Wuthering Heights Chapter 1 Notes

Setting

• Time: 1801
• Location: Wuthering Heights estate, foggy English countryside
• Atmosphere: Bleak, isolated, brooding Yorkshire countryside
  • Perfect for those wishing to avoid others

Characters

• Mr. Lockwood
  • Narrator of the chapter
  • New tenant of Thrushcross Grange, renting from Heathcliff
  • Describes himself as sympathetic to Heathcliff's emotions
• Heathcliff
  • Owner of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange
  • Described as a dark-skinned gypsy in appearance, but a gentleman in dress and manners
• Joseph and Zilla
  • Servants at Wuthering Heights

Property

• Wuthering Heights
  • Name reflects atmospheric tumult and storms
  • Built to withstand wild weather and emotional turmoil
  • Setting reflects characters' violent emotions
  • Symbolic of power in the Victorian period
• Thrushcross Grange
  • Estate rented by Mr. Lockwood

Key Events

• Mr. Lockwood's first visit to Wuthering Heights
  • Notices wild architecture: griffins, carvings, date 1500, "Hairton Earnshaw"
  • Interaction with dogs: grows hostile when petted
  • Dogs attack Mr. Lockwood, rescued by Heathcliff and servants
  • Heathcliff scolds Mr. Lockwood for provoking dogs

Themes

• Isolation and Emotion
  • The setting parallels the emotional states of characters
  • Mr. Lockwood's imagined emotional sympathy with Heathcliff
• Symbolism
  • Dogs represent the unconventional nature of Wuthering Heights inhabitants
  • Property as power

Observations

• Mr. Lockwood observes the harsh, inhospitable nature of the environment, signaling the tough emotional environment within the estate.
• Mr. Lockwood notes the estate's name, "Wuthering," as descriptive of tumultuous weather and conditions.