"Blood Relations: The Gothic Preservation of the Nuclear family in Anne Rice's 'Interview with the Vampire'"

Bringing into view the renewal of the vampire in pop culture, Candance R. Benefiel inspects how they structure their "families". Anne Rice has created a vampire tale from an unusual point of view, the vampires. This brings into view the "education" and lives of vampires. The focus of this essay is the creation and private lives of vampires and how this changes their parts in the story.

Benefiel points out the incestuous relationships that exist among vampires. Each vampire who creates another one becomes a "father" of sorts. "The whole scene reads like a couple in an attempt to make a failing relationship once more viable. The language of these characters is full of references to fathers, daughters children" (Benefiel, 7). This is a demonstration of what a 'true' family is, and maybe in this case, an insight into why this vampiric version exists. Lestat seems quietly desperate through the start of this story to keep Louis around, and ends the debate about their separation with a child. Louis immediately feels responsible to care for this child, someone who will never physically age, Lestat's plan works wonderfully.

Even as Claudia shows that she is NOT a child anymore, Louis stays with her because he is in love with her. Their relationship is that of need more than it is of a choice, or so it would seem. They are both immortals and are grasping for a companion to not live out this existance isolated. It seems that this, in the end, doesn't pan out to anything good seeing as Claudia and Louis plan a seperation. This appears to be a temporary thing though, it just is ruined by Claudia's death. Louis goes on to find that Lestat is in shambles after everything that has happend. It appears that Louis is changed forever as well. They have both lost the support that they had grown so used to. "The need for family, in whatever configuration, remains constant" (Benefiel, 10).

This demonstrates, at least to me, that even though the three may have become discontented with one another, they needed each other. Louis appears quite changed and unfeeling at the end of the story. Lestat is a shadow of his former self, he seems quite alone, save for one other vampire who doesn't seem to make him happy. Claudia was never given the chance to really miss either of her "parents", but it seems as if she would seeing as the others do. This family provides company and a structure for these vampires, something they all need, realize it or not.