Genre
Horror
Setting and Context
1800s Europe
Narrator and Point of View
First-person and third-person
Tone and Mood
Typically dark horror, but with moments of darkly comical parody.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist - Nathanael; Antagonist - Coppelius/Coppola/The Sandman
Major Conflict
Nathanael feels that his life is being haunted by a horrifying man, Coppelius, whom he took to be The Sandman in his childhood.
Climax
Nathanael, having recovered from the pseudo-climax of discovering Olimpia to be an automaton, now perceives Clara as being one and attempts to throw her off the top of a tower. When foiled, he jumps off the roof himself, dying upon impact with the ground below.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing happens throughout the story - from Coppelius's early quotes in which he seems to be figuring out the mechanism of eyes and joints, to society's perceptions of Olimpia as overly mechanical in her movements.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
Allusions are made to many great works of art. See Glossary for specific references.
Imagery
Hoffmann is a great writer of imagery, using vivid and visceral descriptions of what Nathanael sees and feels to explain his warped perception of reality and the feeling of his descents into mental illness.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
Parallelism is drawn between sets of characters to compare and contrast their outcomes. Some significant parallels are between: Nathanael, the story's narrator, and Hoffmann; between Olimpia and Clara; and between Coppelius, Coppola, and the Sandman.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
