,
feeling of being unsafe and hostility.
The last trend is detached personality or moving away from other people. This trend
includes needs of self-sufficiency, perfection and narrow limits to life (Schultz & Schultz,
2004, p. 159). Those people move away from other people and often keep emotional
distance. They try to avoid all constraints, long-term commitments such as marriage or
mortgage. These struggles of emotion put great stress on this type of people in many
aspects.
Generally, there are three trends of neurosis needs and in each neurotic person; one
of these trends is dominant but the other two more or less present to a certain degree.
Horney’s theory helps readers understand characters psyche and the reasons why
they react in certain manners.
2. Isolation and its impacts from psychological perspective
2.1. What is isolation?
From psychological perspective, environment or living condition is one of the

factors that has a big influence on character formation and development. Besides, character
formation and development can only happen in certain environmental conditions.
Therefore, environment plays an important part in deciding the level of possible
development in a person (Nguyen et al, 2009). Isolation is also one factor belonging to
16
environment condition in psychology. Hence, it also has impacts on a person’s character.
Scientists are still working on this field to find out an appropriate definition for this term.
According to Psychology dictionary, “isolation is the state of being isolated from others and
social isolation in psychoanalytic theory is a defense mechanism that relies on keeping
unwelcome thoughts and feelings from forming associative links with other thoughts and
feelings.” In literature, isolation is described as the feeling which is associated with “loss or
marginality”, besides, apartness and loneliness are also considered a part of the concept of
social isolation (Biordi &Nicholson, 2013). Therefore the isolation discussed in this part is
not only physical isolation but also social isolation. It can be seen that two definitions of
isolation share commons in some aspects; however there are differences in defining
isolation. In psychology, there is a clear-cut distinction between isolation and solitude. In
literature on the other hand, solitude is regarded as a part of isolation. Biordi and Nicholson
(2013) also state that the definition of isolation depends on the study and the researcher’s
point of view.
Generally, isolation can be simply defined as a constant lack of interactions with
people in community. Isolation can range from voluntary isolation which refers to the
choice to distance himself from the community physically or emotionally or both, to
involuntary isolation imposed or forced by others.
2.2. What are the influences of isolation on human?
According to a study by Cacioppo (2008), there is a wide range of negative effects
of isolation on both physical and mental health. For example, chronic loneliness or isolation
is the cause of depression and suicide, especially among young people. It also results in
tension, stress and decreased memory and learning. In addition, long term isolation can
cause people troubles in impersonal relationships. Those people appear to communicate
17

with others in an aggressive manner as a way of self- protection and makes the Id part
dominant the others. Thus, being isolated can drive people to behave instinctively or
unconsciously. Isolation not only harms people’s mental health but also physical health. In
the same work, Cacioppo also pointed out that isolation can be the cause of cardiovascular
disease, malfunctioning the human brain. Additionally, Shankar, et al (2011) also showed
that health-risky behaviors such as drinking and smoking are also the consequence of
chronic loneliness. In 2006, Berkman and Melchior indicated that “social conditions [can]
create risky environments which in turn create vulnerable subgroups of the population who
may be both more susceptible to other specific exposures and/or be more heavily exposed
to a range of environmental risks”(p. 62). The people in isolation can fall into anxiety and
panic in new environment and the anxiety and panic can force them to find ways to
overcome agitation as in Horney’s theory of neurosis trends in order to seek for pleasure.
Isolation is the factor of living condition so it can affect a person’s level of
development. In impersonal communication, the isolated people can have difficulties in
communicating, adjusting, and mediating social relationships and even family ones.
According to Biordi and Nicholson, marriage is the short cut to reduce social isolation and
loneliness because there is a partner by their side. Unfortunately, the partner is not always
the person who will protect them from loneliness if he is not supportive enough (Tillburg,
1988). Therefore, only when partners are supportive network members can isolation in
marriage be alleviated. Another relationship is between children and parents. Hagestad
(1981) argued that communication and conversation among generations in a family can
maintain the sense of caring and belonging. That provides children with companionship,
closeness and makes children feel safer. Hence, it is not wise to keep children in isolation in
their own house. Besides, it is also vital to involve in a certain set of social network, as it
18
can lower the risk of isolation. Friends, colleagues and other non-kin relationships will
connect people in a network outside the family.
In conclusion, the lack of kin and non-kin relationships can increase the chance of
being isolated.
3. Characters in Literature

In Literature, imaginary people who are created by writers are called characters
(DiYanni, 2000). Characters in literature are unreal but they are often inspired by real
people or a group of people. To understand the plot, it is necessary to understand characters
in fiction.
According to Russell (2009), characters are categorized into three main types. The
protagonist or major character is the center of the story’s theme. Generally, there is only
one protagonist in a story but occasionally, there is more than one center character
dominating the story then the relationship between them will need to be analyzed to
understand the theme. The protagonist is not always godlike. It can be ordinal person and
lack nobility called anti-hero such as Healthcliff in “Wuthering Heights”. Representing the
opposition to protagonist is the antagonist who often causes trouble for protagonist to
overcome. Last but not least, foil character or minor character is the one whose function is
to make major character outstanding and shining (DiYanni, 2000).
Characters in literature are often developed in two ways, flat and round characters.
Flat characters are often unchanged in their personality during the development of the plot.
They can play a major or a minor role. Unlike flat characters, round characters have
complex personality which exhibits changes of attitude, behaviors as the story progresses.
The personality of characters is revealed in many ways which depends on writers’
purposes. Normally, readers can understand characters’ personality though their words,
19
actions, reactions, attitudes, behaviors and feelings, especially, characters can be revealed
by physical and psychological description and by their environment.
4. Psychological approach to character analysis in Literature
Tracking back to the Ancient Greece, Aristotle is widely considered as the pioneer
of psychological approach to literary works. Nonetheless, it was Freud that had heavily
influenced on applying the knowledge of psychology to understand characters in Literature.
As stated above, the main characters in a novel belong to some certain types of characters
in Literature such as flat or round, stable or dynamic, protagonist or antagonist or foil
character. Although these characters are imaginary people existing in fiction, they parallel
with people in real life. While psychoanalytic theory provides “formulation about human

behavior”, characters in literature work reveals “truth to experience” (Paris, p. 6). In
addition, literature enables us not only to observe people other than ourselves but also to
enter their mental life and to discover what these people tend to do to confront their life.
For those reasons, human psyche in literary works also obeys the law of human psychology.
For instance, according to Freud’s theory, Healthcliff is an id-driven person who wants
whatever feels good at the time with no consideration for the others’ situation. At
Wuthering Heights, the only person that Healthcliff cares about is Catherine and he falls in
love with the girl. Healthcliff does not care about the judgments from the society, the
conventions; he simply sees what he wants and the one he is fond of. From these examples,
it is possible to approach literature characters with the same concerns with approaching
people.
Throughout the novel Wuthering Heights, the characters experience both physical
and emotional isolation. Physical isolation implies the location of two houses and the status
of being kept isolated by other people. The Heights is located in the moorland surrounded
20
by bogs and it is difficult to travel back and forth between Wuthering Heights and
Thrushcross Grange even to people who are familiar with the territory. That somehow
makes people living in two houses isolated from the outside society. In addition, physical
isolation also refers to social isolation when the characters lack social relationships. They
may do not have friends, close friends, and other relationships. During the childhood, the
relationship between Catherine and Healthcliff can be considered friendship; however,
Hindley, Edgar, Isabella, young Catherine, Heraton and Linton do not have any friends.
They are limited to family members. For instance, Edgar Linton keeps close eyes on his
little daughter, she is kept away from the society outside “Mr. Linton would take her with
him a mile or so outside, on rare occasions; but he trusted her to no one else. Gimmerton
was an unsubstantial name in her ears; the chapel, the only building she had approached or
entered, except her own home” (Bronte, p. 160).
On the other hand, emotional isolation refers to mental distance from other people
or chronic loneliness. Some of them are responsible for their isolation like Catherine,
Healthcliff, Edgar and Isabella. All of them choose to be isolated in their marriage.

Catherine is not in love with Edgar but she decides to marry him. After getting married for
such a short time, she experiences loneliness in her own room. Others are kept in isolation
or imprisoned (social isolated) by others. Both Hareton and Cathy are kept in isolation by
parents or adopters. The lack of contacts with the outside world leads to depression and
other psychological effects, which will be analyzed in this study.
21
CHAPTER 3: EMILY BRONTE AND THE NOVEL “WUTHERING HEIGHTS”
1. Emily Bronte
Emily Jane Bronte was born in July, 30
th
, 1818 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England.
She was the fifth child in a literary family. After the death of her mother in 1821, Emily and
her sibling lived in a bleak moorland rectory. They started writing stories and delved into
the land of fantasy as a way to escape from the hardship of life. The children were well
educated during their early life at home by the Irish father who prized learning and the
power it had to change lives. Her father encouraged his children to read and write.
In 1835, Emily accompanied her sister, Charlotte, to Miss Wooler’s school at Roe
Head where she was offered a teaching position. However, Emily just stayed there for three
months because of homesickness. In 1838, she worked as a teacher in Miss Patchett’s
school near Halifax. After six exhausting months, she resigned. Then, she helped her sister
with her own school girl at Haworth. Four years later, she went to Brussels to learn foreign
language and school management. In 1845, Charlotte found some of her poetries and
persuaded her to publish her work.
There was evidence which indicated that Emily began writing Wuthering Heights in
1845 and accomplished it the next year. In July 1847, this novel was accepted to publish
but it was not until December that the work was printed. In the fall a year later, Emily
Bronte left home to attend her brother’s funeral. She went down with severe cold that
spread to her lungs. On 19 December, 1848 she died of tuberculosis.
22
Emily Bronte was the most introverted and least social among the Bronte children

with few friends outside her family. She pined for home and for the wild moorland where
she lived.
Her personality and her living environment influenced directly on what she had
written and Wuthering Heights was an example. All these elements make both her poetry
and the novel Wuthering Heights” more attractive
2. The novel “Wuthering Height”
2.1 Setting
In writing fiction, writers bring the world they know into their writing and the
stories can be imagined as happening at somewhere and sometime. According to DiYanni
(2000), setting in literature is “[the] place or location of a story’s action along with the time
in which it occurs is it setting” (p. 41). Wuthering Heights is not an exception. The readers
somehow can find the geography and the weather of the moorland in her novel.
Understanding the setting can help readers decode messages underneath. In addition,
setting also reveals characters and gives clues to help readers understand characters.
The environment of Yorkshire has a big influence on Emily. She practically makes
the characters out of its geography. It can be seen that in Wuthering Heights there are two
main locations, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, which are full of conflicts in
agreement with the plot. The two main sites of action are depicted as being opposite in
many aspects. For example, while Wuthering Heights on a hill high above is dark, cold, and
a bit wild, Thrushcross Grange gives the expression of brightness and warm welcome. The
two estates are only four miles apart; however traveling between the two is not convenient.
There is continuous back and forth movement on horse and foot. Gimmerton is the nearest
town and the only element that shows the connection of two houses with the world outside.
23
It is the location for other characters like the doctor, the lawyer to come from and appear in
the novel. Liverpool is a further port city, the place that the gypsy child - Heathcliff is
found. The weather plays a big role and tends to reflect some of the desolate attitudes of the
characters. It not only shows the severe condition of the moorland but also a factor that
effectively supports the setting to convey its metaphoric message.
Wuthering Heights was written during the 19

th
century when there were changes in
values, conventions, and land ownership. It was not always the man who earned money and
brought wealth to the family and it became easier for people to belong to elite class. The
more money that a person had, the more easily he could climb on the social ladder. This
background information about the social environment can explain what happens to
Healthcliff when he comes back to conduct his revenge plan or the framing of characters in
this novel.
Wuthering Heights is considered both a social novel about class structure and the
treatise on women’s role in society. The novel depicts two sides of the society through
sharpening the main characters. The people living at Wuthering Heights are described as
strong and passionate but gloomy and doomed. On the other hand, the people living at
Thrushcross Grange set a typical example of the ways of behaviors that society expects
from people, in elite, noble and gentle ways. There exist other issues in society to be
cultivated. For instance, the effects of racism on relationship between Catherine and
Healthcliff when Catherine is afraid of being criticized for her love and acceptance of
Healthcliff, she decides to marry the socially accepted Linton. Healthcliff is despised by
Hindley, judged due to his race, and is called “gipsy” or “brat”. Social class and spouse
selection are also demonstrated when Catherine talks to Nelly about who she should get
married to, “he [Linton] will be rich, and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the
24
neighborhood, and I shall be proud of having such a husband” (Bronte, p. 66) and it will
degrade her to marry Healthcliff.
In conclusion, exploring the main elements of setting which are place, time and
social context can help readers prepare for what will be written in the novel and understand
characters’ psyche and the development of the plot.
2.2 Summary
Wuthering Heights is the story about people living in two estates, Wuthering
Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Lockwood, who rents Thrushcross, visits the home of his
landlord, Healthcliff. During the next visit to the house, there is an accident so he has to

stay at his landlord’s house, Wuthering Heights. He meets the ghost of Catherine and he is
curious about the story of the two estates. When coming back to Thrushcross Grange and
recovering from his illness, Lockwood tells Nelly Dean, a servant caring for the Grange,
about what he has experienced at Wuthering Height and begs her to tell him the story of his
landlord. Nelly recalls and tells him the main plot of Wuthering Heights.
Mr. Earnshaw is the first owner of Wuthering Heights. On one business trip to
Liverpool, he brings an orphan home. The boy is christened Heathcliff and lives with the
Earnshaw children, Hindley and Catherine. Catherine is so fond of Heathcliff but Hindley
hates him because he thinks that Heathcliff has replaced him in Mr. Earnshaw's eyes. Then,
Hindley is sent to an elite school. Three years later, Mr. Earnshaw dies so Hindley returns
and inherits all the property including Wuthering Heights. He plans to revenge on
Healthcliff and destroy him. However, Catherine and Heathcliff do not care about that, they
are still together, play on the moorland and do what they like. Until they encounter the
Lintons, everything changes. The Lintons has two children, Edgar and Isabella Linton.
25