Questions about Eli before the infection

[metoo]

It just hit me that Eli's modus operandi differs between Jocke and the cancer sick woman on one hand, and Virginia on the other, and that this might reflect his growing strength. In the first two cases Eli uses deception, while for Virginia he applies his agility in a brute force attack.

[intrige]

Maybe he is very frustrated about what just happen with Oskar and let out all his frustrasion on Ginia, poor woman.

[drakkar]

Maybe he is very frustrated about what just happen with Oskar and let out all his frustrasion on Ginia, poor woman.

Yes, but there is this discussion between Eli and Håkan - before Eli decides to nom Oskar - about Eli still being to weak to do it himself. I used to take this as a barter game, but it could actually be true - if this was short after Eli woke up from hibernation.
If so, it would be good news for Oskar in LTODD, since Eli had plenty of time together with Oskar before hibernating again.

[crazychristina]

I think concern about body odour is a fairly recent phenomenon. I read somewhere that it was said of Queen Elizabeth I of England that she bathed twice a year 'whether she needed to or not'.

[lombano]

It just hit me that Eli's modus operandi differs between Jocke and the cancer sick woman on one hand, and Virginia on the other, and that this might reflect his growing strength. In the first two cases Eli uses deception, while for Virginia he applies his agility in a brute force attack.

I think the very reckless attack on Virginia shows how much Eli has been disturbed by Haakan's 'strike' and by Oskar - she's not thinking straight, hence the contrast with the well-planned, clever attack on Jocke.

[metoo]

I think the very reckless attack on Virginia shows how much Eli has been disturbed by Haakan's 'strike' and by Oskar - she's not thinking straight, hence the contrast with the well-planned, clever attack on Jocke.

Well, I'd say the attacks on Jocke and Virginia are very similar in respect to recklessness and planning. In both cases Eli seeks out a relatively deserted area (the same one, actually), where he likely will find a victim but no witnesses. In Jocke's case, he hides in the underpassing, and takes out a lamp to make it darker. In Virginia's case he climbs a suitable tree with overhanging branches. The most profound difference is in the boldness of the attack, I think.

There is an additional similarity: In both cases Eli is starving, and has just before pulled out of feeding on Oskar. The hunger is aroused, and he probably needs food quickly.

The attack on the cancer sick woman is different, because it occurs within the woman's home. This one is well planned, there is no risk of interception or witnesses. You might say that there is an element of recklessness since Eli fails to notice in time that the woman has cancer and is on morphine, but the novel presents a reason for that: the smelly cheeses cloaks the scents that Eli normally would have detected.

[Ash]

Eli does pick up on the "hospital smell" before she nomms the cancer woman, but doesn't know what it is until it's too late.
Considering the woman is lucid, I wonder why the morphine had such a huge effect on Eli. I guess Eli's much smaller than the woman, and if the woman had developed a tolerance to high doses, her morphine level could be quite potent. Then again, drinking the blood would be less potent than having it running through your veins. That's why druggies inject or smoke heroine rather than eat it. Would I get stoned if I drank the blood of a smack-head? I'll have to try that one day.

[cx1138]

From what I understood Eli takes a shower so that she can please Oskar. Hakan has been with her and he does not mind about her smell. Oskar awakens her prespectives in things she had forgotten. Friendship and just for one moment she can be the twelve year old kid that she is. I can't remember that well but Oskar tells Eli that she is strange but that is ok. She asks him if he can help her with that and he says that they will work on it.

The first time she got cleaned up for him was for a very different reason. She wanted to get close enough so she could nom him. She knew if she still stunk he wouldn't sit by her. She almost got what she came for when Oskar disarmed her. Touching her cheek somehow reprogrammed her for a while.

I know this adds nothing to the conversation... I just wanted to throw it out there

I'm not sure if Eli cleaned herself up the first time for Oskar. She went out to find someone to "feed on" because Hakan wouldn't. I think she cleaned herself up for the first person she saw, but I could be wrong. After Eli went outside I'm wondering if she decided not to look far for a meal and decided to wait instead on the jungle gym for Oskar.

[lombano]

I think the very reckless attack on Virginia shows how much Eli has been disturbed by Haakan's 'strike' and by Oskar - she's not thinking straight, hence the contrast with the well-planned, clever attack on Jocke.

Well, I'd say the attacks on Jocke and Virginia are very similar in respect to recklessness and planning. In both cases Eli seeks out a relatively deserted area (the same one, actually), where he likely will find a victim but no witnesses. In Jocke's case, he hides in the underpassing, and takes out a lamp to make it darker. In Virginia's case he climbs a suitable tree with overhanging branches. The most profound difference is in the boldness of the attack, I think.

There is an additional similarity: In both cases Eli is starving, and has just before pulled out of feeding on Oskar. The hunger is aroused, and he probably needs food quickly.

The attack on the cancer sick woman is different, because it occurs within the woman's home. This one is well planned, there is no risk of interception or witnesses. You might say that there is an element of recklessness since Eli fails to notice in time that the woman has cancer and is on morphine, but the novel presents a reason for that: the smelly cheeses cloaks the scents that Eli normally would have detected.

The attack on Jocke is fairly risk-free, as Eli can easily see anyone approaching long before being seen. The attack on Virginia isn't, as someone an easily come by, as indeed happens. In fact Eli should probably have been able to hear Lacke shouting at Virginia, which suggests she really wasn't thinking straight.

[metoo]

The attack on Jocke is fairly risk-free, as Eli can easily see anyone approaching long before being seen. The attack on Virginia isn't, as someone an easily come by, as indeed happens. In fact Eli should probably have been able to hear Lacke shouting at Virginia, which suggests she really wasn't thinking straight.

The places are rather similar, visibility-wise. Mind you, this is the novel topic, the film locations are different.

The place for the attack on Jocke (13 on the map below):



The place for the attack on Virginia (8 on the map below):




(Pictures and map from the thread Blackeberg pictures in context by drakkar.)

Finally, a satellite view.