Wuthering Heights - more than a Gothic novel

A gothic novel is characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror

incorporating pseudo medieval settings. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is
considered to be a finest example of Victorian gothic novel as it revolves round
the doomed love between Heathcliff and Catherine. The nightmare of Lockwood
intensifies the gothic nature of this novel.
According to the novel the word Wuthering describes the atmospheric tumult to
which the place is exposed. The mansion owned by Heathcliff appears like a castle
or a dungeon in an eerie surrounding. The moor land and the woody landscape
perfectly maintain the somber mood of the settings. There are many description
of the weather to indicate the horrible characters. When Lockwood reaches at
Wuthering heights Heathcliff tells him “I wonder you should select the thick of a
snow storm o ramble about it”. Lockwood who was compelled to spend the night
due to snow storm experiences nightmare that made him terrified and curious
about the history of Wuthering Heights. In nightmare he encounters the ghost of
Catherine. All the characters in wuthering heights suffers from lack of faith and
love. Heathcliff the adopted son of Mr. Earnshaw turns out to be a tyrant. He
caused suffering to the Linton family and Hindley as a revenge. In this novel death
appears dominant as most of the major characters pass away with unsatisfied
heart. Terror is implied in the novel physically as well as psychologically.
Wuthering Heights has become more than a gothic novel by depicting the
Victorian society in a vivid manner. The social class was not determined by the
amount of property a person possessed but by the lineage. In this novel Lintons
and Earnshaws belong to aristocratic class. Heathcliff had to experience insult and
hatred due to his lack of social identity. The social evil of discrimination turns
Heathcliff a tyrant and causes subsequent destruction of the two families.