Interview with the Vampire: Part 1, Pages 1-70 Summary & Analysis

A vampire and a boy—both unnamed for the time being—sit in a dark room. The vampire has agreed to tell the boy his life story. The boy, equipped with a tape recorder, is eager to begin. Before they start, the vampire insists on turning on the overhead light, which surprises the boy—he thought vampires could not be exposed to light. When the light comes on, the boy sees the vampire’s unsettling, statue-like appearance. The boy notices that the vampire has vivid green eyes and a finely tailored black coat. Sensing the boy’s fear, the vampire tells him not to worry, as he wants his story told and does not intend to hurt the boy.

The vampire begins recounting his past, describing his transformation into a vampire in 1791 at the age of 25. He details the luxurious yet primitive life on his Louisiana plantation (Pointe du Lac), which his family bought after emigrating from France. The vampire then shares memories of his deeply religious younger brother, who experienced visions of saints and believed he was destined for a divine mission. The brother’s devotion led him to spend most of his time in an oratory, praying and experiencing visions.

The vampire describes how his brother, at 15, claimed that St. Dominic and the Blessed Virgin Mary visited him in a vision and instructed him to sell their property so they could use the money for God’s work in France. Despite his brother’s insistence, the vampire dismissed the visions and refused to sell the plantation. In retrospect, the vampire feels like he was wrong for dismissing his brother’s claims. In reality, he does not know whether the visions were real, and he blames his ego for getting in the way.

One night, after the vampire had a heated argument with his brother about the visions, his brother walked out onto the gallery of their home and fell to his death. The vampire felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for his brother’s death, a sentiment that was echoed by his family and servants who had overheard their argument. This guilt consumed him, as he felt that his disbelief and lack of kindness somehow caused his brother to fall.

The vampire describes how he was unable to escape the haunting memory of his brother. His guilt led to a destructive lifestyle, filled with drinking and a desire to die, which ultimately left him vulnerable to a vampire attack. This attack nearly killed him, but it instead transformed him into a vampire. In the aftermath of the transformation, the vampire experienced a shift in perspective. The vampire who attacked him (Lestat) returned, revealing his true nature, and offering the vampire a new chance at life. This encounter crushed the vampire’s ego, forcing him to confront the superficiality and vanity of his previous life. He realized that his prior devotion to religion was merely lip service. In reality, he had always followed “the gods of most men. Food, drink, and security in conformity.”

Lestat explains to the vampire—who is weak and still in the process of transforming—that he wants Pointe du Lac. The vampire realizes that Lestat holds his life in his hands, so he allows him to take control of the plantation. Lestat kills the overseer of the plantation and then brings his father, a human, to live there. Lestat’s father does not know Lestat’s true nature because he is blind, and Lestat lies to him. Although Lestat is typically kind to his father, he grows verbally abusive whenever his father questions where he goes at night.

The vampire feels immense guilt over the overseer’s death and claims he wants to die. In response, Lestat begins draining blood from his throat, causing the vampire to change his mind. In the telling of his story, it is here that the vampire reveals his name for the first time: Louis. That evening, Louis watches his final sunset before being transformed for good.

In order for the transformation to be complete, Lestat drains all of Louis’s blood. Then, Lestat slits his own wrist and allows Louis to drink from it. Louis compares the experience to sexual pleasure. When the process is finished, Louis’s mortal life is over. That night, he has to share a coffin with Lestat because Lestat does not have a second coffin for Louis to sleep in. The two vampires sleep face to face, an experience that both disturbs and excites Louis.

Back in the present, Louis takes a moment to dispel a few myths about vampires to the boy. He informs him that vampires do not fear crosses or stakes through the heart. Additionally, while vampires do have some supernatural abilities—such as being able to move faster than the human eye can discern—they cannot turn into mist.

Returning to the past, Louis describes killing a man for the first time. Lestat finds a group of runaway enslaved people and waits until one is isolated from the others. Then, he encourages Louis to kill the man. Louis immediately freezes up and cannot bring himself to do what Lestat asks. Irritated, Lestat kills the man himself and drains his blood quickly. Because Louis took too long, the other runaways were alerted to Louis and Lestat’s position. The vampires retreat into the trees and wait for another person to separate from the group. When this happens, Lestat grabs the man and exposes his neck to Louis, demanding that Louis kill him and drain his blood. This time, Louis does as Lestat asks.

In the present, Louis reflects on his anger at Lestat for how Lestat approached being a vampire and a mentor. Louis knows that Lestat could have made his transition into being a vampire far more pleasant. However, Lestat had no interest in doing so. Additionally, Lestat takes great pleasure in killing, which Louis cannot understand. He feels Lestat kills humans hedonistically, minimizing the importance of human life and the sacrosanct process of draining human blood.

Louis describes his first kill in detail. As he drinks the runaway enslaved person’s blood, he grows increasingly ravenous because the experience is so euphoric. Eventually, Lestat has to pull him away from the man. Lestat warns Louis that continuing to drink blood from someone after they are already dead will kill a vampire. Additionally, drinking too much blood at once—which Louis already has—makes vampires sick.

After, Louis and Lestat return to the plantation. Lestat tells Louis he wants to show him a trick. Then, Lestat finds a rat, slits its throat, catches its blood in a wine glass, and drinks it. Although the entire process disgusts Louis, Lestat warns him that he will have to get used to it, as vampires often have to feed on rats and other animals. Lestat delivers this lesson with his typical arrogant and unsympathetic attitude, which makes Louis mad.

Louis threatens to throw Lestat and Lestat’s father out of Pointe du Lac. Lestat simply laughs and reminds Louis that he does not know all of the rules to being a vampire yet. Lestat suggests that Louis will die without him around as a mentor. Seeing his point but still angry, Louis takes his coffin (he has secured his own coffin at this point) and sleeps in a different room. Lestat warns Louis not to do anything stupid, as the sun will kill him if he is not careful.

Even though Louis resents Lestat, he knows Lestat is good to have around for practical matters. However, Louis grows annoyed that Lestat spends absurd amounts of money decorating the plantation, often for the supposed good of Lestat’s father. Lestat’s father says he does not care about nice things and simply wants to move back to their old farm where he can be with their friends. Louis considers asking Lestat’s father where they came from so he might learn where he might find other vampires, but does not want to risk upsetting the man, which would in turn anger Lestat.

Lestat and Louis regularly host people at the plantation. Louis notes that Lestat is exceedingly polite to his guests, even though he often murders them. Louis admits that he prefers Lestat’s mix of politeness and violence to rudeness, which he does not feel he could tolerate. Louis knows Lestat has a vicious side that often comes out when guests are not around, and he tries to keep it at bay. For his part, Louis only feeds on animals.

To try to make the boy better understand Lestat, Louis tells a story about when Lestat became infatuated with a young man with the surname Freniere. Lestat and Louis regularly watched the Freniere family without them knowing, which Louis describes as one of the great pleasures of being a vampire. Lestat becomes obsessed with the young Freniere and watches him all of the time but does not cause him harm at first. However, one day, Lestat learns that the young Freniere is going to take part in a duel. At this point, Lestat decides he wants to kill the young Freniere and suck his blood before anyone else can touch him.

 Despite Louis’s efforts to stop him, Lestat kills the young Freniere, leaving the family devastated. This incident makes Louis realize just how much Lestat hates the living. For Lestat, being a vampire is about revenge against life itself. He finds satisfaction only in taking from others, never appreciating anything for its own sake. This consuming hatred leaves Lestat perpetually dissatisfied, as he constantly seeks new victims and conquests.

Louis returns to the Freniere plantation and reveals himself to Babette, the eldest Freniere daughter. Because Louis has watched the Freniere family for some time, he has grown quite fond of Babette and wants to help her. Louis speaks to Babette, telling her about her the young Freniere’s bravery and death. Louis urges her to take control of the plantation and not let anyone convince her otherwise. Babette listens intently and, believing Louis, watches as he seemingly vanishes (though really, he just moves too quickly for her to see). Soon after, Babette becomes the neighborhood scandal by choosing to run the plantation herself. However, no word ever gets out about what really happened to the young Freniere.

Louis and Lestat’s relationship remains strained, and they stop talking for some time after the young Freniere’s death. Still, they live together, along with Lestat’s father, at Pointe du Lac. The enslaved people on the plantation, primarily islanders from Santo Domingo, are suspicious of Louis and Lestat. They are culturally distinct, speaking African languages and French patois, and maintaining their traditions.

Louis hears a conversation through the open doors of the overseer’s cottage that convinces him that he and Lestat are in real danger. The enslaved workers now know they are not ordinary mortals. The maids describe seeing Louis and Lestat dine on empty plates and lifting empty glasses to their lips. They also talk about seeing Lestat’s coffin and how he had beaten one of them for dawdling by his room’s windows. The enslaved people plan to destroy the vampires instead of running away because they think Louis and Lestat are the spawn of the Devil.

Realizing the danger, Louis hurries back to tell Lestat that they must leave the plantation. Lestat resists, citing his father’s grave illness. He threatens to kill all of the enslaved people if necessary. Louis goes to check on Lestat’s father, finding the old man in agony. Lestat plays the spinet loudly, which enrages Louis. They argue but are interrupted by Lestat’s father calling for his son. At first, Lestat refuses to go, filing his nails instead.

At that moment, Daniel, the overseer, arrives, looking at Louis with fear and suspicion. Lestat’s father continues to plead with Lestat, who remains indifferent. Louis, posing as Lestat, comforts the old man, who mistakes him for his son. The old man speaks of a teacher who saw potential in Lestat and curses himself for taking Lestat out of school. Lestat tells Louis to kill the old man, but Louis refuses, demanding Lestat forgive his father or kill him himself. Lestat reluctantly offers a strained forgiveness. Then, Louis kills Lestat’s father gently, and he also kills Daniels in an attempt to stop a full-on revolt. However, the enslaved people revolt anyway.

As a result, Lestat and Louis decide to leave the plantation. Before they leave, Louis sets fire to Pointe du Lac, ensuring its destruction. Then, the vampires bring their coffins to Babette’s place at the Freniere plantation. Lestat expects that Louis plans to kill Babette. Instead, Louis asks Babette for help and warns Lestat against harming her. When Babette sees Louis, she is wary. However, after Louis reminds her that he once helped her in her time of need, Babette decides to let him and Lestat stay.

In the present, the boy asks Louis about Babette. The boy can tell Louis was in love with her, which surprises him. He did not suspect that vampires could feel love. Louis assures him that he feels love just like humans do. He refers to Babette as his first love, but not his greatest one. He suggests that this greater one will be talked about in more detail later in his story.

Returning to the past, Babette shows Louis and Lestat to a room they can use. Louis warns Babette not to let anyone in during the day. He is fairly certain that Babette sees him and Lestat unloading their coffins but decides he must trust her, as he has no other choice. Once everything is settled, Louis and Lestat go to sleep. When they wake up, they find that Babette has locked them in the room. However, otherwise, no one has disturbed their slumber. Lestat is irate that Babette locked them in and, as usual, he wants to resort to violence. However, Louis is convinced that Babette will help them, and he again warns Lestat not to harm her.

Once it is fully dark, Babette opens the door to the room where the vampires are staying. At this point, she has heard what happened at Pointe du Lac, and she knows that Louis is the plantation’s owner. Much to Louis’s dismay, she suspects he is the devil. Louis assures Babette that he means her no harm and simply needs transportation. However, when Babette hesitates, Lestat quickly steps in and threatens to kill her if she does not give them what they want. Louis gets Lestat to back down, but the entire encounter is too much for Babette. She becomes fully convinced that the vampires are the spawn of Satan.

Still, Babette lets the vampires out of the room and together, Lestat and Louis escape. Before they leave, Louis tries to convince Babette that he only ever meant to help her, but he can see in her eyes that it is too late for him to change her mind. Louis and Lestat travel to New Orleans, where Lestat decides they should start a new life. Louis loathes Lestat and does not want to stay with him, but he also does not know where he would go otherwise. He begins thinking of an exit strategy because he does not think he can put up with Lestat for much longer.