Duality and Mirrors in Wuthering Heights: The Reflective Structure of Brontë's Masterpiece
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Course
English literature and composition
Institution
Junior / 11th Grade
Dive into an in-depth analysis of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights with this comprehensive document that explores the novel's intricate use of mirroring and duality. Published in 1847, Wuthering Heights was initially met with criticism but has since been recognized as a literary masterpiece, renow...
In 1847 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë was published. This novel was criticized by
many at the time, but it is not considered a masterpiece. One reason for this is the mirror-like
structure many book components have. By definition, a mirror is a reflective surface that reflects
a clear image. What isn’t included in the definition of a mirror is that the “clear image” is
reversed. If a person stands in front of a mirror with a sign that says, “Hello” the mirror will read
“olleH”. The dual components in Wuthering Heights do the same thing. Wuthering Heights is
made up of doubles: two manors, two generations, and two women who are stuck between the
love of two men. From the outside, the manors, generations, and characters look very similar, but
as you take a closer look you realize that they are mirrored and not the same.
The novel begins with Lockwood, a tenant at Thrushcross Grange, visiting his landlord's
manor, Wuthering Heights. In a summary of the book, the information given is that Thrushcross
Grange and Wuthering Heights are both manors located in the moors of Yorkshire adjacent to the
town of Gimmerton owned by families with high social regard who are raising children with a
very expensive education with the intention of continuing the family legacy. The readers soon
learn that these two manors are the perfect yin and yang.
Wuthering Heights is described by Lockwood, who says, “'Wuthering' being a significant
provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in
stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may
guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted
firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as
if craving alms of the sun. Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow
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