Vampirism:Bloody Bisexuality?

Is it just me, or does the relationship between sweet Louis and domineering Lestat seem to be teetering toward homosexual? Even their names look and sound good together. Can’t you just see the "his and his" towels with their cute names embroidered in blood! In all seriousness, the two vampires remind me of a couple which only stays together because amid all the bickering and dysfunction lies a strong bond. Louis at times appears upset by the inhumane actions of Lestat but also uniquely attracted to his fierce presence. Lestat at times seems annoyed with Louis’s goodhearted nature, and this leads the reader to ponder: “Why do these two stay together?” Well, the answer is simple: Both of these beings are getting certain needs met by one another. Louis, new to the world of vampirism, looks to Lestat to show him the ropes so to speak and listen to his concerns. Lestat gets great pleasure in having this power and command over Louis. Some may even say that Lestat is taking on the role of mentor and father with naïve Louis. Their relationship is one consisting of a subordinate partner and a dominate partner. The very nature of their union fits right into what "Eros: The Bittersweet" says about love and hate converging within erotic desire. Speaking of erotic, the part of the book in which Louis recalls the intense experience of Lestat draining his blood is very tantalizing. Even before Lestat sinks his teeth into Louis he lays down beside him “so gracefully” and his subtly movements so personal in nature remind Louis of how a “lover” would act. This proves to be great build up to the actual steamy encounter. It is in these heated moments of anticipation that Louis seems to admire Lestat’s physical appearance: “Never had I been so close to him before, and in the dim light I could see the magnificent radiance of his eye and the unnatural mask of his skin.” Now, simply cut out the “unnatural mask” at the end of the quote mentioned above and it reads like one that would grace the page of a romance novel. The resistance involved in the act that sent “shocks of sensation not unlike the pleasure of passion” through Louis’s body ties in nicely with Carson’s The Bittersweet. She devotes a whole section (Tactics) to explaining how forced sex, essentially rape, was encouraged in Ancient times. In Cretan society it was customary for male lovers to rape and kidnap their boy-lovers. The way that Lestat drains Louis’s blood resembles a rape because the act is intrusive and demonstrates the power he has over Louis. Even the prominent drum beat sounds of the two vampires’ hearts beating in unison seems very intimate and romantic. It is also interesting how the reader is told that Lestat’s favorite food is a fresh young girl but the “triumphant kill for Lestat was a young man.” Here, is Rice pointing out his blood-sucking preference for a reason? The vampire is allowed great freedom with who he wants to drain. The vampire has the liberty to sink his teeth into a diverse range of people (even animal) regardless of their race, class, age and biological sex! So is Vampirism a metaphor for Bisexuality? Is Vampirism a metaphor for the Sexual Revolution? Hmmm. Oh and one can not forget the double layered conversation between Louis and Lestat, in which Louis asks to let him stay in the closet for sleeping purposes. Yeah, this was very clever, especially when Lestat laughs and asks, “Don’t you know what you are?” So, was this conversation of sleeping in the closet just meant to show that Louis is struggling with accepting his role as vampire? Are Lestat and Louis more like the rugged cowboys from "Brokeback Mountain" or more like Oscar and Felix from "The Odd Couple"?...You decide!