The Sandman

E. T. A. Hoffmanns The Sandman illuminates Freuds theory of the Uncanny. Freuds understanding of Nathaniel in E. T. A. Hoffmanns The Sandman is that the Nathaniels madman like actions ar the result of the re unfreeze of his suppressed juvenile material. Nathaniel is the protagonist and is convinced that a frightful destiny awaits him. His hero-worship focuses on a threatening old man whom he has understood since infantile to be the Sandman, a monster who takes away the eyes of children who are awake at night. He connects the spineman with Coppelius, a colleague of his grow and he incriminates Coppelius in his fathers death.As an adult, Nathaniel madness is detonateed after having a visitor from what he believes to be the sandman whom in naturalism is a salesman named Coppola. Freud uses E. T. A Hoffmans The Sandman to describe the idea of repression of childhood complexes. E. T. A. Hoffmanns The Sandman is believed to be uncanny by Freud. Nathaniel believes in the wrong sand-m an from his childhood. He is not completely mature and has trouble growing up throughout the score. His fiancee Clara tries to booster and tell not to let his stories get to him except it only maddens him.Nathaniel wants people to feed into his stories but his stories feat him to be a mad man. He is sent away to recuperate at an asylum. He meets a man named Coppola who he believes to be the evil Coppelius/ sandman. Nathaniel ends up realizing that he is just a man who sells supply and buys a pair off of him. While he is away he falls in fare with an inanimate object named Olimpia and forgets about his fiancee Clara. But then he had never had such a perfect listener. He loves the way Olimpia just sit there and listens to his stories, he falls for her womanly influence figure. Her beautifully molded features and her shapely figure compelled general admirations. Nathaniel ends up destroying Olimipa, which can serve as whiz of his alter self-importances, his narcissistic si de. He remembers about his lovely Clara and gets better he goes back home to his family but Nathaniel is not better. Clara ends up bringing up a gray bush that she spots which reminds him of the sandman and drives him mad again. He attempts to kill Clara and then ends up jumping and killing himself as well as his alter ego Coppelius.As people began to climb the stairs in order to seixe the lunatic, Coppelius laughed and said Ha, ha- just wait, hell soon buzz off down soon by himself and looked up, like the others. Suddenly Nathanael paused and stood stock motionless, he went down. Suddenly Nathanael paused and stood stock still he went down perceived Coppelius, and, with a piercing shriek of Beautiful eyes-a Beautiful eyes- a he jumped over the parapet. By the time Nathanael was lying on the pavement, his head shattered, Coppelius had vanished into the throng. 118) Coppelius can be read to be an alter-ego of Nathanael the way Hoffman states that Coppelius just vanishes once Natha nael hits the ground makes it chancems as if now that Nathanael is not alive neither is the story of the sandman Freud does not believe that the sandman or Olimpia are Nathaniels alter-egos. He has other interpretations about what is wrong with Nathaniel. Freud believes that Nathanaels obsession with the sandman and Olimpia is what someone experiences in adulthood that was repressed from their earlier stages in life.Nathaniel was told the story of the sandman as a little child by his old nurse dont you know yet? Hes a wicked man who comes to children when they dont want to go to bed and throws handfuls of sand into their eyes that makes their eyes fill blood and jump out of their heads and he throws the eyes into his bag and takes them into the cresent synodic month to feed his own children (87) Freud believes that this story triggered the instability of the psych while Nathaniel was young.In the Uncanny Freud states everything that ought to have remained hidden and secret, and ye t comes to light, (7) Whenever something reminds Nathaniel of the sandman it triggers him to turn into a madman and he gets lost in his own world. There are different causes that trigger one to go mad. Freud believes that one of the main etymons of uncanny has to do with the idea of one being robbed of their eyes. Oedipus that mythical-lawbreaker was apparently carrying out a mitigated for of punishment of castration. Freud believes Nathaniel was afraid of castration not just loosing his eyes since many another(prenominal) cherish both. Oedipus links with Nathanael, both were afraid of loosing a part of them that they both treasure. Nathanael also treasures his mother. Nathaniel seems to only see his mother as good, she is the one who protects them and the one that does not want the sandman in the house. my mother, kissing and nestle her darling boy who was thus restored to life. (91) Nathanael has an attachment to his mother.Nathaniel appears to not like his father and see hi m as the bighearted parent. I was comforted by the realization that his alliance with the devilish Coppelius could not have plunged him into eternal perdition. (92) It could be because the father continues to allow the sandman in their home. Freud believes that nothing is ever forgotten and it just stays suppressed in ones mind until something triggers one to remember. Nathanaels suppressed memories make his narcissist.The double is the primary source of narcissism in a child. Only in Olimpias love do I see myself Olimpia had voiced his own thoughts. This is where Nathaniels narcissism returns Olimipa is a reflection of himself. The idea of the double does not necessarily disappear with the passing of the primary narcissism, for it can receive fresh meaning from the later sages of development of the ego (10) Olimpia is the re-birth of Nathaniels narcissism ways in which he begins again to be self-absorbed.The Sandman by ETA Hoffman is one of the about well known short stories throughout history. It is very unusual to other short stories. Whether we all deem with Freuds interpretation of the story, Freud makes some good arguments on why the narrator is the way he is. Nathaniel is a libertine individual who ends up taking his own life. No matter which way you take the story he ends up still being a madman.