Week 2: Interview with the Vampire

Last week, I had the chance to read Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. Having seen the movie once before, I was really looking forward to what the original source material had to offer and I was not disappointed. There is so much more depth written here than is able to be portrayed in a single film, as is the case with the majority of movie/book pairings. I really enjoyed getting to understand more about Louis and Lestat, their relationship, and motivations. As I mentioned in class, the paragraph that explains Lestat’s desire to seek revenge on life itself was particularly telling. Lestat made the choice to seize the power that came with his transformation into a vampire and use it to fulfill any whim or desire he may have. He kills indiscriminately and his favorite victims are the ones who have the most to lose. Somehow, taking the life of an important or well-loved human thrills Lestat like nothing else.

     This is seen through his aggressive pursuit of Babette’s brother. The boy’s role as the sole heir to his plantation and the provider for his group of sisters made him the perfect candidate. Perhaps Lestat choses victims like him out of envy for their value in life. Maybe it just makes him feel powerful and ruthless, knowing the impact of his victim’s death will be felt by many. And maybe it is some combination of both. Lestat is a character who really highlights the parasitic nature of the vampire. He sucks the literal blood and life out of people, with no regard for anyone but himself. He even latches onto Louis and his home for no reason besides his own personal gain. He is the perfect foil to Louis, and his never ending selfishness made him a very frustrating, albeit entertaining and interesting character.

Week 1: Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story full of gothic elements and questions about life, death, and morality. I did not realize just how many preconceived notions I held about the story until I actually had the chance to sit down and read the book. My thoughts on Frankenstein had been formed from an amalgamation of references in popular media, usually kid-friendly media that portrayed the monster as a friendly, green giant named “Frankenstein.” However, I quickly learned this story is a showcase of very dark, gothic themes. It features death and violence, the downfall of a protagonist through his own actions, a threatening villain, mystery and gloom, and many more important staples of the genre.

When reading the book, I was surprised to find that Victor was a clean-cut, young college student, and not the white-haired, insane scientist I had imagined. He is a studious and ambitious character, albeit careless with his research. I believe this is one of the first major occurrences of a character who struggles with the consequences of “playing God” through an attempted resurrection. His story reminded me of the famous quote from Jurassic Park, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.” While Victor succeeds in his quest to bring the monster to life, he is horrified by his creation and decides to run from it. This action characterized Victor as very irresponsible and even cowardly. The repercussions of this abandonment are tragic, and leave the reader unsure of who to feel more sympathetic towards by the end of the novel.

The story of the monster himself was another element I had very much mischaracterized in my mind before reading. I had always assumed he was a well-intentioned character, who simply did not understand his own strength or his society in general. However, I was very surprised to find that throughout the book, the monster becomes educated and intelligent through both the observation of the De Lacey family and the books he learns to read. He experiences constant, violent rejection from the humans he encounters, and ultimately makes the decision to become the monster everyone thinks he is by killing Victor’s loved ones. This novel left me pondering the question of responsibility. Who is more to blame for this tragedy, the neglectful creator or the creature who chooses violence?