Wow. Just wow. I would prefer writing my own personal response to Let Me In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist, but alas, I must abide by the rules of my second quarter challenge--to use four different criticisms to analyze four different works. Both the Biographical and Psychological Criticism would work in the case of Let Me In, but I have concluded that the application of the psychological criticism would work best for this particular review. Despite the obvious connection between Lindqvist and Oskar, the protagonist, the reappearance of homosexual tendencies and a skewed sense of self, influenced me to focus on the damaged psyche of three of the primary characters: Oskar, Eli, and Håkan.
The book opens with an account of the bullied Oskar, a child in Blackeberg who is targeted by a group of boys at his school. As the first chapter progresses, we find that Oskar fantasizes about getting the ultimate revenge on his oppressors--to end their lives. He compensates for his powerlessness by binging on candy and shutting himself in his room, where he spies on the neighbors with a telescope and acts out sadistic serial-killer fantasies in front of the mirror. He begins to prepare himself, physically and mentally, in order to take on his bullies: he goes to the gym on Thursdays with Mr. Avila, the gym teacher, and steals a knife from a local store. He practices in the woods outside of his complex after school, releasing all of his pent-up frustration on the nearby trees. As he stabs at the bark, he notices a girl watching him from the playground. “We can’t be friends,” she tells him when they first meet in the courtyard where he likes to sit alone at night. But of course they become friends anyway, forming a long lasting companionship. The two are so psychologically damaged, that they find it easy to relate to one another. Oskar does not judge Eli, and Eli does not judge Oskar. Ignored by his mother and father, both of whom are separated, Oskar decides to become invisible. In his mind, Oskar no longer exists. He stays in Eli's apartment, where the two are able to find comfort in each others arms. It is later discovered that Eli, has lost her gender identity over the centuries. She, or he, was once a boy named Elias, but had been mutilated previous to her development of the sickness. Oskar still loves Eli, even though she is not the girl that he believed her to be.
The relationship between Oskar and Eli does not even compare to solely sexual encounters in the vampire novels of the modern era. It is the union of two people, who were once controlled by an intense lonesomeness. Håkan however, is unable to quell the solitude that he experiences in his everyday life. Håkan serves as Eli's guardian. He travels to neighboring villages and collects blood from unsuspecting townsfolk, hanging them from their feet like pigs as the blood slowly drains from their bodies. Håkan is in no way a likeable character. He has been attended a series of child prostitution rings, and has a sick obsession over Eli, bringing her blood in exchange for her body. His psychological state worsens as the novel progresses. He attempts to kill himself in order to protect Eli, but it can be argued that his attempted suicide was triggered by the hatred that he has for himself. He later breaks back into the complex, and attempts to rape Eli. Håkan is so mentally disturbed, that it is difficult for one to even feel sorry for him. He has, in my mind, not a single redemptive quality.
In summation, Let Me In was an intense, psychological thriller, that stands apart from Twilight, and Beautiful Creatures, and True Blood. It was dark, and depressing, and inspiring all at the same time. I could not help but fall in love with Oskar and Eli, despite their rather dangerous quirks. I intend to read the remainder of John Ajvide Lindqvist's works, in the hopes that they will be as enjoyable as the first.
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