A notably theme within Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ is that of the entrapment and imprisonment, metaphorically and, in some cases, physically, of women. This entrapment may be seen as presenting the disempowerment of women within the novel. This is reflected in the role of marriage in the narrative, especial that of Catherine and Edgar, in which Catherine’s liberty and independency are sacrificed to meet social conventions. Indeed, Bronte also symbolises female entrapment throughout the novel by the constant reference to boundaries and borders which are used to separate binary opposites such as male and female; nature and culture. Although, none of these boundaries remain intact which highlights the gothic element of transgression within the novel. Therefore, ‘Wuthering Heights’ may be seen as a novel in which the boundaries of female power within Victorian society are questioned rather than reinforced.

The social entrapment of women within ‘Wuthering Heights’ can be seen to be reflect in the structural differences between Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. From Lockwood’s first visit to the Heights, Bronte encourages the reader to perceive the house as being embedded within nature, so much so that it appears almost hellish due to Lockwood’s remarks upon the ‘dismal spiritual atmosphere’ and Heathcliff’s ‘almost diabolical smile’. Therefore the Heights can be read as a completely ungovernable place, devoid of any social conventions. As such it is a space in which both Catherine and Heathcliff are able to gain power and influence, a possibility which would have been refused to them in the nineteenth century, owing to the fact that she is a female and he is illegitimate. This is contrasted to the ‘splendid place, carpeted with crimson’ that is Thrushcross Grange, which can be seen as representative of the standards of patriarchal culture during the time. Within these standards both Catherine and Heathcliff will have been entrapped by their social limitations, hence disempowered. Therefore, the juxtaposition of these settings can be seen as an implicit attack upon patriarchal society and it’s entrapment of not only women, but also those of lower social classes. This is symbolised when Catherine ‘catches her death’ by throwing open the window to let the air in. This act can be read as rupturing the fortifications of civilised life to let the natural world in. This symbolic act of violence which transgresses the boundaries of nature and culture which are intrinsically incompatible can only result in her subsequent death.

Within the novel marriage appears to be an action that forces women to become subservient to their husbands, thus becoming disempowered within Victorian society. The central conflict of the novel can be seen as Catherine’s choice to marry Edgar over Heathcliff. Her marriage creates a union between the two polar opposites of nature and culture, due to Catherine’s strong association to nature and Edgar’s distance. Therefore, by becoming assimilated into the culture of the Grange she becomes ‘an exile, and outcast, thenceforth, from what had been [her] world’, thus separated from nature and Heathcliff. This is contrasted to Catherine’s avowal that anyone who tried to keep her and Heathcliff separate would ‘meet the fate of Milo’, yet it is she herself who divides them. This reference to the Greek myth of the death of Milo in which it is said that he attempted to tear a tree apart when he became trapped and was subsequently eaten by wolves. Not only can this be seen as strongly symbolic of the pairs connection to nature but also infers how Catherine already perceives herself to be trapped. This imprisonment is that of having to meet the conditions of proper femininity, the domesticity of wifedom and motherhood. As shown within countless gothic texts, imprisonment leads to madness, solipsism and paralysis thus suggesting that it is the expectations of domestic life that lead to Catherine’s insanity before her death. Therefore, it may be said that it is marriage that cause females to become disempowered and weakened within ‘Wuthering Heights’.

However, marriage is also portrayed as imprisoning males just as much as females through the marriage between Cathy and Hareton. Hareton is degraded and confined by Heathcliff due to his refusal to provide him any education, as a result he becomes entrapped within his own ignorance. In contrast, Cathy is confined by the protective nature of life at the Grange, in which she lives as ‘a perfect recluse’ and the house is portrayed as being a ‘prison’ and Nelly its ‘jailer’. Structurally then their relationship appears to mirror that of Catherine and Edgar’s in which the pair represent incompatible ideas; formal knowledge and experience. However, by Hareton’s acquisition of knowledge, he is able to integrate into the cultural hegemony of the Grange, something his aunt Catherine was unable to do. Therefore, it appears that the Victorian ideal of domestic bliss is only able to be achieved through the submission of the male and not the female. Indeed, it appears that Catherine is the dominate paramour in the relationship since she is Hareton’s teacher and all the affairs of the house are managed by her. Therefore, this suggests that marriage does not always entrap women within ‘Wuthering Heights’ but can in fact be liberating and empowering.

Furthermore, this concept of subtle female dominance is reflected within the framing of the narrative of the novel itself. The majority of the narrative is dominated by the interior voice of Nelly which is encompassed by the exterior narration of Lockwood. Bronte’s use of dual narration was a technique that was virtually unprecedented at its time and can be interpreted as reflecting that it is women that hold dominance within society, even if it appears that it is males. Although, it may also be seen as suggesting that Nelly’s feminine narration is imprisoned within Lockwood’s to allow the narrative to retain credibility. In fact, this is reflective of the publishing of ‘Wuthering Heights’ itself in which Bronte had to use the male pseudonym of Ellis Bell to be able to get the novel published. Ultimately, this may be seen as Bronte criticising the patriarchal hierarchy of the Victorian era that prevent women from publishing in their own right, thus imprisoning them within their social roles by restricting their ability for expression.

Clearly, it can be seen that Bronte portrays women within ‘Wuthering Heights’ as being entrapped and imprisoned within their social positions. However, Bronte also represents males as being equally trapped and it may be seen that this is intentionally done to criticise the flaws within Victorian society in which the novel was written.