Wuthering Heights: Character Analysis and Symbolism
Wuthering Heights Vocabulary
Word Definitions
Bandage: Soft piece of cloth for injuries
Basin: Bowl for water
Beating: Corporal punishment
Beggar: Poor person asking for money
Blew off: Carried off by the wind
Bruises: Purple marks on skin from injury
Calling each other names: Insulting each other
Complexion: The color of the skin on the face
Cowshed: Building where cows are kept
Curse: Regret, don’t want to remember
Deaf-mute: Person who can’t hear or speak
Deserve: Is worthy of
Fetch: Bring
Gambles: Bets money
Getting on: Managing together
Growl: An aggressive sound made by an animal
Gypsy: Nomad trader, often living in a caravan
Haunt: Visit from a ghost
Heals: Cures, gets better
Housekeeper: Lady employed to look after a house
How dare you!: How can you?
Influenza: Contagious illness, sometimes terminal
Mischievous: Naughty
Moody: Temperamental, miserable
Moors: Wild, uncultivated areas of land
Nodded: Moved head up and down
Owes: Is in debt
Perform: Conduct
Pretended: Imagined, acted as if
Pursue: Chase, run after
Rags: Torn clothes
Revolved: Centered
Rubbing: Moving a hand over
Sensible: Reasonable
Smacked: Hit
Spoilt: Easily gets everything he/she wants
Stroked: Touched gently
Struggled: Fought
Talking sense: Speaking reasonably
Tapping: Hitting, but very gently
Tenant: Person who rents a home
Weakling: A person who is not strong
Will: Wish
Wuthering Heights True/False & Sequence of Events
- False: He hates him because his father gave him a lot of attention.
- False: Because he overhears a conversation between Catherine and Nelly.
- True: Because he paid Hindley’s debts.
- False: Healthcliff cried very much after Catherine died.
- True: Because he is obsessed with her.
- False: He carries the name of the dead son.
- True: Although her body dies, her spirit will always be united with him.
- False: Because she believes he will offer her a more comfortable and respectable life.
- False: It’s Nelly Dean.
Correct Sequence: B/D/F/H/J/A/C/G/I/E
- Catherine confesses, although she loves Heathcliff, she will marry Edgar Linton to secure her social position.
- Catherine Earnshaw dies due to complications during her pregnancy and her fragile emotional and physical health.
- He kidnaps her to his home and tells her that if she doesn’t marry him, he won’t let her return.
- Because he considered Edgar Linton a rival who could steal Catherine from him.
- She dies in her room, and people say that her spirit, along with Catherine’s, still haunts the house.
- Because there was a snowstorm.
Symbolism in Wuthering Heights
Contrasting Settings
Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange represent opposing worlds. Wuthering Heights, a dark and isolated house, reflects the intense attitudes of its inhabitants. The harsh weather symbolizes the chaos and explosive emotions of these characters.
In contrast, Thrushcross Grange is elegant and peaceful. It represents order and social norms, exemplified by the polite and well-mannered Lintons who reside there. The contrasting settings highlight the key themes of passion versus reason and chaos versus order.
Detailed Comparison
Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange embody starkly different environments. Wuthering Heights is dark, lonely, and surrounded by wild, untamed nature, mirroring the passionate and often volatile nature of its inhabitants like Heathcliff. Their lives are marked by conflict and sorrow, reflecting the chaotic atmosphere of the house.
Thrushcross Grange offers a contrasting picture of refinement and tranquility. The Lintons are polite, educated, and lead seemingly peaceful lives. Their home is comfortable and orderly, symbolizing their more controlled and civilized existence.