Eli at the Hospital Window

[jetboy]

I definitely think theres something wierd and disturbing in the way Hakan closed his eyes at Eli's touch. Its not just his look but its also Eli's look back. When only one of the two parties gives that look, its a bit freaky. Im not sure what the returning gaze of Eli actually means, be it disgust or some kind of domination but eliminate the non-possibilities of what scenario these two looks could mean, ie parental love or friendship love, and I think you get either pedophelia or as I thought Eli moving on to the next boy, whom Hakan used to be.

[a_contemplative_life]

You wouldn't necessarily have to be attracted to children to want or ask for what Hakan certainly seems to be wanting and asking for here. Sexuality can be an awfully funny thing, and people who are otherwise on the "straight and narrow" can stray in moments of odd weakness or when bound by unusual circumstance. Hakan and Eli are cohabiting a kind of prison cell, an intimate arrangement that might push even a "normal" man's sensibilities into directions he would never have otherwise entertained.

I'm certainly not arguing that Hakan isn't a paedophile, but the character in the book is complex and conflicted, and has a clearer idea of what love is than many I've met personally. He's a monster, but so is Eli; monsters cannot reasonably expect to form and sustain "normal" relationships. The passage ACL quotes could be seen as a dark reflexion of what happens such developing "normal" relationships where people (knowingly or not) negotiate for balance and for boundaries, and if they're operating largely in the dark around this alien concept of "love", each could be forgiven (at least to an extent) for having to contend with severe social development issues.

So I've argued in the past that Eli's vampirism is something of a red herring, albeit a nearly perfect one, so I'll argue here that Hakan's paedophilia is, too. This thought was brought home rather forcefully a couple days ago when ACL simply (and forcefully) said precisely this in a judgemental tone that seemed to preclude any possibility of compassion or understanding. Here, then, where Eli stands in stark contrast not only to our swaggering and boastful Dracula with his old, crumbling castles and his crumbled dreams of past glory, Hakan stands as an even more diminutive reflexion of Eli: he's old where she's young, mortal where she's not, physically at great disadvantage where she's apparently powerful. What they have in common are diseases (real or not, common or not) that cut them off from society.

Am I full of it? I really don't know anything about paedophiles, but none of the stories I've heard have a paedo being so focused and so fixated on a single child, and none have a paedo so willing to lay his life aside - or lay it down - for the object of his desire. If we were to look a bit more closely, might we not find this fixation also deceptive, that it masks something else?

I think that if you were to ask Hakan why he felt so intensely loyal, he would say that Eli gave him his life back, and restored him to some dignity. She took him in, offered him a home, food, clothing. In that way, she cared for Hakan, however inescapable the element of expected reciprocity might have been.

I could not find anything about the loyalty issue as relates to pedophiles. This article, however, provides the following regarding the personality traits of pedophiles:

It is difficult to present a classic personality pattern for pedophilia because of the various subgroups that exist.53 Some individuals who have pedophilia are able to present themselves as psychologically normal during examination or superficial encounters, even though they have severe underlying personality disorders.6,46,54 Studies have shown that people with pedophilia generally experience feelings of inferiority, isolation or loneliness, low self-esteem, internal dysphoria, and emotional immaturity. They have difficulty with mature age-appropriate interpersonal interactions, particularly because of their reduced assertiveness, elevated levels of passive-aggressivity, and increased anger or hostility.5,23,27,28,55-63 These traits lead to difficulty dealing with painful affect, which results in the excessive use of the major defense mechanisms of intellectualization, denial, cognitive distortion (eg, manipulation of fact), and rationalization.6,24,46,53,56,62 Even though pedophiles often have difficulty with interpersonal relationships, 50% or more will marry at some point in their lives.15,32,53,55,56,61,64

It is common for people who are diagnosed as having pedophilia to also experience another major psychiatric disorder (affective illness in 60%-80%, anxiety disorder in 50%-60%) and/or a diagnosable personality disorder (70%-80%) at some time in their life.7,12,63 An estimated 43% of pedophiles have cluster C personality disorders, 33% have cluster B personality disorders, and 18% have cluster A personality disorders23,31,53,55 (Table 3). A study by Curnoe and Langevin,65 using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory with pedophiles and other “deviant fantasizers” (n=186), showed significantly increased scores on the infrequency scale, the psychopathic deviance scale, the masculinity-femininity scale, the paranoia scale, and the schizophrenia scale. These results suggest that pedophiles are more socially alienated and less emotionally stable than most other people, traits commonly seen in patients with cluster A and B personality disorders.65 Many pedophiles also demonstrate narcissistic, sociopathic, and antisocial personality traits. They lack remorse and an understanding of the harm their actions cause.23,53

The notion of impulsivity as a personality factor in pedophiles is often debated. Pedophiles frequently report trouble controlling their behavior, although it is rare for them to spontaneously molest a child. The fact that 70% to 85% of offenses against children are premeditated speaks against a lack of perpetrator control.23,55 Cohen et al55 compared 20 heterosexual pedophiles to a control group and found that pedophiles demonstrated elevated scores for harm avoidance, with no elevation for novelty seeking on the Temperament and Character Inventory. Cohen et al suggest that, instead of viewing pedophilia as the result of an impulse-aggressive trait (eg, unplanned with no consideration for consequences), it should be viewed as the result of a compulsive-aggressive trait (planned with the intention of relieving internal pressures or urges).55

[drakkar]

I definitely think theres something wierd and disturbing in the way Hakan closed his eyes at Eli's touch. Its not just his look but its also Eli's look back. When only one of the two parties gives that look, its a bit freaky. Im not sure what the returning gaze of Eli actually means, be it disgust or some kind of domination but eliminate the non-possibilities of what scenario these two looks could mean, ie parental love or friendship love, and I think you get either pedophelia or as I thought Eli moving on to the next boy, whom Hakan used to be.

In the comments, TA states this as a hint of Håkans true nature - thate he loves children for the wrong reasons.

[Ash]

When Hakan is in hospital contemplating death there's an insight as to how he views (and scales) his crimes using Dante's Inferno as a guide.
Hakan considers which were the worst of his crimes - "lust", "murder", or "sodomy", where each is assigned a progressive level of punishment in hell.
He thinks, as his worst crime is murder, that his "crime of lust" with Eli is small beans in the overall scheme of his sinning score.
So it might explain why he considers what he does with Eli (she has made him into a murderer anyway) of no real consequence is the scheme of things -
"Therefore: if you had committed an absolutely terrible crime you could thereafter sin away all you liked with the crimes punished in higher circles. It couldn't get worse."
Strange logic, but it does work in Eli's faviour in that it ensures he won't ever give her up. - "One thing he was completely sure of. He would never end up in the lowest circle. The one where Lucifer himself chewed on Judas and Brutus, standing in a sea of ice. The circle of traitors."

[Jameron]

Yes, Håkan is well versed in self justification. He uses the 'It's not me in charge, it's not my fault' defence overtly at least twice, maybe three times in the book. But in this case I think he knows that Eli doesn't age (am I wrong?) and that he will have a 'child' beloved for the rest of his life. When we see him upset and bemused by the 'hunt the key' game I think this is also jealousy, as he links the change in Eli with her befriending Oskar, and the white snake of jealousy sits in his chest. If there were no Oskar I think he would be more than happy to play childish games with Eli, because she would be playing them with, and because of, him [Håkan]. So I don't see him being put off by Eli's childishness. Also, isn't there a reference in the book to them having played 'hunt the key' at some other point in the past before they came to Blackeberg? Maybe I dreamed that bit though ... I'll have to check.

Well, I checked, and there is no mention of Eli playing anything with Håkan before they played "hide the key" in the timeline of the book ... so I was wrong on that score. And yes, it is "HIDE the key".

But this passage shows quite clearly that Håkan was bothered by Eli's change in behaviour because it was triggered by Oskar, he was jealous...

"But since all this with Oskar had started something had changed. A … regression. Eli had started to behave more and more like the child her
appearance made her out to be; had started to move her body in a loose-limbed and careless way, use childish expressions and words. Wanted to
play. Hide the Key. A few nights ago they had played Hide the Key. Eli had become angry when Håkan had not shown the necessary enthusiasm
for the game, then tried to tickle him to get him to laugh. He had relished Eli’s touch."

He was jealous of Oskar getting attention from Eli, and of him having an influence on Eli. He was not perturbed by Eli's childish behaviour. That's how I see it anyway.

.

[metoo]

He was jealous of Oskar getting attention from Eli, and of him having an influence on Eli. He was not perturbed by Eli's childish behaviour. That's how I see it anyway.

I agree. However, in addition Håkan felt that he was inadequate, he just couldn't muster the necessary enthusiasm for playing childish games.

[a_contemplative_life]

I think maybe it made him begin to question his assumption that Eli was "older" than him:

Last night he had been lying in his bed with the window cracked. Listened to Eli saying good-bye to that Oskar. Their high voices, laughter. A ... lightness he could never achieve. His was the leaden seriousness, the demands, the desire.
He had thought his beloved was like him. He had looked into Eli's eyes and seen an ancient person's knowledge and indifference. At first it had frightened him: Samuel Beckett's eyes in Audrey Hepburn's face. Then it had reassurred him.
It was the best of all possible worlds. The young, lithe body that gave beauty to his life, while at the same time responsibility was lifted from him. He was not the one in charge. And he did not have to feel guilt for his desire; his beloved was older than he. No longer a child. At least he had thought so.

Eli's "regression" (to Hakan, whereas it was a change that brought happiness to Eli) to childhood also inflamed Hakan's lust:

A few nights ago they had played Hide the Key. Eli had become angry when Håkan had not showed the necessary enthusiasm for the game, then tried to tickle him to get him to laugh. He had relished Eli's touch.
It was attractive, naturally. This joy, this . . . life. But also frightening, since it was something so foreign to him. He was both hornier and more scared than he had ever been since meeting her.
...
Håkan bent his head, rested his forehead on his knees. The splashing from the bathroom had stopped. He couldn't go on like this. He was about to explode. From desire, from jealousy.

So it would appear that Hakan was both frightened and aroused by Eli's reversion to childish behavior.

[sauvin]

In the film, TA/JAL shied away from overt pedophilia for very good reasons. If, however, Håkan maintained a genuine, heartfelt, altruistic "love" of Eli, he would not become jealous of her playing in the snow with another child, nor ask her to stay away from said child in the form of a request to "do one thing for me." Also, you have ignored the obvious gratification he expressed at Eli's caress.

Wouldn't any utterly lonesome person be gratified in that situation? By the way, Per Ragnar (the actor) didn't know about the paedophilia, so at least he didn't consciously put any of that into the Håkan character.

Also children may be jealous when their favourite playmate plays with someone else. There doesn't have to be any sex involved in that reaction.

We know that novel Håkan is a paedophile, and that this is a strong motivator for him. But he is also a very lonely man, in desperate need to be loved (in the non-sexual sense). He was loosing Eli to Oskar, his jealousy could be explained by this fact only.

However, although Håkan didn't molest children and never made any sexual approaches to his students while still being a teacher, he did seek out other paedophiles. He was a member of a circle with similar interests, he even went to a gathering (once, apparently) where a young boy had been recruited to serve him and the other men. But then again, in that situation he shied away from the boy. To me, it seems that what Håkan needed wasn't sex per se, but love. He found that he didn't want the unloving, mechanical sex he was offered by the boy.

But isn't it a common misconception to mistake sex for love? Isn't that what we are taught? In what movie do the main characters not immediately proceed with sex, as a sign that they are mutually in love?

With Eli, though, Håkan thought he could have it all. And Eli helped him on the way, didn't take him out of his belief that Eli was an adult in a child's body, probably even presented himself that way. Eli told Håkan he loved him, and Håkan believed it, for a while.

Much of what is said here relates rather directly to an argument I'm trying to coalesce, and it may never actually happen because it's not easy playing devil's advocate. It's complicated by the fact that Eli and Hakan are both monsters, and the idea that their relationship is mutually exploitative wouldn't be so troublesome if we weren't so cathected to the younger vampire.

Have I ever asked this before? I don't remember: has Hakan ever been married? Does he have children of his own? Nieces? Nephews? I don't remember anything being mentioned to this effect, and am of the impression he, too, has lived the entirety of his life essentially in social isolation. Was this because of his paedophilia, or did the paedophilia arise secondary to some other illness or trauma?

As it stands, he didn't "come out" until he was thrown out, and the resulting meltdown probably eroded his ability to contain his private devil. The paedophilia, it now seems, is in nearly full bloom, and it dominates his thought processes. Nearly everything he sees or thinks is seen within the context of or through the filter of this illness.

And so, the problem I'm having: it seems remotely possible that Hakan truly does love for the first time in his life, but is unable to see it for what it is. Under this argument, he doesn't love her body, per se, he loves her. His monster won't let him see that, and so is stuck with interpreting every aspect of his relationship with her in terms of unnatural lust. If this is what's happening, it's deucedly subtle, because if Eli had truly been the most beautiful child folks from a couple centuries ago had ever seen, then maybe it's only natural that a paedophile would respond to that beauty.

[intrige]

I also recall something about Håkan viewing Eli as an old being and not a child, therefore what he felt wouldn't be "as wrong".. In a way. Now, when Oskar and Eli play and Eli starts to be more childish. Håkan's way of thought apears wrong, and he got scared. Jealous of course, and also horny, if I recall correctly.

[jetboy]

The book does say that her personality is influenced by the age of the people that are around her so there is a chance that Hakan loved her for her mind and personality. A nightly conversation couldve been about stocks and bonds but when Oskar comes around it switches to Madonna. Poor, poor Hakan