Both, the fact that Eli is a kid and a vampire means that it's ok for her to be selfish to survive. More importantly, nobody's existence requires justification. I take issue with the fact that people are saying that Eli should sacrifice herself so that others may live. But why should anyone expect a child to die so that they may live? Isn't that a horrible position to take?
Well, the other part of the story is what Oskar made leave with Eli. Given that you don't subscribe to the theory that Eli was manipulative all along, it's undisputed that Eli actually cares about Oskar and in fact saves his life. That's incompatible with purposefully harming Oskar. I'm sure that Eli didn't infect Oskar out of malice, it's the only way for them to be together. To fault Eli for that would be like faulting Romeo and Juliet for taking poison and saying: Romeo was responsible for Juliet's death, technically correct, but not in the spirit of the story.Pissball wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 5:36 pmThere's a thread asking if Eli is "toxic" ... In this case, what will be your reaction after reading Eli asking "Do want to become like me" showing Oskar a needle? and the pair escaping to live "free" and together in trains and in with the company of bums, criminals, creeps, and also good but marginalized people.
Of course, Eli didn't have to leave with Oskar. In fact, it'll be heroic of Eli to sacrifice her own happiness in order to not curse Oskar with the infection, but is it fair to expect it from her? After centuries of being alone and then finding a friend, isn't it too much to ask for Eli to make the quote unquote responsible decision? Also, doesn't Oskar's acceptance of Eli count for anything? Why should it be Eli's responsibility to make the right choice? It may be bleak, but it's not Eli's fault. She didn't ask to be a vampire, and she didn't do anything in the story out of malice.