FRQ 3

In the novel Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice employs blood as a recurrent symbol, ultimately illustrating the giving and taking of the human life and nourishment that is supplied for vampires to live. Anne Rice primarily utilizes blood in order to symbolize life and death as vampires take the life from humans to fuel their own with blood. During Louis de Pointe du Lac’s vampiric turning, his creator, Lestat de Lioncourt, directly instructs Louis to focus on the blood flow within himself as Lestat drinks from him. Lestat describes the sensation intimately, bringing himself to Louis’ ear as he forces his focus to what is being taken from him for Lestat to live. By driving the narrating character’s focus to his blood flow, Rice highlights the importance of the process of Louis’ blood being taken from him as he lays dying. Consequently foregrounding the important role that Louis’ blood plays in Lestat’s nourishment. Therefore blood is emphasized as a key component to the sustenance of vampiric life. 

Additionally, blood is shown to be somewhat addicting to vampires due to their reliance on it for nutrients. A necessary part of the transition into a vampire is the return of blood from another vampire. As seen with both Louis and his fledgling Claudia, when receiving the requited blood, both characters found it nearly impossible to stop supplying themselves with more blood than necessary and needing to be physically torn away from the source. Because blood is such a crucial factor in supporting a vampire’s life, Rice illustrates the level of importance by depicting the characters as unable to bring themselves to stop drinking when first provided with the blood. Consequently showcasing the significance that blood plays in the story, therefore stressing the symbol of blood from the very beginning of vampire life.

On the other hand, blood is also shown to bring death to vampires. When supplied with the improper type of blood, a vampire may suffer negative effects and even die in response, juxtaposing the role that blood plays in bringing life to vampires. In an attempt to kill Lestat, Claudia presents him with a gift of faux forgiveness. The gift is two young boys who have been knocked unconscious and are for Lestat to drink from, however it is then revealed that the two boys are dead and that Lestat drank from dead blood, which is known to kill vampires. By providing another application of what blood is able to do for a vampire’s life, but in a deadly way, Rice contrasts the aforementioned utilization of blood that brings life to vampires by showing how it can also kill them. Consequently creating a distinction in roles that blood plays in the life of vampires. Therefore providing another type of utilization for the sole nutrient of vampires.

Furthermore, blood is also shown to take forms within the vampires’ bodies.Throughout the novel, tears are shown to be replaced with blood instead of the fluid typically found in mortal humans when crying. By portraying several vampire characters to be crying throughout the story, Rice places focus on the tears that are produced, which are revealed to be made of blood. Consequently, replacing a primary bodily function that shows strong emotions, typically sadness, with blood, Rice depicts the importance of blood in a vampire’s body. Therefore communicating that blood is so important to vampires that it even takes form inside of the body.

Rice’s emphasis on blood as part of the vampire body and as a necessity for nourishing the body accentuates blood as a recurring symbol throughout Interview with the Vampire. By portraying blood in these ways, Rice is able to illustrate the role that blood plays in vampires’ lives and the result of giving and taking blood from both vampires and humans as a source of life and death. Ultimately, the reappearing symbolism of blood in different sections of Interview with the Vampire’s story highlights the importance that it plays in both the life and death of vampires.

In the novel The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice conveys the significance of sacrifice through Lestat de Lioncourt and his mother, Gabrielle de Lioncourt, ultimately illustrating how freedom can often be found after sacrificing restricting lifestyles and traditions.

Anne Rice initially communicates this statement when Lestat moves to Paris in order to free himself from the oppressive life he was living in rural Auvergne. In order to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor and living an adventurous life, Lestat relocates to Paris with his best friend Nicolas, leaving behind the high-class life that was secured for him with his family. By having Lestat sacrifice his luxurious life in Auvergne for a less-supported life in Paris, Rice conveys the idea that living a less secure lifestyle in hopes that Lestat would eventually reach his dreams of fame and recognition. Consequently, Lestat feels less confined than he did living his old mundane lifestyle in Auvergne, despite the financial security that he had. Therefore expressing the concept that pursuing freedom in spite of sacrificing security and old lifestyles is worth the risk that comes with finding such freedom.

Additionally, Lestat is forced to sacrifice his relationship with his only remaining family member, his mother. After a decade of travelling together, Lestat’s mother decides to abandon Lestat in Egypt to fulfill her needs. By allowing his mother to leave his side and end their companionship, Lestat is forced to sacrifice one of the most important parts of his life in return for his own and his mother’s freedom. Consequently, Rice communicates the necessity for some sacrifices in exchange for independence. Therefore showcasing how sacrificing past lifestyles, including relationships, is sometimes essential to achieve personal freedom.

Also experiencing newfound freedom is Lestat’s mother, Gabrielle. Following her transformation to becoming a vampire, Gabrielle revels in the freedom she has obtained now that she is no longer confined by the roles placed onto her by society and her family as a woman and as a mother to all boys. As a result of being freed from her social and mortal constraints, Gabrielle indulges in her previously-hidden desires for independence by dressing in menswear and attempting to cut her long hair off, to Lestat’s initial dismay. By being released from her restrictive role as a mother, Gabrielle is able to express herself in the way she has always wanted to without worry of being judged by her family or society as a whole, displaying the rewarding new life she is able to experience due to sacrificing her previous traditions. Consequently, Rice is able to portray the constricting lives that many women of the time, and presently, are forced to live due to social expectations, and the result of renouncing these traditions for personal freedom. Therefore depicting the valuable result of relinquishing hindering lifestyles.

Furthermore, Gabrielle then sacrifices the relationship she has with the last family member still with her by abandoning Lestat to travel the world alone after nearly a decade of travelling together. In order to achieve full freedom, Gabrielle is eventually faced with differences in experiencing immortality with Lestat, as Gabrielle prefers to live a detached life from mortality and live a solitary lifestyle, while Lestat prefer to live with companions and engagement with humanity. By confronting the different views of how the two vampires’ immortal freedom should be experienced, Rice puts the characters’ willingness to sacrifice their close relationship with the opportunity for independence. Consequently characterizing Gabrielle and Lestat through their ultimate choices of how to live their undead lives. Therefore displaying the struggle of sacrifice in return for freedom that Lestat and Gabrielle are forced to face.

By letting go of past lifestyles, the characters of The Vampire Lestat are able to pursue freedom in their own ways, reflected by the choices they are confronted with in pursuit for their freedom. Lestat’s advantageous choice to move to Paris and abandon his luxurious life for his dreams and Gabrielle’s ultimate decision to abandon her son in order to own her autonomy and live freely reflect the worthwhile results of sacrificing former traditions in search of independence. Ultimately, the sacrifices made in the novel demonstrate the values of the characters and reveal the significance of making sacrifices.