Reinventing the Vampire Theme Analysis

Interview with the Vampire presents a version of the modern American vampire, which is markedly different from the European vampire stories of the past. Although the figure of the vampire dates back further than Dracula, Bram Stoker’s iconic novel defined the vampire for much of the 20th century. Although there was some variation in how various authors presented their vampires, they tended to adhere to certain tropes. For instance, vampires were afraid of garlic, and one could kill them with a stake through the heart. Additionally, most vampires in fiction prior to Rice’s novel were villains rather than nuanced characters with moral sensibilities. Right away, Rice differentiates the modern vampire—best characterized by Louis—from the vampires of the past. Louis explains to the boy interviewing him that neither garlic, artificial light, nor stakes through the heart frighten him. Although Rice’s vampires retain some of the clichés (sleeping in coffins, for example), there is little in them that resembles Dracula.

More traditional vampires nevertheless make an appearance in Interview with the Vampire. Louis and Claudia travel to Eastern Europe where they visit Transylvania, the home of Dracula, where the old world vampires are said to live. Eventually, Louis and Claudia find these ancient European vampires and are deeply disappointed. These vampires are nothing more than mindless husks, motivated only by their desire for blood. Louis and Claudia kill these vampires easily and eventually stop searching for them, thinking them useless. With this, the novel seems to suggest that while vampire tales of the past certainly have their place as terrifying monster stories, it’s perhaps more compelling to humanize the monsters and use these terrifying, immortal, and yet sympathetic beings to explore questions about what it means to be human.