Interview With the Vampire

“I lived like a man who wanted to die but who had no courage to do it himself.”

Louis already lives in a state of existential torment before becoming a vampire. He has no aspirations, no solace, and moves through his days in a state of perpetual weariness. Ironically, his mortal death amplifies much of the melancholy that characterized his mortal life. He finds the courage to die at Lestat’s hands but then begins life as an immortal.

“People who cease to believe in God or goodness altogether still believe in the devil. I don’t know why. No, I do indeed know why. Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult.”

Louis explains to the boy that it is easier to believe in the devil than in God. In his view, there is always evidence of the devil because evil comes more naturally and easily to people than good. Goodness always requires more effort than evil, therefore it will always be scarcer.

“I never laugh at death, no matter how often and regularly I am the cause of it.”

Lestat mocks Louis for his reverence for life. Lestat kills gleefully, sometimes sadistically, for the joy and vengeance of the act. Despite being a vampire—and a killer—Louis will never grow comfortable will gallows humor. He recognizes all death as a sacrifice, even though he is often a participant in the sacrifice of another.