TEJ Blog 2: Del Toro & Hogan, 'Why Vampires Never Die'

TEJ Blog 2: Del Toro & Hogan, 'Why Vampires Never Die'

Quote

“Science… allows man to experience fear and awe again, and to believe in the things he cannot see. And through awe, we once again regain spiritual humility. The current vampire pandemic [in pop culture] serves to remind us that we have no true jurisdiction over our bodies, our climate or our very souls.” (Monsters, 38)

Summarize

     Del Toro and Hogan, in this quote, believe that the narrative of the vampire helps people understand and come to terms with the mortal nature of predisposition toward entropy; we cannot truly change the whole world on our own - our bodies created for us in a random roll of nature, having no control or choice over the society that raised us - but even as we have been dulled or unfamiliar with parts of the world we can ignite a passion in ourselves that we may have lost or needed to find, and change the world through the idea of what is new.

Response

     Del Toro and Hogan speak of having "no true jurisdiction" over ourselves, and in an initial sense, this is true. We do not choose the bodies we are born with or the ideals we are raised with - however, I disagree about this lack of jurisdiction, because if one seeks to improve themselves, their society, or simply their quality of life, all they need to do is seek intellectual pursuit, critical thinking, and do all in their spirit in order to bring about the change they need. To say that we have no jurisdiction over ourselves is to fundamentally misunderstand the truth of freedom to choose; it may be affected by certain circumstances, such as societal rejection or even mental abuse, but to act in faith when you know you can takes only courage and hope for the better.