Project Proposal

For my final project I have decided to do a creative project. I enjoy photography very much and I think that it would make for a valuable visual representation of "Interview with the Vampire". I would like to focus on the religious aspect primarily, as there are so many amazing churches in the Milwaukee area. The architecture in the story plays an important role in many ways for me, and I feel that Milwaukee has many of the same aspects and I would like to display them.
As Louis said "Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult" (13). Throughout this story Louis is struggling with what he is as a vampire, good or evil. This is the same conundrum that humanity has faced since thought first originated, and religion, for many, is the answer to this question. Louis takes his "human instinct" and uses it to try to define himself in these terms, through religion. Every time he feels he has committed an injustice it is a "sin" to him. This religious ingrained into his person makes Louis the vampire he is.
His brothers own devout religious lifestyle is what indirectly pushes Louis into becoming a vampire. The death of this younger sibling that he cared for so much is something that Louis blames for his demise into being "...a man who wanted to die but had no courage to do it himself" (11). Louis not believing in his brothers visions lead him to wander listlessly as a shell of a person. He lives even as a vampire and it seems that he blames himself for his lack of belief, of faith in a greater power of some kind. Louis doesn't know what to think of his life as a man or as a vampire, and this is clearly based around his lack of a theological belief, something that he once held.
I feel that this story can be shown through many pictures, many demonstrating Louis disillusionment with religion, but his desire for answers. He tries to turn back to the church after he has become a vampire, but the priest will not take his confession seriously. This is just another gap placed between Louis and any answers that he may find for himself to shed light on his existence. This question of "What am I?" doesn't seem to be an issue until after Louis becomes a vampire. When this happens it seems that his eternal life demands an answer, a reason to what he is. When there is none, Louis falls into despair. This may have not been an issue for him as a mortal because there was still religion in his life. He claimed to have "I was a Catholic; I believed in saints... he was my brother. Holy he might be, peculiar most definitely' but Francis of Assisi, no. Not my brother. No brother of mine could be such. That is egotism" (9).
Louis blames himself forever for his brothers death and for not believing in what he had to say about having visions. This is what started Louis' detachment from the religious world, but it something he never, ever lets go of entirely. He still, on some level appears to believe in God, and is seeking answers from him, however indirectly his search may sometimes seem. Showing this through architecture, which plays a very prevalent part in this story, would be a good representation of the story, especially on Louis' isolation, struggle with answers, and religious pondering.