Study Questions &
Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Many of the
names in
Wuthering Heights are strikingly similar.
For example, besides the two Catherines, there are a number of Lintons,
Earnshaws, and Heathcliffs whose names vary only slightly. What
role do specific names play in Wuthering Heights?
2. In many
ways,
Wuthering Heights structures itself around
matched, contrasting pairs of themes and of characters. What are
some of these pairs, and what role do they play in the book?
3. Analyze
the character of Edgar Linton. Is he a sympathetic figure? How does
he compare to Heathcliff? Is Catherine really in love with him?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Discuss the novel’s narrative
structure. Are the novel’s narrators trustworthy? Why or why not?
With particular reference to Nelly’s story, consider what might
be gained from reading between the lines of the narration. What
roles do the personalities of the narrators play in the way that
the story is told?
2. What role does social class
and class ambiguity play in Wuthering Heights?
To what extent is Heathcliff’s social position responsible for the
misery and conflict so persistent in the book?
3. Discuss revenge in Wuthering
Heights. In what ways is it connected to love? What is
the nature of love in the novel, that it can be so closely connected
to vengeance?
4. Think about the influence
of the physical landscape in the novel. What role do the moors play
in the development of the story, and in the presentation of the
characters? How does Catherine’s abiding love of the moors help
us to understand her character? What do the moors come to symbolize
in the novel?
