In “The Sandman”, Nathaniel is tormented through his entire life by the lawyer/ peddler Coppelius, but during his studies away from home, he is meets Olimpia, his professor’s daughter. It turns into a “too good to be true” story as he begins to fall in love with the most beautiful “woman” he has ever met. Both of these entities play a part in Nathaniel’s eventual demise, but which one played the larger role in his downfall? Was it Coppelius, who tormented Nathaniel for his entire life and was present at his death, or Olipmia, whose bloody eyes rolling across the professor’s floor ultimately sent him into madness?
Making the Modern World: Europe in the 19th Century
Liberalism and socialism and imperialism, oh my!
I think Olimpia plays a bigger part in sending Nathaneal into a mental state. Nathaneal was quite blindsided by her beauty. Once he laid eyes on her, she was all he could focus on. He was blind due to his love for her and this lead to him going mad at the end of the story.
I think both Coppelius and Olimpia both played a role in driving Nathaniel mad. Ultimately, I think finding out Olimpias secret drove him more crazy because Nathaniel was obsessed and in awe with Olimpia, his “perfect woman” he couldn’t see past the truth. When finally realizing that she was an not a real human drove him crazy; seeing the eyes showed his heart and trust for others to break.