TERM PAPER IDEAS

1. Compare two of the characters, such as Heathcliff and
Edgar, the two Cathys, Heathcliff and Hareton, Ellen Dean and
Heathcliff or Ellen Dean and Cathy, or Hareton and Linton. -

2. Show why Heathcliff's role in the novel could have been
played by a supernatural creature such as the devil. -

3. Show how sympathy is created for Heathcliff despite his
evil deeds. -

4. Show why Heathcliff's fight is directed against the
oppressive landed classes. -

5. Explore the nature of Heathcliff's "strange change." -

6. Explain why Cathy marries Edgar. -

7. Discuss the different types of love-that between
Heathcliff and Cathy and that between Hareton and Cathy.
Why do you prefer one over the other? -

8. Discuss Joseph as a comic character. -

9. Explore the characteristics of Ellen Dean as a reliable
narrator. -

11. Describe what makes the characters in Wuthering Heights
different from those in other books. -

12. Decide with whom Bronte wants you to identify at various
points in the novel. What light does this identification shed on
the characters and themes? -

13. Analyze the psychological progression of Chapter 3. -

14. Analyze Cathy's mad scene in Chapter 8. In what ways is
her delirium a "higher" truth? -

15. Analyze the fight between Heathcliff and Cathy on her
deathbed. Who's right? -

16. Compare Isabella's version of the night after Cathy's
funeral (in Chapter 17) to Heathcliff's (in Chapter 29). -

17. Discuss the role of locks and keys in the novel. -

18. Describe how the author portrays books in the novel. -

19. Discuss the role of windows in Wuthering Heights. -

20. Analyze the portrayal of the supernatural in the novel. -

21. Some readers think there is a tension between the rigid
structure of the book and the wildness of the language. Explore
that tension and give examples. -

22. Discuss what you think is the climax of the novel.

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