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Symbols
In the novel, blood represents life and death, and the related moral questions that Louis considers throughout the novel. For humans, blood represents vitality and is the sustaining force of existence. For vampires, it is much the same, as the vampires must drink humans’ or animals’ blood in order to survive—but often, this results in killing their victims. This duality highlights the paradox of the vampires’ existence: they sustain their immortality through the death of others. Louis finds this disturbing, and so for a time, he feeds primarily on animals instead of humans, believing that doing so makes him a morally superior vampire. Lestat and Claudia, in contrast, enjoy the thrill of the hunt and torturing their human victims before feeding on and killing them. The joy they take in tormenting and killing human beings disturbs Louis, though Louis ultimately comes to accept feeding on humans as a fact of his vampiric life. This coincides with Louis’s choice to essentially give up on trying to be morally upstanding. The vampires’ relationship to blood and killing thus offers a window into their respective views on morality.
Blood Quotes in Interview with the Vampire
The Interview with the Vampire quotes below all refer to the symbol of Blood. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1, Pages 1-70
Quotes
“Killing is no ordinary act,” said the vampire. “One doesn’t simply glut oneself on blood.” He shook his head. “It is the experience of another’s life for certain, and often the experience of the loss of that life through the blood, slowly. It is again and again the experience of that loss of my own life, which I experienced when I sucked the blood from Lestat’s wrist and felt his heart pound with my heart. It is again and again a celebration of that experience; because for vampires that is the ultimate experience.”
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Blood Symbol Timeline in Interview with the Vampire
The timeline below shows where the symbol Blood appears in Interview with the Vampire. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Pages 71-158
For a long time, Claudia stands over Lestat’s body, blood-soaked and distraught. She wipes at the stains on her dress and shoes, then tells Louis...
(full context)
Part 2
...oppressive stillness of the night, noting the absence of any living creatures. The scent of blood fills the air as they approach the monastery, and Louis feels an ominous presence.
(full context)
...inadvertently created another vampire. Louis insists that Lestat’s method of draining and then giving back blood is necessary to create a vampire, and it’s something he has never done.
(full context)
Part 3, Pages 203-276
Louis gives Madeleine his blood, instructing her to hold on to life and focus on a distant light. The transformation...
(full context)
Part 4
...give the boy a taste of the vampire experience. He bites the boy, drinking his blood until the boy is unconscious, and then he leaves. When the boy regains consciousness, he...
(full context)
