Loosely based on Neil Gaiman’s DC comics of the same title, The Sandman is a dark fantasy series that follows Dream of the Endless or Lord Morpheus, the physical personification of dreams, on a quest to restore order to the Waking (Mortal) World. Throughout his adventures, he is joined and confronted by The Endless, a family of immortal entities that embody aspects of human nature such as Death, Desire, Destiny, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction. The episode, “The Sound of Her Wings,” artfully blends two stories examining life, death, and meaning, as Dream accompanies his sister Death on her job in the first half, then reconnects with Hob Gadling, a human granted immortality in the latter portion. By presenting universal concepts through Dream’s perspective, The Sandman explores the shifting nature of mortality and humanity in relation to society’s transient existence and purpose, epitomizing the fleeting beauty of life and evoking philosophical questions that render civilization.
The esteemed philosophy and ethics professor Fred Feldman discusses this matter extensively in his journal Confrontations with the Reaper. According to Feldman, in art and mythology, death is perceived as menacing, cruel, and unjust, often depicted as a ferryman in Greek mythos or the Grim Reaper, a hooded skeleton bearing a scythe that devours all (1994). He asserts that literature and pop culture have cemented the Reaper’s status as evil and mysterious, something to be feared and prevented, yet contends that many philosophers, such as moral philosopher Paul Edwards (“Existentialism and Death: A Survey of Some Confusions and Absurdities”), argue that death is no different from any other biological phenomenon (1994). Furthering this position, Feldman discusses the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus’s “Letter to Menoeceus”, asserting that death isn’t malicious, as once an individual ceases to exist, they leave existence, thus, death cannot harm us, as the nonexistent cannot be harmed (1994).
Indeed, The Sandman adopts this opposing direction, as the show illustrates Death as a gentle, compassionate, empathetic individual who routinely visits people and informs them of their time. From an old violinist to a baby to several accidents, Death greets each person with a warm, knowing smile and guides them without judgment, emphasizing the notion that death happens at random and without discrimination. There’s a steady, comforting rhythm to Death’s work exhibited through a montage sequence supplemented by a soothing, reassuring score and recurring sound of swift wings that reaffirm Death’s tender graces and transparency. Dream echoes these sentiments by arguing that “It’s as natural to die as it is to be born,” as evinced through the juxtaposition of people passing and the characters’ conversations regarding the function of The Endless (“The Sound of Her Wings” 36:00). It simply feels as if we’re watching the private musings of two siblings whose discussions continue outside of Death’s job in a manner that parallels running errands and multitasking, highlighting both the banality of existence (monotonicity) and the beauty of living (simultaneously occurring narratives that could cease at any second).
Moreover, Death’s genuine affection stems from her understanding that “All we have is a fragment” and “At the end, each of us stands alone” as well as her desire to experience the mundane (“The Sound of Her Wings” 44:32, 35:18). She repeatedly engages in menial tasks such as buying fresh fruit or removing her shoes and touching the bare earth to ground herself in our reality and viewpoints, demonstrating the normalcy of death and the universe’s utter indifference to our existence. Death furthers this point by arguing that her function, thus humanity’s, isn’t about “finding purpose” but merely existing, experiencing, and embracing the absurd, and that she “needs them as much as they need me,” indicating that we need Death as much as she needs us, as death is a naturally occurring phenomenon we shouldn’t fear or avoid but embrace because it makes life significant (“The Sound of Her Wings” 34:07, 33::45).
In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Luper discusses the philosopher Thomas Nagel’s view in “Death”, in which Nagel posits that “life is worth living even when the bad elements of experience are plentiful and the good ones too meager to outweigh the bad ones on their own. The additional weight is supplied by experience itself, rather than by any of its contents,” (1970) claiming that it’s intrinsically good for us to experience things, as this innate benefit trumps any misfortunes that could arise, an ideology exhibited by the second half of the episode (2021).
In this latter portion, Dream revisits Hob Gadling, a human granted immortality by Death as part of a bet. The two siblings first encounter Hob in the 14th century at a pub, in which the character foolishly boasts his plan to evade death. Dream and Death share an amused exchange and craft an experiment, wherein Dream will revisit Hob once every century to discuss and understand the mortal’s experiences, emotions, and nature in anticipation that Hob will soon forgo his desire to live once the weight of society’s sins and suffering overwhelms him. Death assures Morpheus that humans are stronger than given credit for and leaves her brother to tend to his project, which he haughtily believes will end soon. However, century after century, Hob proves Morpheus wrong, culminating in a stirring display of friendship, passion, and what it means to be human.
Here, Hob represents humanity’s socio-technological progress, as evident through the changing dynamics of the pub that reflect the time period (similar conversations that reference the same joke and discuss war, poverty, famine, etc., evolution of music, clothing, interior design of the pub, famous historical icons such as Geoffrey Chaucer or William Shakespeare) as well as our desire to continue despite our struggles. Hob goes through cycles of prosperity and despair, experiencing opulence and wealth, then poverty, familial death, and disaster, but still wishes to live, exclaiming that “life is so rich…I’ve got so much to live for,” depicting humanity’s resilience and will to endure, mirroring the unpredictability of life (“The Sound of Her Wings” 18:15). By repeatedly showcasing Hob’s evolving state and that of his surroundings, The Sandman argues that life offers a myriad of possibilities that are worth experiencing and appreciating.
Despite one’s religious or personal beliefs, death is merely a process of the universe, offering no more guarantees than life. Through its themes regarding the meaning of life, purpose, and human nature, The Sandman reminds us of our ephemeral existence and our need for death, desire, and dreams to make life worthwhile, employing us to find beauty in the absurd.
The Sandman is currently streaming on Netflix.
Works Cited
Edwards, Paul. “Existentialism and Death: A Survey of Some Confusions and Absurdities.” Language, Metaphysics, and Death. Ed. John Donnelly. New York: Fordham University Press, 1994.
Epicurus, “Letter to Menoeceus,” Lives of Eminent Philosophers. Diogenes Laertius. R.D. Hicks. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1972 (First published 1925). 187–93, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0004.tlg001.perseus-eng1:10.1.
Fred, Feldman, ‘Introduction: Confronting the Reaper,’ Confrontations with the Reaper: A Philosophical Study of the Nature and Value of Death. New York, 1994; online edn, Oxford Academic, 3 Oct. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195089288.003.0001, accessed 13 Oct. 2022.
Luper, Steven, “Death”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
Nagel, T., 1970. “Death,” Noûs 4(1):73–80, reprinted in Nagel, T., Mortal Questions, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979, and in Fischer 1993; page references are to Fischer.
“The Sound of Her Wings.” The Sandman, created by Neil Gaiman, Goyer, and Allan Heinberg, season 1, episode 6, DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers, 2022. Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/title/81150303.