Obsession In 'Sandm Preludes And Nocturnes'

In Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes, Dr. Dee displays the theme of obsession through his desires for Morpheus’ dream ruby (Gaiman np). The initial illustration of this occurs through the use of significant colour relationships between Dr. Dee and the ruby itself. For instance, where lead colourist, Daniel Vozzo renders Dr. Dee in flat brown tones, he instead colours the dream ruby in a vibrant red (see figure one) (Gaiman np). As Scott McCloud notes in Understanding Comics, vibrant colours such as those of the ruby, “will always seem more real at first glance” (McCloud 192). Just as its vibrancy attracts my attention on the page as a reader, Dr. Dee’s passion for, or attraction to the dream ruby similarly consumes his body. The ruby dominates his thoughts and actions and so, where it is vibrant or “vital,” and ‘real,’ Dr. Dee—like the term flat—comparingly becomes “dull and lifeless” in his physical appearance (OED). …show more content…
Dee and dehumanizing him an object that is unresisting of obsession is also apparent through its iconic positioning within the panels. Notably, on page 143 in the upper right-hand panel, Dr. Dee appears to hold the dream ruby to the centre of his chest. Due to its red colouring, this positioning visually transforms the ruby into a kind of iconic image symbolic of a heart (see panel two) (Gaiman np). In the same way that Dr. Dee’s obsession degrades him bodily into a grotesque figure, so too does the dream ruby instill unnatural psychological responses. Rather than valuing others, Dr. Dee’s emotions fixate solely on the ruby. Like a heart, the dream ruby becomes his life-force and the only source of “little love” that he has available (Gaiman