WAEC Literature in English 2025 Theory — Question 8

Model answer

The novel's central theme is love and revenge, which plays out in the comparison between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange; the atmosphere of the two properties corresponds to the mood of the occupants. Wuthering Heights is a rough, old farmhouse situated high on the exposed Yorkshire moors — its very name suggests 'atmospheric tumult' and stormy weather — dark, cold, and unwelcoming, with a 'pervading spirit of neglect', mirroring the raw, untamed and often brutal nature of its inhabitants, particularly Heathcliff and the Earnshaw family, and is associated with a more rustic, wild and less refined lifestyle among the working class. In stark contrast, Thrushcross Grange is a beautiful, splendid manor located lower in the valley, protected by a wall and closer to civilization, representing a world of refinement, order and social decorum; its interior is elegant and comfortable, with crimson carpets, gilded ceilings and a profusion of beautiful objects, its atmosphere one of cultivated tranquility, gentility and social grace, embodying upper-class life associated with the Linton family, particularly Edgar and Isabella.