Principal direction - Essay Example

Individuals will then follow a principal direction giving them a sense of power. So, we can see the link between goal, meanings and the direction. That is, achievement or actualization of goal will provide meaning to one’s life and thereby paving the life in a new principal direction. So, this paper will analyze the theme, what is our goal, our meaning, our principal direction?, in relation to the activities of the central characters in E.T.A. Hoffmanns novel The Sandman, Fritz Langs silent film Metropolis and Terry Gilliams film Brazil.

“The Sandman”, English translation of a German short story, “Der Sandmann”, was written by E.T.A Hoffmann and forms a part of the collection of stories titled, The Night Pieces. The story is about the central character, Nathanael and how his presumed horrors and nightmares in his childhood, continued to haunt him even in his adult life pushing him to go in search of an ‘undefined’ goal. That is, Nathanael forms a presumed fear about an imaginary character Sandman, who he thinks will steal the children’s eyes, if they don’t go to their bed early.

Even though this story about Sandman is just a traditional bringer, Nathanael fully believes it. "My mothers answer did not satisfy me; indeed my childish mind formed the conviction that our mother was only denying The Sandmans existence so that we should not be afraid of him; after all, I could always hear him coming upstairs." (Robertson). He even ‘thinks’ and ‘sees’ his father’s lawyer friend, Coppelius as the actual Sandman. And, when Coppelius disappears he feels little secured, but after passage of many years, in his adult life, that fear for Sandman reappears, when he sees a person named Coppola, who has striking resemblance to Coppelius.

To ease his fearful mindset, Nathanael falls for Olimpia, daughter of Physics professor, Spalanzani, and sets a new goal of getting her.