The Necessity of Apocalypse

To properly answer the prompt on the necessity of apocalypse, I must first draw on some similarities discussed and more often assumed about apocalypse, order, heaven and hell. Gaiman’s “Season of Mists” plays on the importance of hell as a way of defining heaven. In the story, Dream is given the key to hell after Lucifer has grown tired of “managing” it. It is a gift that Dream is forced to accept if he hopes to find Nada, his lost love whom he had damned to hell previously in the series. Ultimately, after much to-do and numerous offers, threats and bribes for the key, Dream decides to give Hell over to two angels sent by God. Reimel, one of the angels, states in a message from God that it should be “ruled by its’ creator”. He also states in his message that hell is a reflection of “heaven’s shadow”(176). It is from this point that I draw on my conclusions (or what seems to be a conclusion) about the necessity of apocalypse.

Parallels can be drawn (at least for this argument) between an apocalypse and hell. Hell, a place of chaos, punishment and despair is mirrored by its’ ultimate antithesis, Heaven. Likewise, apocalypse, a time of personal change, often negative, is a muddled reflection of stability, security and growth (positive growth). Gaiman’s characterized angel, Reimel, states that Heaven and Hell, though opposing, do define one another. Similarly, the ideas of apocalypse and new life or growth define one another. It’s almost as though the existence of one depends on the other. I’ve argued that apocalypse is possibly more process than product. Maybe instead of a process, apocalypse is better defined as a cycle with the concept of new birth or life in mind.

I’ll refer to Death of the Endless and her comment about the necessity of her existence for new life. Gaiman personifies death to allow the reader to better grasp the concept of necessity. Something as ambiguous as death must be personified if its necessity is to the understood. Is apocalypse or the concept of apocalypse (or change) truly any different? Possibly, the necessity of apocalypse in light of future growth is what allows us as individuals to grasp what it really is. The idea of re-birth is relatively easy for us to understand as humans. Clarifying the abstract with graspable concepts is the best way for us to work toward a definition and ultimately an understanding. Gaiman elaborates this point in the final frame of his novel “Season of Mists” as he shows the “re-birth” of Nada. The “apocalypse” that became her relationship with Dream is what ultimately defined her re-incarnation and proves the necessity of change.

Unveiling of "Dream Country"

Neil Gaiman’s “Dream Country” caused me to reanalyze some of my initial thoughts on what an apocalypse truly is. I’ve stated before that as my interpretation of “apocalypse” begins to take form, I feel more and more that a true apocalypse is based largely on individual perception. I have also stated that I feel an apocalypse in its most primal form is merely a change. This notion evolved into the idea that an apocalypse is merely a change from which there is no return. I still hold strongly to this working definition. Clearly stated, an apocalypse is an individualistic perception of that change. Gainman’s “Dream Country” has caused me to consider that very gravity that our own perception holds.

In this novel, the lines are blurred between what is, what was, and what could be. I’m beginning to realize that an apocalypse is a realization or revelation of these things. Maybe an apocalypse is the process of unveiling a change from what is, was and could be. I’ve often thought of the term “apocalypse” is a vastly different light. I’ve treated it as a final product, rather than a process. We see the process of an individual’s apocalypse take shape as it is unveiled to each character by members of The Endless, particularly Dream and Death. The process of unveiling an apocalypse is done by an individual based on various factors of their lives. Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series does an excellent job of personifying each of these factors as members of The Endless. It’s almost as though The Endless accentuate an individual’s inner emotions to unveil an apocalypse. Perhaps this is what drives the perceptual aspect of “change”.