Discussion of Love through the Setting of Emily Bronte‟s “Wuthering Heights”

Abstract

Emily Bronte‟s novel “Wuthering Heights” revolves around the unique romantic relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff. The landscape of the lonely moorlands of Yorkshire acts as a central image to which the plot and the characters are directly linked. The representation of love by Emily Bronte is intricately based on this evocative setting of the moorlands. It also serves as an ideal tool to portray the main characters of Catherine and Heathcliff. It becomes impossible to separate these two characters from each other and the nature around them from which they seem to draw life. Bronte merges the characters with the setting to show the interwoven nature of their lives. The inner qualities of Catherine and Heathcliff become a reflection of the raw, unbridled nature of the moorlands. The intensity of their relationship is created due to the perfect desolation of the moors where the two characters are allowed to form an intimate connection which transcends the physical bond. The objective of the study is to prove that there exists a relationship between the setting of the novel and the unconventional romance of Catherine and Heathcliff. The ethereal quality of their relationship which goes beyond the traditional notions of love and affection is discussed through this study by analysing the significance of the setting used by Bronte. Secondary materials such as journal articles and research papers were used to substantiate the argument. The inclusion of subthemes such as revenge, identity, conflict between nature and culture, solitude and social class in discussing the central theme of love makes this novel unique. It is the backdrop of the moorlands that allows Bronte to discuss an unconventional aspect of love thereby elucidating the importance of the setting in “Wuthering Heights”.