The Sandman: Themes | SparkNotes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Anxiety Surrounding Scientific Advancement

Both the fear of alchemy and the fear of automatons represent an anxiety surrounding technological advancements throughout the story. In the early 1800s, when the science of chemistry and mechanical engineering were in their infancy, the idea of what could be achieved through scientific advancements was mysterious to the average person. Nathaniel’s father and Coppelius engage in alchemical experiments which frighten Nathaniel and his mother and ultimately lead to his father’s death. The mystery and danger surrounding alchemy are expressed through Coppelius’s almost demon-like descriptions, implying there is something supernatural about the process.

Similarly, Olympia’s creation as an automaton is shrouded in mystery, and her reveal as a false woman evokes horror. Spalanzani utilizes the mechanical engineering of clockwork to construct her, but her ability to speak like and resemble a real woman is left purposely vague to increase the sense of mystery. Nathaniel’s psychological break in the aftermath of the revelation introduces a larger fear about how such scientific advancements could be used to fool and harm unsuspecting individuals. Likewise, Olympia’s presentation to society causes a great deal of alarm among the public who no longer trust whether their wives and lovers are real people. There is significant anxiety about the prospect of automata making their way into society, with people not being able to distinguish them from flesh-and-blood humans. The overall distrust and fear surrounding scientific advancements is clear throughout the tale.

The Horror of Descending into Madness

Nathaniel's grip on reality is tenuous from the very beginning when he conflates the Sandman with Coppelius, and the rest of the story chronicles his horrifying descent into madness. Nathaniel’s initial letter to Lothaire is full of frightening descriptions of Coppelius and his horrible treatment of children, both of which emphasize Nathaniel’s psychological distress more than they enforce Coppelius as the villain. The story Nathaniel writes about the evil Coppelius and his father’s death adds to the tone of horror as it is clear Nathaniel’s fear is very real to him. Just as he conflates Coppelius with the Sandman, he also conflates Coppelius with the barometer dealer, Coppola.

To add to the horror of the story, it is deliberately unclear to the reader whether Coppola and Coppelius are the same man or whether this is Nathaniel’s delusion. Nathaniel boomerangs back and forth between reality and madness when Clara, Lothaire, and Sigismund confront his delusions, but he is repeatedly sucked in by his deeply ingrained fears. Nathaniel’s fractured state of mind makes him all the more susceptible to being unable to discern that Olympia is an automaton rather than a real woman. The fight Nathaniel witnesses over Olympia’s lifeless form and the sight of Olympia’s glass eyes lying on the floor parallel the horror Nathaniel believes he experienced at Coppelius’s hands as a child. This altercation ultimately results in Nathaniel’s confinement to an asylum for treatment.

The brief, happy interlude after Nathaniel is released and resumes his relationship with Clara is foreboding as all of Nathaniel’s momentary spells of sanity are throughout the story. Predictably, the story does not have a happy ending as Nathaniel’s descent into madness culminates with his attack on Clara and his fatal fall from the tower.

The Juxtaposition of Authenticity and Fantasy

As Nathaniel’s main love interests, Clara and Olympia represent a juxtaposition of authenticity and fantasy. Clara is a full and complete person who, while not beautiful, possesses the more valuable traits of practicality, intelligence, and kindness. It is Clara who attempts to anchor Nathaniel to reality when he first conflates Coppola with Coppelius and it is she who points out that his childhood trauma is impacting his mental health. As Nathaniel’s childhood sweetheart, Clara represents an authentic love that has grown through time and experience. Nathaniel struggles to value Clara’s authenticity and often sees her as an adversary when she forces him to confront his delusions.

In contrast, Olympia represents a fantasy woman who is impossibly beautiful because she was constructed to be so and can barely utter a comprehensible word because she is an automaton. Nathaniel’s infatuation with Olympia is ironic because his feelings for her are born out of a desire to avoid the reality that Clara will not let him escape. Olympia, unlike Clara, is incapable of challenging Nathaniel and his forced relationship with Olympia reveals that Nathanial is failing to value the authenticity that Clara represents. At the end of the story when Nathaniel glimpses Clara through Coppola’s telescope, he suffers his final mental break because he cannot see past the fantasy of Olympia he once glimpsed through it.

The story’s ending juxtaposes Nathaniel’s horrible death with Clara’s happily ever after to provide a moral lesson about the value of authentic connections over relationships based on fantasy.

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