Much of Emily Bronte and her siblings’ literary work was influenced by their upbringing. Around the time Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights, Great Britain’s class system was being disrupted by the emergence of the middle class. Literary critic, Q.D. Leavis, claims the reason Emily Bronte chose to begin the novel at the time of the Industrial Revolution was “to fix its happenings at a time when the old rough farming culture, based on a naturally patriarchal family life, was to be challenged, tamed and routed by social and cultural changes; these changes produced Victorian class consciousness and ‘unnatural’ ideal of gentility” (Leavis qtd. in “Wuthering Heights as Socio-Economic Novel” 1). In this quote, Leavis discusses how in Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte sets the novel during a time at which many changes were made socially and culturally. In order to avoid the bias brought upon female authors, Emily Bronte and her sisters released their literary works under male pseudonyms. A year before the end of her battle with tuberculosis, Emily Bronte published Wuthering Heights under Ellis Bell (Landers 1). When Wuthering Heights was published in 1847, Bronte received mostly negative feedback. The book was not socially accepted until many years later due to its strong female characters (Juan 25). Though women during the Victorian period were expected to be the perfect housewife and mother, Emily Bronte defies these social standards through Wuthering Heights’ characters, Catherine Earnshaw Linton and Cathy Linton Heathcliff.

In his article, “Female Consciousness in Wuthering Heights,” Zhao Juan discusses how the female characters of Wuthering Heights stand out due to their independence and self-awareness. At the beginning of the novel, Catherine’s character shows many Romantic characteristics during her younger years at Wuthering Heights. Throughout the novel, Catherine rebels against her father and brother (Juan 26). According to Nelly, Catherine enjoyed being disobedient to her father, “His peevish reproofs wakened in her a naughty delight to provoke him: she was never so happy as when we were all scolding her at once…” (Bronte 22). In this quote, Nelly describes the joy Catherine got out of being defiant. The third chapter of Wuthering Heights presents a neighboring tenant, Lockwood, reading through Catherine’s old journals. Her entry begins on a Sunday; Catherine and Heathcliff are supposed to be reading their Bibles and praying, while Hindley and his wife Frances were downstairs. In her entry, Catherine writes, “H. and I are going to rebel-we took our initiatory step this evening” (Bronte 12). In this quote, Catherine reveals the two plan on rebelling against Hindley. They eventually end up getting reprimanded by Joseph for being too rambunctious which provokes them to rebel by throwing their books into a fire. Older Catherine’s insubordinate actions epitomize the rebellious attitudes of the Romantics. However, as Catherine gets older, she shows more and more Victorian traits. On the other hand, Young Cathy does not show Romantic traits until she gets older. When Lockwood first arrives at Wuthering Heights, he sees Cathy and is blown away by her beauty. While she is preparing to have a cup of tea, Lockwood attempts to help her, but is immediately shutdown, “‘I don’t want your help,’ she snapped; ‘I can get them for myself’” (Bronte 7). In this quote, Cathy exhibits her independence