Mason Pocklington - Interview with a Vampire
Interview with a Vampire is a great example of the classic Good vs. Evil novel, with additional darker themes such as hatred and being unsatisfied. A big reason I really enjoyed this novel was because the main character was a good representation of the human factor in the supernatural.
For the first main theme, the main character Louise seems to represent the average person's morality, as seen when he struggles with the emotional repercussions of taking a life feeding off humans. Throughout the entire novel we see Louise debate both with himself and with other vampires, the nature of being immortal, the rights and wrongs of taking human lives and the repercussions of damning other mortals to vampirism. He seems to exist as the bridge between the reader and the nature of being a vampire so we can relate and think about how we'd behave if we were vampires as well. Would we be like Louise and contemplate the nature of killing and being immortal, or would we relish in the destruction like Lestat and embrace our nature? These are a few of the questions that are raised after reading.
Character development plays an awesome role in the novel as well, with both Louise and Lestat as my primary examples. Firstly, Louise, and how specifically he becomes more and more violent as the book progresses. From the killing of the ugly European vampire to Louise massacring the theatre of vampires later on, he makes a really big turn from where he originally started. And even after the massacre, when him and Armand are together, Louise becomes sort of robotic, not having the same passion as Armand saw in him before. Lestat undergoes a surprising change in the novel, the most interesting being after the theatre massacre, when he turns into a whining apprentice to Louise, begging to learn and understand.
Another prevalent theme was hatred, which made sure to be present between any two or more characters throughout the entire novel. Whether Louise was hating Lestat's apparent lack of moral compass, or Claudia hating the both of them once she was turned, the theme was a big part of both the novel and individual character development. Even at the ending of the novel, when Louise finds out that his interviewer still wants to become a vampire, even after hearing a tale so dark.
One of the most interesting smaller parts of the novel were when the reader would find out things about vampires that go against the stereotypical norms of classic vampires. For example, we found out through the novel that vampires can touch crosses, survive a stake through the heart, can't turn into mist and should never feed on a human once they've died.
In summary, the novel had a myriad of themes that all worked together to create a really satisfying work that leaves much to be discussed and admired.
For the first main theme, the main character Louise seems to represent the average person's morality, as seen when he struggles with the emotional repercussions of taking a life feeding off humans. Throughout the entire novel we see Louise debate both with himself and with other vampires, the nature of being immortal, the rights and wrongs of taking human lives and the repercussions of damning other mortals to vampirism. He seems to exist as the bridge between the reader and the nature of being a vampire so we can relate and think about how we'd behave if we were vampires as well. Would we be like Louise and contemplate the nature of killing and being immortal, or would we relish in the destruction like Lestat and embrace our nature? These are a few of the questions that are raised after reading.
Character development plays an awesome role in the novel as well, with both Louise and Lestat as my primary examples. Firstly, Louise, and how specifically he becomes more and more violent as the book progresses. From the killing of the ugly European vampire to Louise massacring the theatre of vampires later on, he makes a really big turn from where he originally started. And even after the massacre, when him and Armand are together, Louise becomes sort of robotic, not having the same passion as Armand saw in him before. Lestat undergoes a surprising change in the novel, the most interesting being after the theatre massacre, when he turns into a whining apprentice to Louise, begging to learn and understand.
Another prevalent theme was hatred, which made sure to be present between any two or more characters throughout the entire novel. Whether Louise was hating Lestat's apparent lack of moral compass, or Claudia hating the both of them once she was turned, the theme was a big part of both the novel and individual character development. Even at the ending of the novel, when Louise finds out that his interviewer still wants to become a vampire, even after hearing a tale so dark.
One of the most interesting smaller parts of the novel were when the reader would find out things about vampires that go against the stereotypical norms of classic vampires. For example, we found out through the novel that vampires can touch crosses, survive a stake through the heart, can't turn into mist and should never feed on a human once they've died.
In summary, the novel had a myriad of themes that all worked together to create a really satisfying work that leaves much to be discussed and admired.
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