Ki Huang

Dreams of the Uncanny

Childhood dreams have affected many of the occurrences we have felt as adults. Fear

and insecurity often created the most memorable experiences, otherwise known as the

uncanny. According to Freud, uncanny is loosely defined as something both familiar and

unfamiliar. The comic book, The Sandman Preludes Nocturnes (2006), includes elements of the

uncanny and elicits feelings of nostalgia. Gaiman’s The Sandman, evokes feeling of nostalgia

with elements of uncanny through the use of horror, uncertainty, and trauma

Parents would often tell their children scary stories of the beasts and monsters that will

eat them if they do not behave. However, a common story that has been told throughout the

world is the story of The Sandman. The most disturbing version contains the character ripping

the eyes out of young children after he puts them to sleep with sand. As kids begin to grow up,

imagination and fear begin to intertwine, creating a very horrific scene of the supernatural. Due

to these upbringings, people had become fixated on the character of The Sandman. This idea

can be seen within Gaiman’s comic book as the characters try to summon Death, but instead

The Sandman appears from the other world. This scene relates to the topic of the uncanny.

Despite Magus’s attempt to summon a figure he knows and does not fear, Sandman arrives and

with him he brings uncertainty along with terror to the characters. Furthermore, feelings of

nostalgia become more apparent as descriptions of the children become more elaborate. The

comic contains dialogue stating “Can you believe it Arthur? She’s fallen asleep again!” The old

stories from youth adds to the sentimental emotions created by the Sandman. However, deeper

into the scenes, fear begins to play a larger role in Gaiman’s comic.
 Colors in the comic change from vibrant bright to much darker and gloomy hues. The

transformation suggests a shift in mood as the characters begin to feel the effects of the

Sandman. The city grows in fear as people find themselves in sleepless nights while others fail

to wake up. These actions described in the comic actually symbolize the human fear of death.

Since the act of dying is still unknown to society, eternal sleep is used as a reference of death’s

uncertainty. When the children sleep, we can also see the dreams that become more vivid.

According to Freud, these dreams represent desires which have been repressed by the Super-

Ego within the psyche model. This description rings true as the comic states, “Daniel

Bustamonte returns to his best dream”, which further supports Freud’s theory. However, within

the dream, the character begins falling endlessly. This description returns to the topic of fear in

eternity. The endless falling and forever sleep are connected within the story to create a mood

of entrapment. The society falls victim to the Sandman once again which could allude to human

fear repressed by the Super-Ego. Once the feelings are unleashed, dreams become more of a

reality.

The uncanny also refers to a time which a traumatic experience has affected an

individual. In Patricia Swier’s academic journal, Rebellious Rabbits: Childhood Trauma and the

Emergence of the Uncanny in Two Southern Cone Text, she explains the effect of trauma on an

individual. Swier goes on to say, “the manifestation of trauma and coping skills of young

children” create the feelings of uncanny as they grow older. Since the author explains these

accounts in relation to Argentina and other Southern American countries, we can see how

universal Freud’s idea of uncanny expands. Not only did German people experience similar

emotions, but people around the world were affected due to comparable circumstances. Swier
continues with “uncanny as…the experience of the infant that has been repressed.” This

statement is supported by Gaiman’s character, Magus as he says, “They will make no more

jokes, Alex, when death is at my command.” The character magus has repressed memories and

emotions not only as an infant, but as an adult. Those in his life must have traumatized Magus

in some manner which he has become compelled to summon death. The unspoken struggles

that the character feels explain his actions and why nostalgia is a prominent tone. Another

example of trauma can be seen in the scene with the soldier Stefan. Since war was common

during this time period man authors would reference the traumatic experiences people faced.

The atrocities are explained by Swier referencing the “inside world” with interpersonal

relationships, and the “outside world” with “sociocultural context”. The soldier Stefan is seen

with a mental issue worse than shell shock. The inside world within the soldier begins to fall

apart as his horrific experiences begins to take over. Not only that, his outside world begins to

give up on him as the doctors say, “the morphine is proving useless”. The two accounts show

very different forms of the uncanny, but both instances are rooted from past experience.

Gaiman’s comic book series, The Sandman Preludes Nocturnes (2006), contains layers of

emotions such as sentiment and nostalgia due to the emergence of the uncanny time period

from war time atrocities. The childhood many people experience today are vastly different from

the history Freud grew up with. However, we are able to understand how the different

experiences shaped authors during this time and how it plays a part in understanding human

psyche. In the comic, characters have repressed feelings of trauma, desires, and fear. The

different emotions hidden within the Super-Ego are exposed to the reader and as a result, the
uncanny is further explained. There are still many emotions that continue to elude us but as we

continue to dream, we become closer to unlocking Freud’s work with the uncanny.

Word Count: 951

Reference Page:

Gaiman, Neil. The Sandman Preludes Nocturnes, vol.1 , issue 1. DC Comics, 2006, pp 1-43.

Swier, Patricia. “Rebellious Rabbits: Childhood Trauma and the Emergence of the Uncanny in
Two Southern Cone Text.” University of Georgia, vol 42, no.1, 2013, pp. 166-180.