As the narrator of Charles Brockden Brown's Wieland, Clara is unreliable. The fantastical events she recounts are unbelievable and unexplained, leading readers to question the validity of her account. For example, she introduces the theory of empiricism, which states that all humans are born with a blank slate, relying entirely on their senses for the knowledge they acquire. However, Clara reveals the altered state of her own senses, leading readers to doubt her credibility as a narrator. Through this theory, Clara is exposed as an unreliable source for the novel, indicating that the events she recounts are false. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Clara introduces the theory of empiricism early in the story. She states that “the will is the tool of the understanding, which must shape its conclusions on the indications of the senses” (39). Thus, human beings are born with a blank slate and all the knowledge acquired since birth is acquired through their senses. She admits, however, that “if the senses are depraved, it is impossible to calculate the evils which may arise from the consequent deductions of the understanding” (39). Through this theory, we can infer that if Clara's senses were altered due to her emotional trauma, then her understanding of her surroundings was correspondingly altered. But what if our senses have been depraved by madness? Clara's senses were altered due to her emotional trauma, altering her mental state. As a result, her ability to understand the events happening around her was impaired and she, as a narrator, was shown to be unreliable. Clara's state of mind has been altered by her emotional trauma and condition, making her an unreliable witness to the events she describes. . She admits that we can “only expect ambiguities, abruptness and dark transitions from the historian who is at the same time the victim of these disasters” (167). Clara recognizes that in her current state of mind she cannot be fully trusted and that her account of past events is subject to error and uncertainty. She says that as someone who has endured and suffered through tragic events, her ability to recount all of these tragic events may not be completely accurate. Meanwhile, she struggles to complete her letter about the events that have occurred, but states that she will "persist to the end", at least living long enough to finish telling her story (167). However, as she rushes to complete her story, she says that in her haste, the story she has recorded risks having errors. His tone in this passage is frantic and harried – the voice of despair. She fears being killed at any moment. This despair exposes her current mental state, belying her credibility as a narrator, as she herself admits to the "inaccuracy and confusion" that litter her entire narrative (167). Due to the mental trauma and emotional turmoil that impaired Clara's rationality, her narrative is filled with numerous flaws, leading readers to doubt the legitimacy of the rest of her narrative. When she gives the "imperfect account" of her father's death, she concludes it as "the sum of the information [he] chose to give", implying that there is still information about his death that are tacit or unknown (20). Reflecting on the same incident, she offers two explanations for the cause of her father's death: divine interference or a medical irregularity of the heart (21). However, she leaves the conclusion open,"..