Perversion in Wieland

In Poe's The Black Cat perverseness led the protagonist, or antagonist haha, to commit horrible acts of violence against innocent victims. In Wieland by Brown, it seems that the perverseness Poe describes comes somewhat surprisingly from Clara.

It is assumed the most perverse character must be that of the murderer, Theodore Wieland, the title character. However, the most allusions to perversion and the use of the actual word come in the later chapters describing Clara's state of mind in retrospect and specifically during the scene of her near death. Clara describes her disease, depression, after the death of her father and her strange attachment to the scene of the murders when she states in chapter 27,

"By a perverse constitution of mind, he was considered as my greatest enemy who sought to withdraw me from a scene which supplied eternal food to my melancholy, and kept my despair from languishing."

She later on uses the same term to describe Carwin's confession to her uncle when she explains,

"[Carwin] found a more impartial and indulgent auditor in Mr. Cambridge, who imputed to maniacal illusion the conduct of Wieland, though he conceived the previous unseen agency of Carwin, to have indirectly but powerfully predisposed to this perversion of mind."

It seems that Clara finds the same pleasure her brother derives from hearing heavenly voices and being elevated to status past "mere man" when she is in the upmost danger. Both are described with a certain perversion of mind. She enjoys the thrill of danger, such as when she returns to her house for her diary after being warned of Wieland's escapes and plans to kill her. It is beyond obvious that she is in danger in her obvious favorite place to be. The first quote is direct evidence that she enjoyed the horror of the events, and living within the crime scene. Presumably she will still sleep in her bed, the place her sister was found murdered.

The idea of a perverse or sinful fate is brought up frequently in the last chapters. For instance when Clara is describing her attachment to the house and her final incident with Wieland, as she uses words like "destiny" and the phrase "this moment was pregnant with fate" (chapter 26). However, earlier Carwin also describes the recent events as,

"[As if] by some perverse fate , I was led into circumstances in which the exertion of my powers was the sole or the best means of escape." (ch. 23).

Similarly, Clara believes herself to be under the control and guidance of this fate that leads her to hear voices and fall victim to homicidal threats from her closet. Yet, this perverseness is not just tied to fate or the agency of others, Clara willingly puts herself in danger, and confronts these dangers openly. She tries to force the closet open when she knows someone is inside, someone who can quite possibly be the same person who threatened to kill her previously. She is afraid it may also be her brother, who she has feared in dreams, yet she continues to coax the perpetrator out, rather than leaving the room and finding help.

Clara's extreme paranoia that the same madness and thirst to kill will plague her as it does her brother seems to allude to her other similarities with her brother. She believes the voices she hears are benevolent, guardian angel figures, who she is blessed to hear. She may not see the same religious significance of the voices as her brother, but she does seem to enjoy her times with them, and be thankful for their presence. It seems Clara is aware of the many similarities between her brother and herself, which leads her to question her homicidal tendencies.