Poetry · Chapter
Mister Sandman explained
The Sandman travels through a town at night, distributing dreams from his magic sack to sleeping children.
What happens
The Sandman travels through a town at night, distributing dreams from his magic sack to sleeping children. Good children receive pleasant dreams, while those who misbehave or overindulge are given frightening ones. The poem reinforces a moral lesson about behavior and consequences.
Themes in this chapter
Dreams and Despair
The Sandman's dreams serve as both rewards and punishments, illustrating the duality of hope and fear in the dream world.
Characters to notice
- Mister Sandman
The central figure who distributes dreams to children based on their behavior.
- Mary
A good child who receives a pleasant dream with a fairy.
- Cora
A child who teased the cat and receives a nightmare about a rat.
- Willy
Mentioned as one of the children asleep in bed.
Key passages
“The Sandman walks abroad tonight, With his canvas sack o’ dreams filled tight.”
The Sandman is out tonight, carrying a sack full of dreams.
Introduces the Sandman's nightly journey and his purpose.
“For those who’d have dreams that are charming and sweet, Must be good in the day and not stuff when they eat.”
To have pleasant dreams, children must behave well and not overeat.
Summarizes the moral lesson of the poem.