Dark Gift
In The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, the dark gift refers to the act of transforming a mortal human into a vampire. The vampire bites the victim on the neck and feeds on them, drinking their blood. When the human is weak and close to death, they are released and then urged to drink of the vampire's own blood. In completing this transaction, the vampire has given the human the dark gift and very soon the human becomes a vampire.
The mortal life of the human is said to die, and then they become vampire.
Giving The Dark Gift
Although these characteristics are not exclusive to the giving of the dark gift, they are worth mentioning anyway. As the vampire feasts on the teh human's blood, they become weak and often swoon. The vampire must be careful not to carry on drinking to the point of the human's death, though the urge to do so is almost irresistable! If they do, it is known as a Bad Thing. I'm not sure whether the vampire dies, but they are certainly encouraged strongly to stop feeding before the human reaches death.
Whilst the vampire drinks, the victim experiences a feeling that can only be described as ecstacy and they don't actually want it to end. The vampire must be very careful that they push the victim away before it's too late though. The same feelings are then experienced in the vampire when it is the mortal's turn to drink.
Curiously, from that point on, the "made" vampire experiences a feeling of love towards the "maker".
Note: simply feeding on a human does not give them the dark gift. They have to then feed on the vampire's blood. It becomes an exchange of sorts.
The following titles comprise The Vampire Chronicles where you will find dark gifts galore (each link takes you to Amazon):
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The Vampire Lestat - Plot
Check out The Vampire Lestat Cast Of Characters.
It is 1984 and Lestat wakes after going underground in 1929. He literally "went underground" by sleeping in the earth for 55 years. In Interview With The Vampire, Lestat was badly hurt and sleeping for so long in this way healed his wounds and revitalised him. Indeed, he found that his strength had tripled and he could leap atop four storey buildings.
The writing style of The Vampire Lestat is different to Interview With The Vampire. It's much more personal and informal, perhaps reflecting the openness of the age?
Vampires are immortal (excepting the infrequent death by burning under the sun, and dismemberment) and often struggle with living through change. Some commit suicide because they can't adapt. However, Lestat is completely absorbed by the newness of the 1980s - although he does recognise musical concepts of his age in rock music.
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Interview With The Vampire - Cast Of Characters
Here is a list of the main characters in Interview With The Vampire, along with a brief profile of each one.
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Lestat Quotes
The Vampire Lestat
"It was the same the first time I bore a child," she said. "I was in agony for twelve hours, and I felt trapped in the pain, knowing that the only release was the birth or my own death. When it was over, I had your brother Augustin in my arms, but I didn't want anyone else near me. And it wasn't because I blamed them. It was only that I'd suffered like that, hour after hour, that I'd gone into the circle of hell and come back out. They hadn't been in the circle of hell. And I felt quiet all over. In this common occurrence, this vulgar act of giving birth, I understood the meaning of utter loneliness."
"I'm the vampire Lestat. Remember me? The vampire who became a super rock star, the one who wrote the autobiography? The one with the blond hair and the grey, and the insatiable desire for visibility and fame? You remember..."
"...I hated the fact only extreme pain in me could ever wring from her the slightest warmth or interest."
"...And what constitutes evil, real evil, is the taking of a single human life. Whether a man would die tomorrow or the day after or eventually... it doesn't matter. Because if God does not exist, then life... every second of it... Is all we have." - Louis
"The contempt, the malice, came out of [Nicolas] in this low metallic sound. It was the very opposite of the sounds made by the vampires. You could hear the human blood in it, the human thickness of it, echoing against the walls. Ruddy and hot and strangely unfinished he seemed suddenly. the only mortal among us, like a child thrown among porcelain dolls."
"But not uncivilized, no, not savage. She was not that. She was only reawakened, my goddess, risen like a magnificent butterfly from its cocoon."
"And she had been awakened, she had risen That music of yours could wake the dead. I'd done it again."
"I will be the Vampire Lestat for all to see. A symbol, a freak of nature - something loved, something despised, all of those things. I tell you I can't give it up. I can't miss. And quite frankly I am not in the least afraid."
"Finally those you love are simply... those you love." |
Louis And Claudia
Claudia Is Transformed Into A Vampire
Louis de Pointe du Lac is the reluctant vampire transformed by Lestat de Lioncourt. He is of a sensitive disposition and does not enjoy killing humans. It is a struggle for him to come to terms with his vampire nature and for a long time, he restricts himself to killing animals only. One night as he tries to come to terms with his apparent evilness he finds a five year old girl who is trying to wake her mother. But this is plague ridden New Orleans, and her mother is dead from the plague.
Louis experiences a range of conflicting emotions. He pities the poor girl, yet at the same time he hungers for blood. Before he knows what is happening, he is feeding hungrily on her and intends to end her suffering by killing her. Unbeknownst to Louis, Lestat witnesses the whole scene and mocks him for succumbing to the vampire urges he has for so long openly despised. Claudia lives and is taken to a hospital.
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The Vampire Lestat
