Wieland: Insanity Theme
The Romantic Period of literature introduced elements of horror, such as the theme of insanity. An example of a novel from this time period with insanity as the theme is Wieland, or the Transformation by Charles Brockden Brown. Prominent elements within Wieland that indicate insanity are voices being heard, family history of mental illness, and an incoherent narrator. Nearly all of the five main characters in Wieland are shown to be suffering from mental illness. Religious devotion also plays a role in Wieland, but it alone does not indicate insanity. It is the predisposition to mental illness which turns religious devotion into dangerous fanaticism. One could posit that obsessive tendencies are also indicative of insanity.
Early on in this novel, Theodore Wieland believes he hears his sister’s voice, but later finds out that it was impossible for it to have been Clara. Theodore’s next conclusion was that he was hearing the voice of God. The influence of Theodore’s religion and the fact that he could not find the source of the voice lead him to that conclusion. Later, Theodore Wieland was instructed to murder his family by the voice. Believing the command to be from God, Theodore obeys the instruction and murders his family. The narrator informs the reader during the conclusion of the novel that …show more content…
As the novel progresses the narrator becomes incoherent and irrational. Clara too is a sufferer of mental illness; she considers suicide several times and is unable to separate dreams from reality. Clara appears to become entirely unhinged after her brother kills himself in front of her. By the conclusion of the novel, Clara no longer maintains rationality and uses supernatural explanations things cannot readily understand. For example, Clara says that Carwin is allied with the devil and should be haunted by her family’s
The Romantic Period of literature introduced elements of horror, such as the theme of insanity. An example of a novel from this time period with insanity as the theme is Wieland, or the Transformation by Charles Brockden Brown. Prominent elements within Wieland that indicate insanity are voices being heard, family history of mental illness, and an incoherent narrator. Nearly all of the five main characters in Wieland are shown to be suffering from mental illness. Religious devotion also plays a role in Wieland, but it alone does not indicate insanity. It is the predisposition to mental illness which turns religious devotion into dangerous fanaticism. One could posit that obsessive tendencies are also indicative of insanity.
Early on in this novel, Theodore Wieland believes he hears his sister’s voice, but later finds out that it was impossible for it to have been Clara. Theodore’s next conclusion was that he was hearing the voice of God. The influence of Theodore’s religion and the fact that he could not find the source of the voice lead him to that conclusion. Later, Theodore Wieland was instructed to murder his family by the voice. Believing the command to be from God, Theodore obeys the instruction and murders his family. The narrator informs the reader during the conclusion of the novel that …show more content…
As the novel progresses the narrator becomes incoherent and irrational. Clara too is a sufferer of mental illness; she considers suicide several times and is unable to separate dreams from reality. Clara appears to become entirely unhinged after her brother kills himself in front of her. By the conclusion of the novel, Clara no longer maintains rationality and uses supernatural explanations things cannot readily understand. For example, Clara says that Carwin is allied with the devil and should be haunted by her family’s