In her
novel, Interview with the Vampire,
Ann rice uses several contrasting over-arching ideas to drive the narrative of
her story, making it both interesting, and morally complex. The first and
perhaps most central conflict to the story can be found within the Vampire
Louis, who struggles between the innate moral human sensibilities of his past,
and his seemingly dammed vampiric existence. Louis was seduced out of misery
and guilt for the loss of his brother, into becoming a vampire. A choice which
fills him with both wonder and hatred towards his own existence, and causes him
pain and confusion in almost every major decision he is forced to make. With
this central conflict, Rice stirs us to consider what aspects of ourselves can
truly be considered good, and whether or not succumbing to our animalistic
human drives can be seen as a kind of evil, akin to a “fall from grace”. The
second most prevalent conflict in the story can be found in the character
Claudia; a child that was turned into a vampire at a young age by the character
Lestant, in order to manipulate Louis by exploiting his human compassion and
guilt. Physically Claudia remains a child, but grows mentally through the
decades spent with Louis. Claudia’s relationship to Louis wavers throughout the
book, fueled and clouded by her own confusion and internal conflicts. On the
one hand she seems to hate Louis for imprisoning her in an eternally fragile
form, stealing her from her former life, and robbing her of the opportunity to
experience growth and love. On the other hand she seems to revel in her
vampiric nature, and considers Louis to be the closest thing to a companion
she’s ever had. Through these conflicts their relationship fluctuates from
friend to father figure, to lover, companion, and intellectual equal.
I think
Rice uses these conflicts and tangled moralistic dilemmas throughout the novel
to elucidate a larger more complex moral spectrum, from a seemingly simple
moral world. On the surface the theme of the Vampire can be seen as an easy
case of good vs. evil. Possibly stemming from our deep-rooted ancestral fears
of being something else’s prey. However as our culture, and understanding of
human nature, develops, it causes us to re-examine our concepts of morality in
finer detail, going back through our old myths and stories, developing them,
and giving us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves in the process.
