Vampires In The Lemon Grove

1048 Words5 Pages

Quenching the Thirst: Are we talking about lemons?
Vampires have problems in their marriage just like most humans do except that there is no “Until death do us part” in Karen Russel’s story “Vampires In The Lemon Grove”. Magreb and Clyde are vampires that are quenching their thirst together for eternity. Their choice of residence is in a Lemon Grove that satisfies their thirst with the lemons. Marriage is a commitment and the use of vampire characters allow a fresh take on what commitment means. The vampire couple have been around the world together and the only place left to visit is death which is a door that is always closed. Karen Russel uses immortal vampires to struggle with the complexity of marriage in “Vampires In The Lemon Grove” by placing them in a mortal human commitment all while trying to find satisfaction with life’s changes.
Humans have problems in their marriage and struggle all while knowing this arrangement will not last forever. The theme of the story is about loyalty and dealing with loneliness. There are challenges in a marriage and a vampire marriage is no different. The biggest difference in a human marriage and a vampire marriage is that there is no “Until death do us part” and so the vampire marriage is unique. Clyde explained, “I once pictured time as a black …show more content…

The marriage had gone on a long time. They traveled around the world searching for satisfaction in their lives. The eternal life of a vampire proves very difficult for Clyde but also Magreb because she wanted Clyde to change to fit what she wanted. Satisfying your life means not changing to meet the other person’s needs but having that person accept you for who you are in life. Even if that means that you are a monster. When Magreb changed Clyde into what she wanted she was left with lemons in life that were sour and did not satisfy her expectations. Both characters end up being unchanged at the end and lonelier than