The Best Examples of Discussion of 'Wuthering Heights' (With Real Classroom & Book Club Moments)

Examples of Discussion of Wuthering Heights That Actually Spark Debate

Let’s start where most people wish their essays and seminars started: with vivid, real examples of discussion of Wuthering Heights that don’t feel like recycled homework.

Picture this: It’s a Tuesday night book club in Brooklyn. Half the group is nursing cheap red wine; the other half is scrolling TikTok between chapters. Someone finally blurts out, “Is Heathcliff just a victim of abuse, or is he a monster?” Suddenly, everyone has an opinion. That’s a perfect example of how this novel still hits nerves in 2024.

In another corner of the world, a high school English class in Texas is asked to compare Wuthering Heights to a modern toxic relationship drama on Netflix. The students start mapping Catherine and Heathcliff’s on-again, off-again obsession onto modern relationship patterns—ghosting, trauma bonding, emotional manipulation. Those conversations are real examples of how the book refuses to stay stuck in the 1800s.

These are the kinds of examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ we’ll unpack below—specific, grounded, and ready to reuse.

Character Debates: Heathcliff as Victim, Villain, or Both

One of the best examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ you’ll hear almost anywhere centers on a single question: What do we do with Heathcliff?

In a college seminar, a professor might ask students to track Heathcliff’s transformation from abused outsider to abusive landowner. Some students argue he’s a tragic product of systemic cruelty—an adopted child, racially ambiguous, mocked and degraded, then shut out of inheritance. Others come back with, “Sure, but he literally hangs Isabella’s dog and terrorizes the next generation. Trauma explains him; it doesn’t excuse him.”

That clash—explanation versus excuse—is one of the best examples of a character-based discussion. It invites:

• Comparisons to modern conversations about trauma and accountability, including how psychology and mental health are framed today (for instance, the National Institute of Mental Health discusses how trauma can shape behavior without automatically excusing harm: https://www.nimh.nih.gov).
• Close reading of scenes where Heathcliff seems almost sympathetic versus moments where he’s terrifying.

A powerful example of a thesis that grows from this discussion:

“Heathcliff is simultaneously a victim of social cruelty and a perpetrator of intimate violence, and Brontë forces readers to sit with that contradiction instead of choosing a comforting label.”

That’s the kind of line that turns a vague opinion into a sharp essay.

Love or Obsession? Examples of Discussion About Catherine & Heathcliff

Another set of examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ focuses on whether the central relationship is romantic, destructive, or both.

Imagine a book club where someone reads out Catherine’s famous line: “I am Heathcliff.” One person swoons: “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.” Another shudders: “That sounds like codependency and loss of identity.” Now you’ve got a live debate.

Strong examples include:

• Comparing Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship to modern ideas about attachment styles and unhealthy dynamics. Readers might even look up resources from sites like Mayo Clinic or WebMD on emotional abuse or unhealthy relationships (for example, Mayo Clinic’s page on emotional abuse: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle).
• Asking whether Brontë is endorsing their love or warning us about it. Is the story a tragic romance or a gothic cautionary tale?

One example of a focused discussion question that works well in classrooms and online forums:

“If Catherine and Heathcliff were a couple in 2024, would friends be cheering them on—or staging an intervention?”

Suddenly, the novel doesn’t feel dusty. It feels like that one friend’s relationship everyone is secretly worried about.

Class, Power, and Outsider Status: Real Examples That Go Beyond Romance

The best examples of high-level discussion don’t stop at “toxic love.” They pull in class, money, and power.

In an AP Literature class, a teacher might ask students to map who owns what: Wuthering Heights, Thrushcross Grange, land, names, children’s futures. Someone notices that Heathcliff’s revenge is basically economic warfare—he uses debt, marriage, and inheritance to strip others of power.

Real examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ on this theme include:

• Talking about how Heathcliff starts as a foundling with no surname and ends as a landowner controlling both estates.
• Comparing his outsider status to modern conversations about race and immigration. Some scholars argue Heathcliff may be of mixed or non‑white heritage, making his exclusion even sharper.
• Connecting this to historical context using university resources, like literature guides from major institutions (for instance, Harvard’s English department offers context on Victorian literature and class: https://english.fas.harvard.edu).

A sharp example of a discussion prompt:

“How does Wuthering Heights show that revenge isn’t just emotional—it’s economic? Who ends up paying the bill for Heathcliff’s rage?”

This moves the conversation from “Heathcliff is mean” to “Heathcliff weaponizes the entire class system.”

Mental Health, Grief, and Gothic Atmosphere: 2024-Style Readings

In 2024 and 2025, many of the most interesting examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ bring in mental health and trauma.

Teachers and book clubs now regularly ask:

• Is Catherine’s behavior—her wild mood swings, self-starvation, and hallucinations—readable through a modern mental health lens?
• Is Heathcliff’s obsessive fixation a form of unresolved grief?
• How does isolation on the moors echo contemporary conversations about loneliness and its impact on health (which organizations like the CDC have highlighted as a serious public health issue: https://www.cdc.gov)?

A real example: In a university course on literature and psychology, students compare Catherine’s breakdown to current understandings of depression and disordered eating. They discuss how the language of “madness” in the 19th century differs from today’s clinical terms, and why it matters.

Another example of a modern angle:

“Does the haunted, stormy moorland setting reflect the characters’ inner states in a way similar to how some films now use ‘sad color palettes’ and sound design to represent depression or anxiety?”

These conversations show how Wuthering Heights can live comfortably next to modern mental health discourse without being reduced to a case study.

Online and Pop Culture Examples of Discussion of Wuthering Heights

If you search TikTok or YouTube in 2024 for Wuthering Heights, you’ll find real examples of readers arguing about it in public.

Some trends and examples include:

• Short video essays where creators rank Heathcliff among “the worst literary men,” comparing him to characters from Twilight or Normal People.
• Discord or Reddit threads where fans debate whether Wuthering Heights is even a love story at all—or just a gothic revenge saga people mistakenly shelve with romance.
• Podcast episodes that pair Wuthering Heights with modern media, like analyzing it alongside shows about generational trauma.

One standout example of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ online: a recurring argument over whether the novel is “mis-marketed.” Some readers insist it’s not a romance but a horror story about how love, unchecked, can turn into cruelty.

A smart example of a question that often anchors these debates:

“If you remove the expectation of ‘romance,’ does Wuthering Heights suddenly make more sense—as a story about obsession, class, and inherited trauma?”

These digital spaces show the book is not just surviving in 2024–2025; it’s actively being reinterpreted.

Classroom Examples of Discussion: From Thesis Statements to Essay Hooks

Teachers are always hunting for the best examples of discussion prompts that lead to strong essays instead of vague summaries. Here are ways classrooms turn raw reactions into focused analysis.

In a high school setting, a teacher might start with a simple emotional question: “Who do you feel sorry for by the end of the novel?” Students throw out names—Hareton, young Cathy, Isabella, even Heathcliff. That emotional response becomes the seed for a more analytical prompt:

“Choose one character you pity and argue how Brontë uses them to criticize a specific social structure—marriage, inheritance, patriarchy, or class.”

College seminars often push further, using examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ like:

• Comparing narrative reliability in Wuthering Heights to other framed stories. Can we trust Nelly Dean? What about Lockwood?
• Asking students to write an “unreliable diary entry” from Heathcliff’s perspective to test how much is interpretation versus fact.

One example of a strong essay-style claim that grows from such conversations:

“By filtering the story through Nelly and Lockwood, Brontë shows how gossip and bias shape our understanding of ‘monstrous’ behavior, suggesting that narrative control is a form of power.”

These are the best examples of discussions that don’t just stay in the air; they land on the page.

Book Club Examples: Making the Moors Personal

Book clubs, unlike classrooms, don’t have to care about thesis statements. They care about vibes, emotions, and personal connections—and their examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ often sound more like therapy sessions than lectures.

Common book club moves and real examples:

• Members compare their teenage reading of the novel (when Heathcliff seemed dark and romantic) with their adult reading (when he seems terrifying).
• Someone admits they once stayed in a relationship because it felt “intense” and “fated,” then realized later it was just unhealthy—instantly connecting to Catherine’s “I am Heathcliff” moment.
• A reader who grew up in a rural area talks about how isolation shapes people’s tempers, tying their own experience to the moors.

A vivid example of a book club question that never fails:

“Which character would you actually want as a neighbor—and which one would you put a restraining order on?”

It sounds casual, but it leads to serious talk about boundaries, empathy, and how much bad behavior we’re willing to tolerate when we label something ‘love.’

FAQ: Examples of Discussion Questions and Angles on Wuthering Heights

Q: What are some strong examples of discussion questions for Wuthering Heights?
A: Here are a few conversation-starting questions:

• “Is Heathcliff more shaped by love or by humiliation?”
• “How does the second generation (Hareton and young Cathy) rewrite or repair the damage of the first?”
• “Does Brontë present nature as healing, hostile, or both?”
  Each example of a question opens a different door: psychology, structure, or symbolism.

Q: What are the best examples of essay topics based on Wuthering Heights?
A: Some of the best examples of essay topics include: the role of social class in Heathcliff’s revenge, the function of ghosts and haunting, the portrayal of marriage as a social contract, and the contrast between Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights as symbolic spaces. These topics grow naturally from the examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ you’d hear in advanced classes.

Q: Can you give an example of a modern interpretation of Wuthering Heights?
A: A popular modern interpretation sees the novel as a story about generational trauma: the cruelty and emotional damage of one generation (Catherine, Heathcliff, Edgar) echoing into the lives of the next (Hareton, Linton, young Cathy), until someone finally chooses empathy over revenge. This is a clear example of how 2020s readers connect the book to current conversations about breaking toxic family cycles.

Q: Where can I find more academic examples of discussion of Wuthering Heights?
A: University literature departments and open educational resources are a good start. Many colleges host lecture notes or articles on Victorian fiction. You can explore English department pages at major universities (for instance, https://english.fas.harvard.edu) or look for open course materials from public universities. These platforms often provide real examples of scholarly discussion and essay prompts.

Q: Are there examples of Wuthering Heights discussions that focus on race or ethnicity?
A: Yes. Some scholars and readers discuss Heathcliff as a racialized outsider, pointing to descriptions of his “dark” appearance and ambiguous origins. This leads to examples of discussion about 19th‑century racism, empire, and how the novel treats bodies that don’t fit the local norm. While the text never names his background directly, that ambiguity itself becomes an example of how the novel encodes otherness.

In the end, the strongest examples of discussion of ‘Wuthering Heights’ all have one thing in common: they treat the book as something alive, still capable of starting fights, shifting opinions, and exposing people’s deepest ideas about love, power, and pain. Whether you’re writing an essay, leading a seminar, or just trying not to sit in silence at your next book club, these real examples give you plenty of ways to keep the conversation going.