[WH] - Apples and Oranges

"The Grange is not a prison, Ellen, and you are not my jailer" (pg 209).

"Our first thought, on his departure, was to force an exit somewhere" (pg 234-35).

The 1991 (that's before I was born) prompt asked antsy AP test takers to bore through an epic essay in forty minutes about the difference between two settings and how they contribute to the meaning of a work as a whole.  I will now embark on a tale much less drawn out in a meager blog post, but first let me show you a picture of something near and dear to my heart.

Okay, now I know what you are probably thinking, "Max, how does a picture of a ribcage, while they are close to your heart, at all relate to the plot contributions made by the differing settings of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange?"  Okay Mr. Costello, imagine this for a moment.  What does a ribcage do for the heart?  It traps it and protects it from harm.  Is this a paradox I feel coming?

As you can see from my chosen quotes, one of the settings (hint: Thrushcross Grange) was thought to not be a jail to Cathy, but the differing setting (spoiler alert: Wuthering Heights) turned into a legitimate prison to Cathy.  I find it ironic that the immense amount of love that Nelly and Edgar had for Cathy caused her to feel trapped and exiled from Linton, but at the same time I have to somewhat have absolutely no pity for Cathy since she was her own means of entrapment in Wuthering Heights.

Sorry Cathy, but I think you should think more about your ribcage next time you think your own father is trapping you from the world.  Without that support and guidance, your heart could be trapped by an outside means or, God forbid, someone else's ribcage.