Key Quotes

Question 1

‘A perfect misanthropist’s heaven. A capital fellow!’ (AO2 + AO3)

Answer 1

• Introduces Lockwood as unreliable narrator, juxtaposing misanthropist then says, ‘a suitable pair’.
• Lockwood is an effete English gentleman who has more in common with the Linton’s than Heathcliff. In the time the novel was set, it was the midst of the Romantic Period, in which solitary retreat and misanthropy were common in literature. He has been swept away by this.

Question 2

“Dark-skinned gypsy” (AO2 + AO3)

Answer 2

• The term “gypsy” associated with outsiders/ did not belong to mainstream society. This emphasizes his position as an outsider within the Earnshaw family and the broader social hierarchy.

-It reflects the racial and class dynamics of Victorian England, Brontë’s Romantic influences, and the broader historical anxieties about outsiders and social disruption.

Question 3

“I don’t want your help” she snapped

Answer 3

The verb “snapped” implies frustration or anger. Cathy’s reaction reveals the hostility and emotional tension that characterize life at Wuthering Heights. Reflects Cathy’s strong personality even in a strained or difficult situation.

Cathy be snippy and rude and nothing like the delicate beautiful flower other Romantics would have envisioned her as subverts the expectations of her character making her perhaps unlikeable especially to a 19th century audience

Question 4

“I no longer felt inclined to call Heathcliff a capital fellow.”

Answer 4

Heathcliff escaped to nature during his rough childhood, so he tends to act in a rather animalistic manner. Lockwood’s changing view of Heathcliff illustrates contrasts between first impressions and deeper understanding. Lockwood’s naïve idealism is gradually replaced by a more cynical, disillusioned view of Heathcliff

Heathcliff is often described as embodying the characteristics of the Byronic hero, This disillusionment parallels the Gothic tradition, which often exposes the moral decay of romantic or mysterious figures.

Question 5

‘Loathsome thing to be harami, like an insect’

Answer 5

• The simile “like an insect” evokes strong disgust and revulsion. Insects are often associated with filth, insignificance, and contamination of things that are unwanted, often swatted away, or hidden. Reflecting Mariam’s feeling of worthlessness and how she perceives herself as something to be discarded or ignored by society.

-Hosseini’s critique of Afghan society, judges women harshly for their status, and legitimacy. By showing Mariam’s self-loathing through her perception of being “harami”, Hosseini illustrates how deeply these cultural values permeate personal identities and shape women’s experiences of shame and worth.