The Vampire and Its Appearance In literature, vampires are always hiding in plain sight by living among humans all while hiding the fact that they feed on blood. So how is it that no one realize that their neighbors only come out at night? By disguising themselves with the use of costumes and performance, vampires such as Lestat and Carmilla are able to infiltrate human society and prey from within. Whenever it is to fit in or to help them prey by dressing up, acting a certain way or living in a proper house, vampires are able to survive. But sometimes they don't need to act. Both Claudia and Carmilla simply use their venerable appearance to get close to their victims.
If there's one thing that vampires across literature have in…show more content…
He makes Louis and himself pretend to eat when in the presence of his blind father and spends a lot of money on the decor in his house. After all coming off as rich makes it easier for him to get closer to his victims as people seem to be more trusting with those who are richly dressed. He also owned a box in the French Opera House or the Theatre Orleans. While Lestat claimed it was because he loved Shakespeare but Louis remarked that Lestat seemed to sleep through most the performances and only woke up when it came to seduce a lady and later kill her. Carmilla also used her appearances as a lady to get people to trust her. Her mother, who was able to get Carmilla into the house of the General and Laura's father, had an "air and appearance so distinguished and even imposing and in her manner so engaging, as to impress one, quite apart from the dignity of her equipage, with a conviction that she was a person of consequence" (Le Fanu p.281). It seems that both Lestat and Carmilla have a taste of going after those with money and status. When Carmilla met the General's niece she was at a very aristocratic assembly (Le Fanu p.322). It certainly helped Carmilla that it was a costume ball as it helped her pretend that she and her mother were someone they clearly weren't, the general's old friend. It would make sense why Le Fanu would make Carmilla go after the daughters of rich men. In the late 1800s only a
If there's one thing that vampires across literature have in…show more content…
He makes Louis and himself pretend to eat when in the presence of his blind father and spends a lot of money on the decor in his house. After all coming off as rich makes it easier for him to get closer to his victims as people seem to be more trusting with those who are richly dressed. He also owned a box in the French Opera House or the Theatre Orleans. While Lestat claimed it was because he loved Shakespeare but Louis remarked that Lestat seemed to sleep through most the performances and only woke up when it came to seduce a lady and later kill her. Carmilla also used her appearances as a lady to get people to trust her. Her mother, who was able to get Carmilla into the house of the General and Laura's father, had an "air and appearance so distinguished and even imposing and in her manner so engaging, as to impress one, quite apart from the dignity of her equipage, with a conviction that she was a person of consequence" (Le Fanu p.281). It seems that both Lestat and Carmilla have a taste of going after those with money and status. When Carmilla met the General's niece she was at a very aristocratic assembly (Le Fanu p.322). It certainly helped Carmilla that it was a costume ball as it helped her pretend that she and her mother were someone they clearly weren't, the general's old friend. It would make sense why Le Fanu would make Carmilla go after the daughters of rich men. In the late 1800s only a
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seem a lot alike, except Carmilla's intentions are not as well-intended as Louis's. Carmilla actually ends up killing, more often than not deliberately, to get what she wants. Louis, however, anytime he wants to turn someone else into a vampire, or is forced to, he cannot do so without accidentally killing them – which is why Lestat has to bail him out constantly and save them – as Louis put it when he spoke to Claudia, “I took your life, he gave you another one”.
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