of its Gothic elements. For example, the novel is set in a cold, dark estate in which all of its inhabitants are described as being miserable. The estate is even suspected of being haunted and is situated on a moor that's cold, expansive, and lonely.

A Gothic novel will also often contain specific characters, including a protagonist, a villain, and what can be called "the Wanderer" ("The Gothic Novel"). The protagonist in a Gothic novel is one who has fallen from his/her original state, or has "fallen from grace" ("The Gothic Novel"). We can look at Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights as an example of a Gothic protagonist. When first brought home as a foundling, he was cherished by his adopted father Mr. Earnshaw and developed a deep friendship with his adopted sister Catherine; however, his adopted brother Hindley became ragingly jealous of Heathcliff and, after Mr. Earnshaw died, Hindley stooped to humiliate Healthcliff, even treated him as a servant. We can call Heathcliff's humiliation his "fall from grace." What's more, the protagonist of a Gothic novel is often isolated, either "voluntarily or involuntarily." In Heathcliff's case, he first isolates himself through his rich plans to seek revenge against Hinley, and then, after his plans succeed, Heathcliff isolates himself further by staying by himself on the Wuthering Heights estate.

Beyond the protagonist, the villain is the one who torments the protagonist, just as Hinley tormented Healthcliff. Finally, the "Wanderer," while not in all Gothic novels, will roam "the earth in perpetual exile, usually a divine form of punishment" ("The Gothic Novel").