Heathcliff mirrors the house in which he lives, in that they are both dark and mysterious. He is living in an isolated location because he is anti-social and he is angry with society. His gypsy appearance also relates to the house in the way that it is dark and murky. In The Heights, the dogs are not kept as pets and Juno is described as “a liver coloured bitch pointer”. The dogs are feral and are kept only to guard and be bred. This can be seen when Lockwood attempts to stroke the dog and she snarls at him. They are not used to human contact except for when they are being fed.
Mr Lockwood is the narrator of the first part of the novel. He is a wealthy, educated man that is in his twenties and is the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, who goes to visit The Heights in order to acquaint himself. Lockwood comes across as being pompous and he has an inflated opinion of himself. When he visits The Heights he feels uncomfortable and unwelcome because it is not used to having visitors, Heathcliff says “Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house that I and my dogs, I am willing to own, hardly know how to receive them”. At first when Lockwood arrives, he is met by Joseph, who is told by Heathcliff to collect his horse. Joseph is in his eighties and described as “vinegar faced”- so mean looking that he is intimidating – he is a hypocrite and carries a broad Yorkshire accent. He is very arrogant towards Lockwood as he takes his horse from him and then disappears down the cellar to collect some wine. Lockwood seems to feel so unwanted that he would not even make comments on the ‘Hareton Earnshaw’ above the door or ask for a brief history of the place from Heathcliff, “His attitude at the door appeared to demand my speedy entrance, or complete departure”. As Lockwood enters The Heights, he states that the house is not homely and is Spartan. It has no comforts and everything is there for a reason or use, however he does hear voices in another room. As he goes into the next room he stands and observes Heathcliff, Lockwood does not think that he suits the setting that he is in and that he has “a degree of under-bred pride”. When sitting down and talking to Heathcliff, Lockwood finds that he is actually quite intelligent. Next he meets Catherine, also referred to as ‘Mrs Heathcliff’, however, she is Heathcliff’s daughter-in-law. She is seventeen and beautiful, yet she is a widow. She is seen as a prisoner of Wuthering Heights. Lockwood finds her very attractive but she is cold towards him and does not speak to him; when she does she is even more repelling than Heathcliff. He also meets Hareton Earnshaw, “I began to doubt whether he were a servant or not; his dress and speech were both rude”. Hareton is young, handsome, uneducated and the nephew-in-law of Heathcliff and is just as arrogant as the rest of the people that Lockwood has met.
Unfortunately, Lockwood left it too late to leave for the four mile journey back to Thrushcross Grange and must stay at The Heights for the night, much to the dissatisfaction to the tenants of the house. Zillah, the housekeeper, takes him to a room but she clearly states that he “should hide the candle, and not make a noise, for her master had an odd notion about the chamber” she was putting him in. This made Lockwood curious, like it would anyone. When he had finally found the bed, he discovered a diary and began to read it. The diary turned out to be of a woman by the names of ‘Catherine Earnshaw’, ‘Catherine Heathcliff’ and ‘Catherine Linton’. This confused Lockwood, as there was one person with three different surnames. We find out that this is Catherine Earnshaw, the mother of the Catherine referred to as ‘Mrs Heathcliff’ in the house, and that Heathcliff had fallen in love with her when they were both young; on the other hand she had married Edgar Linton. The diary narrated childhood with Heathcliff and how they used to get tormented by Joseph and they would rebel because they felt like prisoners of Wuthering Heights. Finally, Lockwood goes to sleep but is disturbed by a knocking of a branch on the window; he opens it and tries to break the branch, whilst trying to do this he gets grabbed by a hand from outside. Trying to shake it off he breaks the glass of the window and cuts his arm on it. This is the ghost of Catherine and reinforces the Gothic Genre of the novel. She is demanding to be let into the house, saying that she was lost on the moors and that she has come home. Heathcliff comes into the room thinking that there would be nobody in there, but finds Lockwood there and he is furious that Zillah let him stay in that room. This is because he was waiting for his long lost love, Catherine, to return and appear to him and yet because Lockwood was in the room she had appeared to him instead. Heathcliff had been waiting for over twenty years to see her and now fears he will never have the chance. All the strange people and goings on in the house correspond to how the house looks and its location.
Thrushcross Grange is a stately home located in a fertile valley surrounded by parkland, four miles from Wuthering Heights. When Catherine and Heathcliff were young they ran down to The Grange and were in awe because it was “beautiful” and appeared heavenly; it still is. The Drawing Room is luxurious and symbolises the Linton Family’s extreme wealth and position in society. Mr Linton was of the Gentry and was a magistrate, who is well educated and was a leading figure in the community. He is a good host and is welcoming. He is also conventional and conservative and has no secrecy. The Lintons are also a very religious family. The Grange is royally decorated in crimson, gold and silver which is indicative of extreme wealth and status. The children of the Lintons were Edgar and Isabella who had complete freedom in The Grange but were unhappy. They were spoilt which can be seen when “in the middle of the table sat a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping”, we see here that the two children had been fighting over the puppy and had hurt it through their selfishness. Heathcliff describes Edgar and Isabella as “idiots” and they got what they wanted, this caused them not appreciate anything and they took things for granted, “That was their pleasure! To quarrel who should hold a heap of warm hair”. This is significant as they are arguing over “property”- later on in the novel they argue over the two houses. We see that the Lintons are quite patronising when Mrs Linton says, “Miss Earnshaw? Nonsense! Miss Earnshaw scouring the country with a gypsy!” They look down on others because they have a greater wealth. We also see that at The Grange is grand, in that, the servants wait on Catherine like royalty when she gets bitten by the guard dog.
To compare the two houses I am going to start of by mentioning the names of the houses. Firstly with ‘Wuthering’ described as “being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather”. The word ‘wuthering’ is onomatopoeic; this gives a sense of ambiguity to the house and also relates to the houses’ location where it is bleak, wet and windy. In spite of this the name of Thrushcross Grange has status about it. The word ‘grange’ means “a country house with its farm buildings”. It sounds more august than ‘Wuthering Heights’.
Next I would like to compare the location and appearance of the two houses. The Heights is cold, damp and desolate with “the excessive slant of a few, stunted firs at the end of the house”, suggesting that barely any plants can grow there. The house looks inhospitable with the windows “deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones”; the gargoyles that are there to ward off evil spirits, in addition are imposing to the eye. Inside, there is nothing in the form of opulence, just the bare essentials; there is nothing in the way of colour, it is just “rustic”. This is a working farm and there is no need for there to be items of luxury. In contrast, The Grange is in the centre of picturesque parkland and the interior is decorated in powerful, royal colours to show status and wealth. The furniture is luxurious and polished, with smoothly laid out carpets.
Finally I will compare the people and animals in each of the houses. Firstly The Heights, Heathcliff is mysterious and run-down, just like the house he lives in. He is also anti-social which can relate to The Heights, as it is in such an isolated place; plus he does not indulge people and this is echoed by the house and its surroundings. Catherine and Hareton are kept in the house by Heathcliff and he will not let them leave. Joseph has been at the house since Heathcliff was a boy and it is as if Heathcliff has turned the tables on him, seeing that Joseph used to order Heathcliff about and now Heathcliff does this to Joseph. With Joseph still being at the house, could also signify that the house has not changed in many years. The dogs, at The Heights, are not kept as pets, but more as guard dogs and they are not used to human contact. Contrarily, the Lintons at The Grange are welcoming and noble, which reflects in the house and its layout. There are majestic furnishings and elegant colours, and the house is described as “a splendid place”. Whereas the people in The Heights are like prisoners, the occupants of The Grange are free to do what they want and when they want to do it.
In conclusion the houses are very different, in fact, the complete opposite, they are like two entirely separate worlds. One is ramshackled in a derelict location and the other stands proud in a gorgeous setting.