The moors are a place which Catherine and Heathcliff could get away from the these barriers which divided them. .
Wuthering Heights is set in the late eighteenth century - early nineteenth century. At this time, social status was extremely important and was seen as a person's superiority and importance in society. Heathcliff being of no known parents was subject to the lowest of social class. This was more so after the death of Mr Earnshaw, and Heathcliff's degradation by Hindley to a farm hand labourer on the Wuthering Heights estate. Catherine's marriage to Edgar is only realized as proper as marriage to Heathcliff would lead her to be degraded. In the time in which the novel was set, a woman took on the name and status of her husband, therefore if Catherine had married Heathcliff it would have been degrading. Social status played a major part in the setting of Wuthering Heights as it was the main cause of conflict throughout the novel. .
Symbolism is a strong theme in Wuthering Heights. The moors are used to illustrate Catherine and Heathcliff's wildness and untamed nature. As Emily Bronte expresses the emphasise on landscape throughout "Wuthering Heights" using repetition, the moors become of a more symbolic importance. .
The Yorkshire moors are where Catherine and Heathcliff played as children, and are often described throughout the novel as being "isolated", "haunting" and "primitive". Moors are often rather wild, wide, infertile expanses which are often boggy, giving the potential of drowning. The moors in turn create a symbolic reference to the wildness of Catherine and Heathcliff's endeavors, which then transfer into a symbolic reference to their love. .
Ghosts are apparent throughout "Wuthering Heights and Emily Bronte emphasizes this by making the reader unsure of whether they really exist or not. When Catherine appears to Lockwood, it could be argued that he was dreaming, yet she simply states that "I've been a waif for 20 years", symbolizing not her death (as Catherine dies in 1784 and Lockwood arrives in 1802, which is only seventeen years since her death) but her detachment from Heathcliff after marrying Edgar.
