Analysis of Zdenka in "The Family of a Vourdalak"[]
Zdenka, the most important female character in the family described in the story "The Family of a Vourdalak", is an interesting character to analyze. Initially, she does not seem like a person who would fit the description of a vampire willingly wanting to feed on the blood of a human for the sole purpose of pleasure and survival. After progressing through the story it becomes more clear that she is a vourdalak , specifically by the actions she takes and the way her family acts in accordance with her. For example, Marquis (narrator) describes Zdenka in a charming way:
I was immediately struck by her resemblance to the Duchesse de Gramont, particularly with respect to one characteristic, a delicate line on her forehead. To this day, I have never seen it on anyone other than those two. This faint line, which did not seem appealing at first, became irresistible once you had noticed it a few times. (Tolstoy 385)
Another way to analyze Zdenka and her being a vampire (or a monster in some cases of Slavic folk tales) is to read and understand a statement made by Jeffrey Cohen in "Monster Culture: Seven Theses". Here, he describes the body of a monster (vampire):
The monster is born only at this metaphoric crossroads, as an embodiment of a certain cultural moment--of a time, a feeling, and a place. The monster's body quite literally incorporates fear, desire, anxiety, and fantasy (ataractic or incendiary), giving them life and an uncanny independence. The monstrous body is pure culture. (Cohen 4)
After Marquis had come back Zdenka's village from his half-a-year voyage at Yassa, he had noticed things had changed since he had last been there. Zdenka, a vourdalak, nicely fits the description of a beautiful woman who tried to lure a young man in Marquis to do her bidding. When she and Marquis meet for the final time she warns him to leave to the village because of the possibility of him becoming a vampire if he fell in danger to her family. This warning oddly enough made Zdenka seem less like a typical vampire who looks to feast on the blood of a human and use them for that sole purpose.
Had it not been for this warning, Marquis most likely would have been captured by Zdenka's family and turned into a vourdalak. The lesson that Marquis learned after all of his time dealing with that family is that regardless of how mesmerizing a woman is, if her family members are vampires, their end goal would be to feast on a human. Trust goes a long way and in the end Zdenka's love and slight innocence is what saved Marquis from becoming a vampire.
Citations:
Cohen, Jeffrey. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, "Monster Culture (Seven Theses)" - Cultural Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.
Tolstoy, Aleksey Konstantinovich. Vampires; Stories of the Supernatural. New York: Hawthorn, 1969. 383-399. Print.
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