Custom «Effects of a Misunderstood Poet on a Reader» Essay Paper Sample

The short story 'The Sandman' was written by a German, Hoffmann. The author has used a narrator who appears to have met Nathanael before. When the story opens, there are quotations of three letters. The author uses the three letters to first define the issues at hand and to introduce the characters (Hoffmann, 2005). In the discussion that will follow, the focus will be on whether Nathanael has been a misunderstood poet and then justify how this would affect the way the reader perceives him. In most cases, when the reader does not seem to understand the author or a character, he or she might end up misjudging the book or a given piece of work. Nathanael is no exception and this article will attempt to prove why some people may understand Nathanael while others would not. In the event that the reader misjudges an author or a character for that matter, he or she might not approve of him in the future.

In his work, Hoffmann has used Nathanael as the major protagonist. Putting that into consideration, it is evident that the reader expects a lot from him. As the major protagonist in the story, Nathanael is presented as having been torn between reality and imaginations. Having been presented with this conflict, his whole life is put at stake as he struggles to overcome the situation which is being fuelled by his experience with the sandman while he was still a child (Hoffmann, 2005). The presentation of double understanding can easily confuse the reader and therefore end up misunderstanding the main protagonist, in this case, Nathanael. The reader may find it hard to understand the unfolding of events and the main protagonist due to the subjective explanation of the events from Nathanael's point of view. The situation is even complicated following his psychological difficulties which deny the objective perspective of reality a chance to unfold the events. Putting the above into consideration, the reader is left without clarity of what is contained in the story.

Following the above description, the effects on the reader are far reaching in regard to the main protagonist. Although the text offers the reader a chance to arrive at a conclusion in an open way, the two understanding are very confusing. Nathanael allegedly admits that unknown power was controlling his life and on the other hand, Clara and Lothar believe that he was suffering from a psychological trauma (Hoffmann, 2005). With this confusion, the reader may be affected in arriving at a conclusion. In future, the reader may not take the position of the protagonist seriously and this may adversely affect the authors work. The presentation where Nathanael is presenting the reality would have been presented in a way that the reader would easily differentiate from imaginations. For readers who rarely believe in ghosts, the actions of Nathanael may only spark a negative attitude towards him.

In conclusion, the presentation of two understandings by the writer can determine the perception that the reader has. In his work, Hoffmann leaves the reader with hanging information. The reader is left with the responsibility of knowing whether what Nathanael presents was a reality or based on imaginations. The real events that take place in the story like marriage of Nathanael to Clara may even confuse the reader more (Hoffmann, 2005). However, the impact that any piece of work has on the reader is greatly determined by character development and unfolding of events.