Theme Of Attraction In Carmilla

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla displays the theme of attraction versus repulsion throughout the novella, but particularly emphasizes these contradicting ideas in the passage on page 44-45. This passage depicts Laura’s sickness as she begins to turn into a vampire. While the idea of Laura becoming a creature that thrives off blood should be repulsive, her intrigue at the thought of death creates a more impactful scene. Within the first few sentences of the passage we hear of Laura’s ill feelings and how she is not opposed to this feeling. She mentions that she sleeps a lot and still seems tired once awake, but does not say it as if it were a bad thing. “For some nights I slept profoundly; but still every morning I felt the same lassitude, and a languor weighed upon me all day.” (44). Generally when people are very tired, especially due to an illness, there is nothing pleasant about it. Yet Le Fanu chooses to have Laura refer to her exhausted state as a “languor”. Using the word languor is the first time we see in this passage that maybe Laura is ok with this illness. Languor is defined as a pleasurable tiredness or weakness. The fact Laura …show more content…
She mentions that she begins to consider death as a possible outcome of this sickness and would be ok with that. “Dim thoughts of death began to open, and an idea that I was slowly sinking took gentle, and, somehow, not unwelcome, possession of me. If it was sad, the tone of mind which this induced was also sweet.” (44). While Laura does not fully accept the idea she may die, the fact she is open to it contrasts the attraction/repulsion theme. Laura is both attracted to this sickness and repulsed. The fact she is attracted to it at all repulses the reader. This contrasting feeling adds to the impact, because it leaves the reader feeling conflicted as well. Do we want her to become a vampire or do we want her to remain