Sandy

"The Sandman" is representative of the uncanny for a slew of reasons. Not only is Olimpia revealed to be a humanoid automaton, the classic example of the uncanny, but several other characters and occurences throughout the story also display similar creepy traits. For instance, the original legend of the Sandman is twisted in this short story, with the once friendly behavior of putting children to sleep replaced by feeding stolen eyeballs to moon owls. This perversion is uncanny because of its alteration to a once familiar tale; what was once comforting is now frightening, and the reader is left unsure about past perceptions of the titular Sandman. Another example is Nathaniel's own cautious approach to Coppola, as his similarities to the fearsome Coppelius represent an uncanny valley of their own. Nathaniel, wary of the connection between the two yet not positive enough to act on his theory, senses a strange grotesqueness from Coppola similar to the repulsion felt by humans when met with an especially uncanny robot.