In Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights", the two estates that serve as the setting for much of the novel are the embodiment of the social hierarchy between their respective inhabitants. It is this representation by the two houses that drastically affect the decisions of Heathcliff and Catherine. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange advocate both the negative and positive effects that societal pressures such as classism have on the characters relationships and interactions. The contrasting estates abilities to manifest effect within the characters while also representing the socially outlined pressures is the driving force of the characters and the novel.
The social class of the characters is thoroughly represented by the estates exterior and interior properties. Wuthering Heights is situated on high ground thus forcing it to be subject to brutal storms. The foundation of Wuthering Heights is inherently designed stronger due to the location. The outside is decorated with repulsive carvings and has an overall gloomy atmosphere. Wuthering Heights is unwelcoming and worn down. The interior of the estate continues this chaos driven moniker. "Unluckily, it was a heap of dead rabbits" (Brontë 11), Lockwood discovers a pile of dead rabbits inside of Wuthering Heights which furthers the primitive, lower class inferiority complex embodied by the estate. "except where a frame of wood laden with oatcakes, and clusters of legs of beef, mutton and ham, concealed it" (5), Wuthering Heights is unsophisticated and revolting. Yet amongst all of this they have oak dressers and high backed chairs, representing a certain aged wisdom that can only be acquired through tough experiences. Brontë does a great job at making the house a character in it of itself, a character that defines how the others behave and feel simply by existing.
Wuthering Heights is the architectural representation of Heathcliff.
