Wuthering Heights- Themes

A great many books expound on the well worn theme of good versus evil. In Wuthering Heights, however, this is not the case. Instead of a black and white depiction of a “good guy” and a “bad guy,” Emily Bronte blurs the lines between the two families. Although at first it seems to be clear that one family is quite good and the other quite bad, as the plot evolves, readers see that this is not quite the case. The main theme is not necessarily good versus evil. By the latter half of the book, it is clear that it was written about the contrasting qualities of the two families, and what they suggest. These two very different ideas mix and intertwine to form an extremely complex and heart-wrenching plot.

The main themes of the book are not good versus evil, but rather love versus revenge. Both families have elements of good and bad in them, but these elements only serve to compliment the love between Catherine and Heathcliff, which later turns toward terrible revenge. When Catherine marries Earnshaw, she does so out of love for Heathcliff. She says quite explicitly, “If I marry Linton, I can aid Heathcliff to rise.” (page 69) However, her marriage to Linton leads Heathcliff to descend into a savage kind of revenge that counters all of her acts of love. It is clear that there is not one theme assigned to each family, but rather, the theme focuses on the lives of the two lovers.

Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.