“Nelly, I am Heathcliff!” Catherine Earnshaw makes this bold statement in Wuthering Heights (Brontë 75). Catherine claims traits of identity that belong to another being, which is physically impossible for her to achieve. Why does Emily Brontë create such love between Heathcliff and Catherine that they claim to be the same entity, and what is meant by Heathcliff and Catherine claiming to be each other? There are many analyzes that contemplate this very question, but the answer lies within a psychological approach. In his article Graeme Tytler mocks those who think that Catherine's statement is “a manifestation of perfect love and claims that it is instead a “part of a specific psychological pattern” (Tytler). Through Catherine and Heathcliff's childhoods as unloved outcasts, Brontë demonstrates that their development as adults is hindered, creating a void in their personalities which they fill with alter egos. Both Catherine and Heathcliff grow up in environments of abandonment and abandonment, causing gaps in their personalities. Mr. Earnshaw takes Heathcliff to Wuthering Heights and says “but you must also take it as a gift from God, even if it is dark almost as if it came from the devil” (Brontë 34). Here Heathcliff is a victim of racial profiling, which is harmful to development because it has the effect of degrading an individual's self-esteem. Heathcliff's savior refers to him as a spawn of the "devil". This, combined with the reaction of the other tenants of Wuthering Heights, makes Heathcliff an outcast. They repeatedly call it "it" and Catherine even "[spits] at that stupid little thing" as Nelly recalls (35). This inhospitable behavior is a rejection of Heathcliff. Brontë is created... middle of paper......lives with each other. He points out that through these judgments Brontë is exemplifying the fact that identity can never be truly determined. I will use Tytler's alter ego theory to demonstrate that Catherine and Heathcliff's relationship continues into adulthood due to their desire to live through each other. This alter ego theory has sparked a discussion that Catherine and Heathcliff use each other to fill a void created due to their neglected childhoods. Tytler proves many points about the dynamic between Catherine and Heathcliff but fails to see that Catherine loved Heathcliff. She claimed that Catherine was more self-centered and demanding, implying that she only wanted to use Heathcliff to prolong their childhood relationship. I believe that Catherine truly loved Heathcliff and related to him in a way that binds them together for life.