Wilderness vs.

Civilization

In order to understand the conflict between wilderness and civilization in Wuthering

Heights, we must first analyze the main characters, representing in their own way the wilderness
and the civilized world. The Earnshaw family represents wilderness while the Lintons are a
symbol for culture.

WILDERNESS
Catherine Earnshaw

A representative member of the Earnshaw family is Catherine. She is beautiful and

charming, but she is never as civilized as she pretends to be. In her heart, she is always a wild
girl playing on the moors with Heathcliff. She regards it as her right to be loved by all, and has
an unruly temper. Heathcliff usually calls her Cathy betraying, on the one hand the closeness
between these two and, on the other hand, the resemblance in their nature, while Edgar usually
calls her Catherine, revealing his good manners and his education, proving that he is a
representative of the second clashing concept in this novel, civilization.

Catherine suffers a transformation throughout the novel. While, at first, she is rebellious,
wild and even violent (when she slaps Edgar), she changes after she becomes Catherine Linton,
appearing more civilized, fitting of a lady. However, she never renounces her true nature, but
only learns how to hide it. As a result, she can be considered a representative of only the first
presented concept as she never fully embraces the second.
Heathcliff

Heathcliff is another distinct member of the Earnshaw family. He is of unknown descent,

and he seems to represent the wild and natural forces which often seem amoral and dangerous for
society. His devotion, almost inhuman, to Catherine is the moving force in his life. However,
what betrays his wild character is his lust for revenge. In his thirst to get back at those who
wronged him, he shows his cruel nature, marrying Isabella not out of love, but out of greed and
out of a need for vengeance, mistreating Hareton and even his own son, Linton, whom he uses to
get the estate of Thrushcross Grange.

CIVILIZATION
Edgar Linton

Edgar Linton is the opposite of Heathcliff, as he is polite, decent and honorable, a true
representative of what civilization stands for. He also differs in appearance with "light hair and a
fair skin" (7.41), being well-dressed and well-behaved, as opposed to Heathcliff. However,
Edgar seems weak and gullible; he is attracted to Catherine’s strength and wildness, but ever
afraid of it. His gullibility is proven by his belief that Cathy’s marriage to Linton Heathcliff will
actually have positive consequences. This can be seen as another difference between wilderness
and civilization, as one represents strength forged from hardship and the other, weakness born
out of privilege and indulgence.

Isabella Linton

Isabella is another symbol of culture, of civilization, resembling her brother in her

characteristics. However, her naivety has even more dire consequences. When she marries
Heathcliff, she pays dearly by being disowned by Edgar and imprisoned at the Heights by her
violent husband. That she utterly fails to recognize the degree to which Heathcliff is using her,
speaks to her lack of worldly experience. Like a fool, she yearns to be with Heathcliff and
confesses to Catherine, "I love him more than ever you loved Edgar, and he might love me, if you
would let him!" (p. 79). For his part, Heathcliff tells Catherine: “And I like her too ill to attempt it
[...] except in a very ghoulish fashion. You'd hear of odd things if I lived alone with that
mawkish, waxen face: the most ordinary would be painting on its white the colours of the
rainbow, and turning the blue eyes black, every day or two: they detestably resemble Linton's.”
(p. 121)

Hareton Earnshaw

Hareton Earnshaw is the character who manages to reconcile these forces of nature and
civilization by tempering wildness with culture and civility. Although he had a rough upbringing,
similar to that of Heathcliff, his love for Cathy determines him to transform from an illiterate
brute into a kind and compassionate man. He manages to break the pattern of abuse and his love
for Cathy is characterized not by drama and mistreatment, as is that of Catherine and Heathcliff,
but by kindness and serenity. As such, he becomes strong and experienced, but also civil and
honorable, reconciling the positive aspects found in the concepts we are talking about, but
without the flaws. For his efforts, he is also rewarded with the estate and Cathy’s love.

Catherine Linton Heathcliff

Cathy is the only child of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw Linton. She is a bit of a
demanding, headstrong wild child, like her mother was before her. Since she is born the day her
mother dies, it's hard not to see her as an extension of Catherine Earnshaw. But Heathcliff
doesn't seem to see Cathy that way, and Brontë doesn't suggest a direct parallel.

Catherine Linton is a kinder, gentler version of her mother, thanks in part to her
relationship with Edgar, an extremely dedicated father. Though she can be peevish and snobbish,
Catherine's generosity and kindness towards Hareton demonstrate a kind of compassion and
selflessness that her mother never had. This is why, similarly to Hareton, she can be considered
as a representative of both wilderness and civilization.

The Households
Analyzing the entire architecture of the two buildings themselves, is also another way to
understand the essential conflict between the wilderness and the civilization in the writing. These
details make the readers aware not only of the visual details of the scenes or of the exact way the
houses looked, but also of the environment in which the characters live.

On the one hand there is Wuthering Heights with its stiff, stark and intimidating
appearance but strong magnetism representing savagery and Thrushcross Grange with its
refinement and pleasant appearance representing civility. The features of the estates have a
strong association with the people who live in them in terms of mood, emotion and appearance.

As Lockwood observes from the first day he arrives at Wuthering Heights, it seems as if
each details of the Heights household is in some way expressive of his master’s aggression.
Lockwood provides a brief description of Heathcliff's house in chapter 1. The word "wuthering,"
he tells us, comes from the stormy conditions that characterize the region.

So, Wuthering heights has the characteristics of being a very strong, prominent structure
and is described by Mr. Lockwood as being a misanthropists heaven. It is a very desolate and
lonely place up on a hill exposed to stormy weather with no real beauty and can be seen as an
uncivilized place to live. Just as Heathcliff is obscurely a source of danger, so this farmhouse
itself is imbued with a sense of mystery, of something hidden. When the dogs have “issued form
hidden dens” to attack the newcomer, it is as if to compensate for the natural violence that
Heatchliff must hold in.
 In the opposite corner, Thrushcross Grange is a very classy, civilized estate and living in
a place like this would bring a lot of status with it. It is quite a sheltered place down in the valley
and this is something that is common with its children - they tend to be sheltered and spoilt.
Thrushcross Grange is comfortable and decorative whereas Wuthering Heights is basic and down
to earth.

In conclusion, Brontë manages to present her story in such a way as to prevent our
interest and sympathy from straying too far from the wilder characters or, on the contrary, too
close to the cultured ones, that’s why she actually portrays the more civilized characters as
despicably weak and silly. In that way, the readers are aware of the fact that the entire literary
masterpiece is, in fact, based on the obvious binary opposition of civilization and wilderness.