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”.