The ending of this novel kind of took me by surprise. I guess after hearing all the pain suffering and pure evil Louis has seen in his life I would never want to experience that, ever. I think the thing the boy does not realize is that if you have eternal life then you and you alone have eternal life. This means that everyone you have ever known, befriended, or loved will die before your eyes and you will be left alone to carry on. I don’t think he realizes this nor does he understand how hard that will be to deal with. One other thing that he would have to see is watch time pass on our society, keeping up with technology and how the world is changing, including wars that happen.
"I beg you . . . give it all one more chance. One more chance in me! “said the boy. The vampire turned to him, his face as twisted with anger as before. And then, gradually, it began to become smooth. The lids came down slowly over his eyes and his lips lengthened in a smile. He looked again at the boy. " I've failed, " he sighed, smiling still. "I have completely failed. . " (264-265)
Louis knew what would lie ahead of anyone who was turned into a vampire, and he never wished that upon anyone, not even his enemies. I think Louis told his story to the boy to try and teach him a lesson of life and how not to live. The boy obviously did not get that message because even after hearing a two hundred year old story of heartache and despair he still was stupid enough to want to become one just to have the powers they possess.
Then, drawing a small white pad out of his pocket, and a pen, he set these on
the table and touched the button of the recorder. The tape spun fast
backwards until he shut it off. When he heard the vampire's voice, he
leaned forward, listening very carefully, then hit the button again for
another place, and, hearing that, still another. But then at last his face
brightened, as the reels turned and the voice spoke in an even
modulated tone: " It was a very warm evening, and I could tell as soon
as I saw him on St. Charles that he had someplace to go . . .' " (265)
The boy did basically the exact opposite of what I would have done. Had I heard this terribly sad story about a young man who was turned into a vampire and then forced to live a life he did not agree with, I would have went running for the hills. I would have published the story so that others could know his sadness and hopefully not make the same mistakes he has. I just can’t believe the boy did not understand the point Louis was trying to make.
I really like this blog. I like how to talk about "the moral to the story." I definately agree with you. Throughout the book Loius wass pretty miserable. He thought that most things that Lestat did were disgusting. I really like when you say, " The boy obviously did not get that message because even after hearing a two hundred year old story of heartache and despair he still was stupid enough to want to become one just to have the powers they possess." I can see this in other vampire novels and stories today. People think it is cool that vampires are stronger than humans and that they live forever. But I too would think it would be horrible to live forever. You would never want to get close to anyone or anything because you know that sooner or later those people will die and those things will phase out.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that Louis's point was to teach the boy a lesson. I think he told his story because he wanted a record about his life out in the world.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Duquaine! I wrote a similar blog asking how/why the boy would choose to live the vampire life. Viewed as a whole, it would be nice to be able to live forever. However as is now abundantly clear, that long life comes with a steep price. Having to constantly be reminded of the frailty of human life, by watching loved ones and acquaintances die would be nothing short of heartbreaking. Consider the loss that Louis felt as his humanity became ever more distant from his present vampire self. Then compare this to how Louis must have felt while observing the world around him grow old, including his former family. That thought alone would give me pause. You wrote, “The boy obviously did not get that message because even after hearing a two hundred year old story of heartache and despair he still was stupid enough to want to become one just to have the powers they possess.” I think this quote nicely sums up what was driving the boy. The boy is acting with a selfish desire that is seriously inhibiting his ability to rationalize the choice he is making, yet even so, if Louis personified any one moral lesson it would have to be his loathing of his former life and how this impacted his life as a vampire. By the end of the book he has seen so much suffering and loss that he can no longer relate to humans or vampires and is a hollow shell, much as he was before becoming a vampire.
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