The Sandman
English 101
15 January 2013
“The Sandman” Analysis Essay The Sandman is about a man named Nathanael’s life and the monsters he faced. In his childhood he was told stories about the sandman. These stories tormented him for years because he was told the sandman took children’s eyes. Every night he would hear the “Sandman” walking down the hall to his father’s room. One night Nathanael hid in his father’s room and waited to find out who the “Sandman” really was. Come to find out, it was Coppelius, a man that had dinner with his family a few times in the past and was always tormenting the kids by touching their sweets with his big hairy hands. No one liked Coppelius. “Mother seemed to dislike this hateful Coppelius as much as we did. For as soon as he appeared her cheerfulness and bright and natural manner were transformed into sad, gloomy seriousness” (E.T.A Hoffman). Even their mother didn’t like him. Nathaniel was caught by Coppelius who threatened to take his eyes. After that night he wasn’t seen again till about a year later. Coppelius showed up and murdered Nathanael’s father. In E.T.A Hoffman’s The Sandman, Coppelius is the monster.
Ever since his father’s murder Nathanael was obsessed with Coppelius. It ruled his life. “I am determined to deal with him, and to avenge my father’s death, be the issue what it may” (Hoffman, 5). Nathaniel was determined to avenge is father at all costs. It also ruined his relationship with Clara. “Clara was cut to the heart, and wept bitterly. ‘Oh! He has never loved me, for he does not understand me’” (Hoffman, 12). Clara did not like his sad poem about his fear of Coppelius so they fought. The monster in The Sandman is Coppelius. He causes fear in Nathaniel after he murders his father. “But in the dead of night, when no one can hear, even a hero might admit that the monster inspires one thing more than any other: fear” (Blake). This quote is saying to everyone a monster only equals fear. Nathanael was always paranoid that
15 January 2013
“The Sandman” Analysis Essay The Sandman is about a man named Nathanael’s life and the monsters he faced. In his childhood he was told stories about the sandman. These stories tormented him for years because he was told the sandman took children’s eyes. Every night he would hear the “Sandman” walking down the hall to his father’s room. One night Nathanael hid in his father’s room and waited to find out who the “Sandman” really was. Come to find out, it was Coppelius, a man that had dinner with his family a few times in the past and was always tormenting the kids by touching their sweets with his big hairy hands. No one liked Coppelius. “Mother seemed to dislike this hateful Coppelius as much as we did. For as soon as he appeared her cheerfulness and bright and natural manner were transformed into sad, gloomy seriousness” (E.T.A Hoffman). Even their mother didn’t like him. Nathaniel was caught by Coppelius who threatened to take his eyes. After that night he wasn’t seen again till about a year later. Coppelius showed up and murdered Nathanael’s father. In E.T.A Hoffman’s The Sandman, Coppelius is the monster.
Ever since his father’s murder Nathanael was obsessed with Coppelius. It ruled his life. “I am determined to deal with him, and to avenge my father’s death, be the issue what it may” (Hoffman, 5). Nathaniel was determined to avenge is father at all costs. It also ruined his relationship with Clara. “Clara was cut to the heart, and wept bitterly. ‘Oh! He has never loved me, for he does not understand me’” (Hoffman, 12). Clara did not like his sad poem about his fear of Coppelius so they fought. The monster in The Sandman is Coppelius. He causes fear in Nathaniel after he murders his father. “But in the dead of night, when no one can hear, even a hero might admit that the monster inspires one thing more than any other: fear” (Blake). This quote is saying to everyone a monster only equals fear. Nathanael was always paranoid that
Cited: Blake, Brandy Ball, and L. Andrew Cooper. “Introduction: Hunting Boundaries.” Monsters. Editors Brandy Ball Blake and L. Andrew Cooper. Southlake TX.: Fountainhead Press, 2012. 1-10. Print. Hoffman, E.T.A. “The Sandman.” Translated by John Oxenford. Richmond VA.: Virginia Commonwealth University, 1999. Print