In his widely-studied essay, Sigmund Freud explores the many facets of what is uncanny, proposing underlying or aiding causes such as the double, repetition, dissolution of familiarity, the return of the repressed, ambiguity between what is surreal and real among others to define a concept that hadn’t been properly addressed before.

According to Freud, the uncanny refers to something that is strangely familiar, yet at the same time unsettling and disturbing, arguing that this feeling arises when something that should be hidden or repressed is brought to the surface, creating a sense of unease or anxiety, and Hoffmann’s “Der Sandmann” reflects most of these grounds of uncanniness throughout its plot, whether through Nathanael or other tertiary characters.

“The Sandman” begins with an epistolary introduction, a theme that will persist with the back-and-forth correspondences between Nathanael, his fiancée Clara, and her brother Lothar. Nathanael goes on to describe a childhood trauma that was recently made resurface due to an uninvited salesman called Coppola trying to sell him spectacles, saying this altercation made him feel like his old fear of Coppelius, as well as Coppelius in the flesh, is still pursuing him. Thus, the introduction provides a highly self-explanatory example of something traumatic, like being threatened to have someone’s eyes removed and being mishandled in Nathanael’s case, resurfacing in a later part in life and creating the feeling of uncanny, so much so that a seeming stranger can be willingly mistaken as someone else.

In the matter of the dissolution of familiarity, otherwise called unfamiliar within the familiar, Hoffmann employs everyday objects that take on a sinister meaning over time. In his visits, everything Coppelius touches starts decaying and stops contributing to any additional joy of the family, the cakes that they so enjoy become inedible, to give an example. After the events that unfold, Nathanael becomes convinced that the eyes of the people around him are being replaced by glass eyes, which he associates with the eyes of the Sandman/Coppelius, transforming something as simple as eyes into something unsettling. Similarly, the automaton Olimpia, which is initially seen as a beautiful and fascinating object, takes on a sinister aspect when it becomes clear that she is not a human being.

In conclusion, Freud’s definition of the uncanny as “something that is familiar yet unsettling” is certainly evident in E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “The Sandman.” The use of doubles, childhood memories, and everyday objects that take on a sinister meaning all contribute to the overall feeling of unease and anxiety in the story. By exploring the uncanny in literature, Freud offers insights into the ways in which our deepest fears and anxieties can be brought to the surface.