Gothic Elements in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Bronte deals with the elements of gothicism. She has presented these elements in the settings, characterization and through supernatural elements. These elements creates the gloomy atmosphere in the novel. Firstly, the settings add to the creation of gloomy decorum throughout the novel. Bronte has depicted the stormy and abhorrent weather in the area where the mansion of Wuthering Heights is located. The weather contributes to the gothic atmosphere in the novel and gives and imbue the trait in the characters. However, the representation of the mansion of Wuthering Heights to be of more than a hundred years also add to the elements of gothicism. The gothic atmosphere becomes intriguing due to the representation of the mansion to be antique.

In addition to this, the behavior of the characters in the novel contrast with the setting of the novel. The characters behave abhorrent and unwelcoming to the guests. Mr. Lockwood felt like he was unwelcome in the mansion of Wuthering Heights. He states that he seems to be more social than Heathcliff. The other characters behaves like a wild stormy weather in the novel shouting, screaming and stamping their foot. This essence of behavior is a reflection of the weather condition in the house of Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff’s character becomes important because his actions gives a gloomy atmosphere. Heathcliff loved Catherine deeply and his love is unexpressed in the novel. Bronte showed their love through correlating to the natural lapse of moors. Moors becomes mysterious and is attached to the relationship between them. They were able to find peace and love only in the lapse of moors. They will run away from the mansion and play in the moors. Mr. Lockwood complained that the moors were unwelcoming when he was heading to the mansion. This essence is contrasted with heathcliff’s character who is as unwelcoming as the moors.

Moreover, the supernatural elements is the main ingredient of the gothic novels. The supernatural elements in the novel is depicted when Mr. Lockwood sees the ghost of Catherine coming out from the moors. The ghost of Catherine states that she wants to come in to the mansion. The another significant supernatural encounter is the calling out for Catherine’s ghost. Heathcliff became more mysterious and he could not express his love for Catherine and he calls her spirit to become one with her. The other significant supernatural element is the opening of the graveyard of Catherine. Heathcliff opens her graveyard and sleeps with her decaying body in the grave. This depictions adds to the gothic atmosphere in the novel.

Click Here to Know Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights as a Psychological Novel – https://getsetnotes.com/emily-bronte-wuthering-heights-as-a-psychological-novel/

Click Here to know The Relationship Between Heathcliff and Catherine in Wuthering Heights– https://getsetnotes.com/relationship-between-heathcliff-and-catherine-in-brontes-wuthering-heights/

Click Here to know about Narrative Technique in Bronte’s Wuthering Heights – https://getsetnotes.com/narrative-technique-in-emily-bronte-wuthering-heights/

Narrative Technique in Mary Shelley Frankenstein