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Perhaps the first thing to strike the reader is the strength, clarity and forthright manner of Emily Bronte’s narrative method. The description of Lockwood and Heathcliff is lucid and deft, the writer establishing their personalities with a scrap of dialogue and imaginative detail. These narrative elements suggesting strangeness, conflict, the use of physical and social power, are both explicit and implicit. They are explicit in Heathcliff’s suspicion of strangers, in Joseph’s sour aloofness, in the aggressive guard-dogs. They are implicit in the nature of Wuthering Heights itself – its brutally exposed site, its sombre atmosphere suggesting even at this early stage in the story the possibility of dreadful happenings The symbolism of the house reflects and reinforces the violent attitudes of the creatures it harbours.
Lockwood narrates the first section of the novel and the reader’s first impression of him is a suspicious one. His language is so very formal and verbose, ‘I do myself the honour of calling as soon as
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The language used is very intimidating and is perhaps the first suggestion of the supernatural.
The description of the interior of the house is similar to the description of its surroundings – both give a gothic atmosphere. Heathcliff’s temperament and character is explored early on and there are glimpses of his internal rage and hostility as well as references to the devil. ’
This is a biblical reference to the Gabardine swine,
‘Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were there choked. ’ This is a very dark description where the chairs are personified and almost given motion (‘lurking’). That Heathcliff does not merge with his surroundings and is, indeed, ‘in singular contrast’ should alert us to a mystery that surrounds him. ’ Also, Heathcliff is compared with animals for the first time, ‘You’d better let the dog alone,’ growled Mr. When the dogs attack Lockwood he accuses them of being possessed,
‘What the devil, indeed… The herd of possessed swine could have had no worse spirits in them than those animals of yours, sir. The reader finds it hard to relate to such a formal character early on and there is instantly a barrier formed because of this. This adds to the tension created when Lockwood enters the premises because he is obviously not welcome, and stands out as a conflicting entity within the building. ’ – Luke 8:33
This reference not only accuses the dogs of being possessed but also links Heathcliff himself with the devil and evil as he is the owner. This is supported by the reference to the chairs, ‘the chairs, high-backed, primitive structures, painted green: one or two heavy black ones lurking in the shade.
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**Bibliography**
. There is a physical barrier here, the gate, but metaphorically there is also a barrier between Lockwood and Heathcliff although Lockwood is slow to see this, ‘Mr.
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