With close reference to the text, discuss the use of contrast as one of the structural principles of Wuthering Heights.

“promised fair to grow up as rude as savages.”

The behaviour of Catherine and Heathcliff was as Nelly said,  

“But it was one of their chief amusements to run away to the moors in the morning and remain there all day, and the after punishment grew a mere thing to laugh at.”

Nelly is merely re-telling the stories and the incidents that occurred when Catherine and Heathcliff were children, however she certainly does not insult or speak ill of any of them in any way.

   Despite the fact that Catherine is a wild and fiery character, she also possesses a double character which I feel Brontë uses to display the minor contrast in her differing personalities. Catherine’s character and her behaviour changes often throughout the novel, for example, from her five week stay with the Lintons’ at Thrushcross Grange to when she arrives back home to Wuthering Heights.  During her stay at the Lintons’ it is apparent that by some means, they have educated Catherine and she returns with a completely new-found appreciation of the civilised world. Both her manner and especially her appearance have changed and Catherine is stunned and possibly outraged when she compares Heathcliff’s harsh and rough appearance in contrast to the gentleman-like pleasant appearance of Edgar Linton. Consequently, it is from the instance Catherine returns from the Lintons’ at Thrushcross Grange that the reader notices that she adopts a ‘split personality,’ an entertaining and agreeable character in the company of the Lintons and converting back to her wild and boisterous nature when accompanied by Heathcliff,

“transformed from a ‘wild, hatless little savage’ into a young lady, careful of her clothes and of her manners. From that moment the strain is laid on her. Her new friends, Edgar and Isabella, with their fair hair, and gentle, querulous ways, are socially approved; her old friend Heathcliff is considered most unsuitable to her newly-acquired gentility. The conventional world of the rural young lady is being opened for her by the Lintons; and she never understands that this will drive out the older, rougher world of the Heights.”

I am going to question this critic, as I feel that Catherine does not in actuality understand that she will lose the feeling of existence or in fact the feeling of belonging at the Heights, even when considering Heathcliff to be most unsuitable, as she so obviously changes her behaviour whilst accompanied by Heathcliff, as to try not to lose that sense of belonging at the Heights and with Heathcliff. In spite of the fact that Catherine actually confesses to Nelly that it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff, I feel that Catherine in her heart would love to be with him. I am interrogating the critic above because from reading and analysing the novel, I know that Catherine feels a part of Heathcliff, and I think that even if Catherine married someone else like Edgar Linton, she would never in her heart be apart from Heathcliff, therefore will always experience the ‘older, rougher world of the Heights.’

    The love that Catherine professes for Heathcliff and the love she professes for Edgar are two entirely different types of love. I could almost argue that they are totally opposite kinds of love,

“My love for Edgar is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff.”

As I mentioned above, Catherine feels a part of Heathcliff, ‘I am Heathcliff,’ therefore her marriage to Edgar Linton and her public rejection of Heathcliff is in reality a rejection of herself as a human being. In going to live at Thrushcross Grange, Catherine has declined not only Heathcliff, but her carefree and cheerful life at Wuthering Heights. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love lingers on even until after Catherine’s death. This love contrasted sharply with the marriage of Edgar Linton and Catherine which basically, for Catherine, was just a sensible union in the social and economic circumstances which prevailed.

    In the novel, there are two places where all the action takes place, these two places are Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.   I believe that there have never been two more contrasting places than Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights is a lodging characterised by emotions, passions and evil, whereas Thrushcross Grange is a peaceful, picturesque lodging which symbolises all that is good and pleasant. I feel that Brontë includes these two strikingly differing locations in the novel because it fully highlights the dissimilarity of the people who live at the houses and therefore creates a contrast which further enhances the argument of good versus evil in the novel. It is almost like the people at Wuthering Heights contaminated the innocent people at Thrushcross Grange, Catherine married Edgar, and thus entangled him and his family into the mess at Wuthering Heights. Catherine and Edgar’s marriage led to Isabella falling for Heathcliff, and eventually Heathcliff is given the chance at the end to seek his revenge. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange have dissimilar settings, Thrushcross Grange appears to be sheltered and luxurious whereas Wuthering Heights is situated in an open expanse, exposed to the wind,

“Pure bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun.”

The stunted plants reflect the inability of anything to thrive or grow normally at Wuthering Heights, just as the characters find it difficult to fulfil their own strong passions, and search for help from outside sources to realise their deepest needs. Thrushcross Grange, the neighbouring abode four miles away, is more sheltered, being surrounded by hills and much more protected as it is shielded from the strong winds that Wuthering Heights have to suffer. In a manner of speaking, the walls of Thrushcross Grange protect the Lintons’ and Catherine from the dangerous influences of Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights itself.

“ ‘It is not so buried in trees,’ I replied, ‘and it is not quite so large, but you can see the country beautifully all around; and the air is healthier-fresher and drier. You will, perhaps, think the building old and dark at first; though it is a respectable house; the best in the neighbourhood.’”

Nelly is describing Wuthering Heights to the little boy, Linton in as best terms as she could. Nelly didn’t want to scare the little boy, so decided that she should not speak ill of Wuthering Heights, or portray it to be a dark and malicious place. Nelly illustrates Wuthering Heights by contrasting it with Thrushcross Grange. Although, Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights are entirely different places and they should contrast to show the terrible and unpleasant factors of Wuthering Heights, Nelly contrasts both of them, and tries to show Wuthering Heights in a good light. The gardens and flowers are always described in reference to Thrushcross Grange, which brings forth the sense of cheerfulness, beauty and hope that is lacking in Wuthering Heights.

“Both of us were able to look in by standing on the basement, and clinging to the ledge, and we saw-ah! it was beautiful-a splendid place carpeted with crimson, and crimson-covered chairs and tables, and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold, a shower of glass-drops hanging in silver chains from the centre, and shimmering with little soft tapers.”

This enthusiastic description shows a warm, wealthy household, which is in a complete contrast to that of Wuthering Heights. This demonstrates the fact that even the characters in Thrushcross Grange are more dignified and serene that the characters at Wuthering Heights. However, as it is later discovered in the novel, this refined and educated, supposedly luxurious background is all an extensive disguise and once the outside obscurity is overlooked and removed the reader can see the shallowness and even brutal violence that emerges from the Grange. The warm nature of the Grange reassures Catherine and Heathcliff and lures them in but once inside the life of Thrushcross Grange they can never be liberated from the influences and pressures again. The characters that come from Thrushcross Grange prove an absolute contrast against the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights, where passion is the ultimate weakness that keeps all the characters there. The bad judgement of the inhabitants of Thrushcross Grange prove to create dire consequences for most of the characters in the novel, for example, Isabella and her notions and feelings of Heathcliff as being a ‘gentleman’ with

“an honourable soul”

 demonstrates her complete lack of judgement when first meeting someone and her total innocence and shallowness in her impressions of the

“fierce, pitiless, wolfish man.”

 Distinctly opposing to Isabella’s naivety is the utter overwhelming passion that embraces both Catherine and Heathcliff, the undying, lingering love that leads them to claims of  “I am Heathcliff!” and to Catherine

“you know that I could as soon forget you as my existence!”

This combination, or you could almost say coincidence enhances and adds to the unimportance of Isabella’s feelings and the whole tastelessness of Thrushcross Grange.

“The novel is in fact structured around two parallel love stories, the first half of the novel focusing on the love between Catherine and Heathcliff, whereas the less dramatic second half introduces and features the developing love between young Catherine and Hareton. In contrast to the first, the latter tale ends happily, restoring peace and order to Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Cottage. The differences between the two love stories contribute to the reader’s understanding of why each ends the way it does.”

   Catherine Earnshaw and Cathy Linton differ a great deal when it comes to their family life. Catherine’s father did not love her because she was forever misbehaving. He once told her,

“Nay Cathy, I cannot love thee; thou’rt worse than thy brother. Go, say thy prayers, child, and ask God’s pardon. I doubt thy mother and I must rue the day we ever reared thee!”

Catherine was smug and conceited all throughout her childhood which I feel contributes to her immaturity and her self-pity. She clearly demonstrates this by showing how she loves to be given attention and this in turn causes her problems all the way until she becomes an adult. Cathy Linton, on the other hand, enjoys a very loving atmosphere at Thrushcross Grange. She is a fine, young lady who loves her father and stays at his side constantly when he is ill. She even consents to marry Linton, so she can see her father. Her characteristic qualities show the reader that she is a caring and loving woman. I feel that Cathy was much more sensible than her mother was because it is evident that she was able to successfully and efficiently manage her emotions at all times, even when she was confronted by her bully Heathcliff. The differences in the emotional character of Catherine and Cathy could be explained in the fact that Cathy did not experience a relationship like the fiery love affair Catherine had with Heathcliff and it was in fact, this relationship that was the source for all the tragedy in Catherine’s life. Heathcliff communicated and had relationships with both Catherine and Cathy, however, they had distinctly different connections with him. Catherine and Heathcliff were deeply in love with each other and had been soul mates ever since childhood, whereas Cathy did not like Heathcliff and he did not like her and therefore I feel that the moment she moved into Wuthering Heights and started living with Heathcliff, she was transformed from a cheerful young girl into the gloomy, sombre, foul-tempered person that Lockwood meets at the start of the novel. In Heathcliff’s thoughts and inner most feelings, Cathy was the initial cause of Catherine’s death, and I think that Cathy feels that Heathcliff will never forgive her, and so she does not have any respect or  have a high regard for Heathcliff,    for instance, when she accused him of stealing her property he burst out,

“Damnable witch! Off with her! Do you hear? Fling her into the kitchen! I’ll kill her, Ellen Dean, if you let her come into my sight again”

The mother and her daughter had contrasting views and experiences when it came to love and marriage. Catherine was passionately in love with Heathcliff, and the love they shared was the most powerful force in the novel. She did not want to marry Heathcliff, though, because she felt it would degrade her. I think that her rejection of Heathcliff displays her pride, which led to her choice of Edgar for a husband. Their marriage was not built on true love, but on Catherine’s desire to have money, power and respect. In comparison to Catherine’s view on love and marriage, Cathy was completely different in that she didn’t feel that she would degrade herself marrying someone who wasn’t as clever or highly regarded as herself. Cathy eventually fell in love with Hareton, despite the fact that he was a dirty, illiterate farm labourer, but unlike her mother, Cathy wanted to marry for love, not money or power. It is extremely obvious to see that Cathy did not marry for money or power because Hareton possessed none of these qualities.

   Lockwood is an outsider who is first introduced at the start of the by the role of narrator. He is set into this world which he feels is harsh and unwelcoming although it fascinates him. Brontë uses Lockwood's character to pull in her main narrator, Nelly Dean into the novel. Lockwood presents the situation as he sees it, and the reader is therefore closer to the action, almost feeling that they could be part of it. The presence of Lockwood in the book allows the author to begin the story near the end and work backwards and forwards in time with little difficulty. The difference between the two narrators, Lockwood and Nelly allow the readers to gain access to two very different people’s perspectives on things. At the start of the novel, Lockwood doesn’t really know who Heathcliff or Cathy are or much about their characters. By talking and listening to Nelly re-tell her version of events of the Earnshaws, Lintons and Heathcliff, Lockwood has gained a different perception of the people that are still alive now.

      The most important feature of Cathy and Hareton’s love story is that it involves growth and change. Early in the novel, Hareton seems hopeless for Cathy and does not possess any sign of changing from his brutal, savage and illiterate character but as the reader discovers, he becomes a loyal friend to Cathy and even learns how to read. Knowing that Catherine and Heathcliff’s refusal to change led them to the unhappy outcome of their relationship, it is not fair to say that the disastrous problems of their generation are defeated not by some total reversal that the new generation thought would make things better but simply by the inevitable course of time, and the rise of a new and distinct generation.

   This quote from Mary Visick clearly displays what I call the ‘effect of balance,’ which is, the incidents which occur in one generation has had a spiralling effect on the next generation,

“In it two moral words grapple- the Heights and the Grange. In the end, Wuthering Heights is left to its ghosts: Hareton, who is a child of the Heights, and Cathy, who is of the valley and yet has something of her mother still, choose to live at Thrushcross Grange. Neither world is victorious over the other.”

Ultimately, Wuthering Heights presents a vision of life as a process of change, and celebrates this process over and against the romantic intensity of its principle characters. The ‘effect of balance’ is clearly demonstrated throughout the entire novel with Brontë using her characters, places and themes to contrast against one and other, therefore in turn highlighting the importance of ‘the effect of change.’

---