Perspective: Vampires and Werewolves
Stories of monsters and the paranormal have become very popular lately. A great majorityof the books seen in the teen or young adult sections of book stores are books about vampires, werewolves, witches, angels, etc. It wasn’t that long ago that most of the books were about regular people with regular problems. Vampire and werewolves, in particular, are seen in more stories as heroes and creatures that people may want to emulate. Werewolves and vampires are now becoming multi-faceted characters expressing many feelings and these “human” characteristics are helping people relate to them. The dramatic increase in books written about these monsters clearly shows that people don’t only think of them as threatening beasts.
When people typically think of vampires, often they conjure up images of nocturnal creatures preying on others. People are expected to be frightened or terrified by the thought of vampires. Vampire stories have been traced back to ancient cultures (Clements 2). Vampires, throughout history, have meant different things to different cultures, but they have always been feared. In Rosemary Ellen Guiley’s book she sates: They embody fears of death and the consequences of improper burial, sudden death, and the lives of sin and crimes (Guiley 287). They are frightening creatures or demons, which literally suck the life out of a person.
Older stories about vampires portrayed them as animated corpses that required human blood for their survival. Since vampires were technically dead, the only way others could relate to a vampire was through his/her resemblance to humans. People could not relate to vampires in the context of a common humanity. They were thought to be evil creatures with supernatural powers, and therefore, separate from others. They were, and still are, often associated with demons. Many books and television programs such as, Dracula and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, incorporate religious objects into the script as a means of protecting others against vampires. Crosses and holy water are meant to harm the vampire. Susannah Clements, the author of The Vampire Defanged, says this about the story Dracula, “…Christian iconography has become such a standard part of vampire lore that its significance is often overlooked in Dracula” (Clements 26). The use of religious objects against vampires represents how they are perceived as soulless and evil creatures that many people would say are in league with the devil.
In many ways, the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, proved to be a turning point in vampire fiction. The show illustrates that what we may interpret as evil may not be completely accurate. In the course of the series there were two vampires, Angel and Spike, that the audience comes to understand as complex characters who are not the epitome of an absolute evil. An intervention takes place that denies the characters the ability to have free choice. Angel is placed under a spell that gives him a conscience, and Spike has a chip implanted in him that prevents him from hurting others. Even though they remain vampires, they’re actions are not those of blood thirsty monsters. Spike and Angel both try to help others and, by the end of the series, Spike actually sacrifices himself to save his friends. Spike’s actions show that even though his disposition and thoughts are evil, he still has the ability to change. The writers of this series, it should be noted, do use spells and microchips in an attempt to manipulate Angel and Spike away from evil. In this sense, the two vampires are dehumanized because they are denied the credit of their good deeds.
In the 2002 adaptation of Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, Lestat is a vampire that exemplifies how a vampire can be more human than we dare to accept or understand. Lestat’s deep sense of loneliness and guilt are driving forces in this vampire’s life. These extreme feelings are similar to how many people feel and we empathize with this character. His emotions, so aptly described by Anne Rice, offer us a different perspective on vampires. Lestat says at one point: “The faces of my victims haunted me, reminding me of my fate” (Queen of the Damned 2002). This shows that he does have a conscience and that he wants to change who he is because his perspective on life has been altered by a self-awareness of his behaviors.
More recently, within the last six years or so, the perspective of vampires has changed even more dramatically within the public eye. Many of the vampire series, both in television and in books, depict vampires that have caring feelings for others. This is a persistent detour away from the stereotypical vampire portrayed in literature of the past. In Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, many of the vampires do not feed on humans. These vampires are presented as struggling with their appetites for blood as they also recognize another’s feelings. Edward Cullen, the vampire in Twilight, says the following when Bella asks why he refrains from harming humans: “I don’t want to be a monster” (Meyer 187). There are other vampires in the series that do want to be monsters and who desire to be perceived as evil, but Edward’s confession to Bella depicts another side to vampires that is similar to humans. Here a vampire is framed as a unique and complex personality. Edward has thoughts and feelings and he represents a more multi-layered character. Ambiguity is introduced and the vampire is no longer confined to a prescribed place of evil. Older stories and movies portrayed vampires as only being driven by their blood lust. They were selfish and had no regard for others. The changes over the last decade in vampires also can be seen as our own struggles to define what is evil and what is good. This is a significant shift because it represents a desire to understand differences. The line between good and evil becomes blurred and requires thoughtfulness.
Werewolves, like vampires, started out as pure monsters. The first impression was of evil and werewolves were misunderstood. Werewolf stories started out with folklore, according to the author of Werewolves, the Occult Truth. Here the description is: “Werewolves of folklore were rarely described as looking anything like men or women with fur popping out of the neckline” (Konstantinos 6). Folklore versions of werewolves were people who turned into real wolves. As stories about werewolves were written down, and as movies about them were made, the depictions of werewolves drastically began to change. In most films about werewolves, they are seen as beasts that look human, but are covered with matted fur. Also, most films that portray werewolves stick with ideas of the transformation being dependent on the full moon. Silver is also a tool that is used in many films and novels as a means of inflicting harm to werewolves. These perceptions of werewolves have changed.
Recently, the bad name that werewolves have had in the past has started to dissipate. Characters like Jacob Black from The Twilight Saga, and the werewolves in Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series, along with characters in many other series, have been effective in changing how people perceive werewolves. In recent adaptations of werewolves, their characters are good; they do what they can to protect others. In the Otherworld series, the werewolves don’t typically deal with humans, but they still try to help people by keeping other werewolves from harming people. These actions show that werewolves aren’t monsters that kill or harm others and that they are capable of changing for the better. Another example of werewolves trying to protect people occurs in New Moon. Jacob and the Quileute’s pack protect the community from vampires. In one scene, Jacob says: “Bella, honey, we only protect people from one thing--- our one enemy. It’s the reason we exist- because they do” (Meyer 309).
Another way that werewolves have changed from the horror movie versions is that werewolves no longer only resemble a terrifying wolf-monster. In the first book of the Otherworld series, Bitten, the reader is given this description, “I am a wolf, a 130-pound wolf with pale blond fur. The only part of me that remains are my eyes, sparkling with a cold ferocity that could never be mistaken for anything but human” (Armstrong 3). There are similar descriptions in New Moon. “In his place was an enormous, red-brown wolf with intelligent eyes” (Meyer 292). The descriptions that show werewolves looking more like regular wolves depicts that the change represents a change in society and people. The fact that werewolves are no longer identified as monsters could mean that people are tired of vilifying wolves and that a shift is taking place. Werewolves now have similar characteristics to regular wolves and this shows respect for different species of animals.
People change. It is part of what makes us human. Looks, personality, and behavior, are three qualities that are always changing, but the biggest change that can occur is our perspective on life. People can change their minds, their viewpoints, and their beliefs. In the past decade, stories, particularly ones about vampires and werewolves, have begun to change. Yes, they are still considered monsters, but people perceive them differently now. Vampires and werewolves in books, movies, and on television, aren’t always bad any more. They, like anybody, can be misunderstood and mistreated. They are being shown with their own unique personalities and belief systems. Perhaps, we should attempt to consciously change and not only give fictional creatures a second chance to redeem themselves, but try to give other people second chances as well.
Works Cited
· Armstrong, Kelley. Bitten. New York: Viking, 2001. 3. Print.
· Clements, Susannah. The Vampire Defanged: How the Embodiment
of Evil Became a Romantic Hero. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2011. 2, 6. Print.
· Konstantinos. Werewolves: the Occult Truth. Woodbury, MN:
Llewellyn Publications, 2010. 6. Print.
· Guiley, Rosemary. The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and
Other Monsters. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2005. 287. Print.
· Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon. Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
292,309. Print.
· Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. Little, Brown and Company, 2008. 187.
Print.
· Queen of the Damned. Dir. Michael Rymer. 2002. DVD.
· Whedon, Joss. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Television.
