Daniela Yevdaev, Period 8, 3/31/22

Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class.

Our current read, Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice, has introduced us to the character of Louis, a vampire who “converted” only because he deemed it to be the only viable option left. Rice created his characterization in such a way that readers can’t help but be… intrigued by him is the best way to put it. We are six chapters into the book and Louis is still the only vampire we have met that has had a say in this new “life” of his, yet he is the one that seems to be struggling the most. Out of all three main vampires that we have met (Louis, Lestat, and Claudia), Louis is easily identified as the most “human” out of all of them. He spent the first four years of his vampirism being “vegetarian,” refusing to kill humans because of his own moral code. He developed obsessions with people like Babette in a way that is akin to humans forming relationships out of a need for something, or someone, to tether themselves to during their existence. However, Louis is so greatly ostracized from humanity as a whole. His choice to become a vampire has forced him to be on the outskirts of human interaction, left to watch his own sister’s grief from afar while she visited his grave. Without the enjoyment that Claudia and Lestat got from killing, without the illusion of family now that Lestat was gone, Louis is portrayed as having a kind of miserable existence in the world. While reading, I went so far as to compare his life to a self-imposed purgatory, stuck in an in-between state between human and monster, not able to fully commit to either one without receiving some form of consolation, a reprieve from “the torment of [his] ignorance” from none other than Satan himself. This constant indecisiveness in his own identity is what draws readers to Louis from the start, making him relatable even with all of his “monstrous” actions and intentions. The need to know whether this character settles on damning himself because of a part of his identity is what keeps us engaged, following his path right alongside the interviewer.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception. How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

Right at the start of this unit, we discussed the fact that sexuality is a topic that is associated with vampirism. More specifically however, we approached the first chapter of Interview With The Vampire through the critical perspective of queer theory. The overtones, as my class liked to say, of homosexuality that were present in the first few interactions between Louis and Lestat set up an opportunity to evaluate a book through a perspective that I do not often use in my own reading. And although queer theory has taken a backseat in our class discussions during the most recent chapters, the introduction from that first lesson has stayed with me throughout the reading nonetheless. 

Going back to Louis’s own feelings surrounding his identity as a vampire, it is clear how negative his perspective is. His bloodthirst as a result of his vampirism is something he believes should be hidden. In his own words, he loathed what he was with every impulse in him… he held it locked inside of himself like an unclean passion (paraphrased from pg 197). While reading this chapter, these few sentences had neon signs surrounding them, making me pause for a moment in order to fully digest and evaluate what I read. Yes, in a totally literal sense, Louis is talking about his ability to turn humans into vampires. However! This type of self-loathing and the belief that certain aspects of your identity are “unclean” is very common among those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Society puts forth these rules, such as don’t convert people into vampires! or marry the person you are “supposed” to marry! and expects everyone to blindly follow. Those who stray from the norm are forced to hide away anything that sets them apart deep into the back of a metaphorical closet. Choosing whether or not we are going to to follow society’s ideals is something that Louis and the rest of us have to figure out for ourselves.