Vampirism as Necessity The story of Let the Right One In is a very powerful and horrifying emotional and psychological

thriller. The vampiric theme is a dominant subject within the framework of the movie and novel and it is a vitally essential component necessary to truly convey the story. Yes, there are some parts that can be removed and presented as a separate piece of literature, but what makes this entire tale so chilling is the single unifying factor; Eli, the vampire. If it were not for Eli being a vampire, the story would be a disjointed mismatch of ideas that would not progress. Sharp, vivid, experiences that leap out from the shadows would die without their leech-like connection to their vampiric source. Take for example the very beginning of this account, when Eli and Hakan are traveling together. Now, the murder plot in this story is quite deep. Hakan is the murderer that causes the unrest in Blackeberg. When he kills the young boy in Vallingby, he essentially kicks the rock that, in turn, initiates the rockslide of events that cause Oskar and Eli to meet. In fact, even before the murder in Vallingby, events that precipitated their departure from their previous location was another tie in the web that would initialize the entire ordeal. What was it that made it necessary for Hakan to become a murderer in the first place? The novel depicts Hakan as one who is so enraptured with Eli that he can do nothing other than be subservient to her. The purpose of Hakans killings was to collect blood for Elis consumption. Hakan expresses his misgivings about killing, but since Eli was a vampire, it was her sole source of nourishment. The murders went against his own morals and beliefs, the guilt of his decisions weighed heavily on his mind, but the bond of servitude that he had cast upon himself forced him to obey.

However, this is the argument that I would like to make. If the theme of vampirism were to be suspended for this particular scenario, we would find ourselves in quite the conundrum, one that would be quite complicated to extricate ourselves from with the restrictions we are constrained to. If Eli were not a vampire then there would be no need for Hakan to become a murderer. In fact the whole logic behind them being in the region near Vallingby would be suspect, simply because their relocation was caused a hapless slip of fortune. The novel implies that their escape was narrow. If logic were followed, then it would be safe to presume that if the restrictions upon this story bound the themes of vampirism then more likely than not Eli and Oskar would have never met. Let us progress into the heart of the story and assume that the aforementioned events did indeed occur and that some arbiter of fate, i.e. the author, caused Eli and Oskar to meet, it is obvious that without Elis vampiric characteristics, essential cornerstones of the plot would be random at best and a complete hodgepodge of unrelated ideas at worst. An example of this would be the concept of Oskars day-to-day life and the parallel between the group of middle aged, outcast friends. In no conceivable way do the two stories interconnect without Eli acting as a bridge between the two concepts when she attacks and kills Jocke herself. In this case, it binds the outcasts to Oskar and herself. This is displayed when one of the ordinary men try to kill Eli and even though Oskar puts up a valiant attempt to protect her, it ends up being Eli who kills the man. If Eli had not been a vampire in this situation, it would be highly unlikely that she would be able to kill either of the men that she did.

Another example is of Oskars resolution to retaliate against the bullies. Had Eli not been a vampire, and her inner strength not been on display for Oskar to emulate, the cycle of violence against the frail boy could have potentially continued. The novel portrays Oskar as being weak and passive in his resistance against the bullies, despite the rage he feels towards them. Had Elis strength not been an influence on him; would Oskar have been tortured by his schoolmates to the point of suicide or where he levels lethal retribution against them? It is impossible to know now, but the seeds were there and had Eli not been a vampire in this instance then maybe we would be looking at a different type of horror story. With all of the instances that allude to the fact that certain elements of this story absolutely cannot survive without a Vampire Heart, it would be safe to presume that should the vampire be removed from this story that it would be constricted and eventually wither and die, that would be quite the tragedy.

Vampire Heart - HIM