We, The Infected

One of the harder things to explain in LTROI is how Eli knew to come back and save Oskar just in the nick of time. Various theories have been put forth to explain this: that she never really left Blackeberg, and was shadowing Oskar; or that she left, decided she could not live without Oskar, returned and tracked him to the pool. I think the first theory is hard to support because we are shown that she leaves in the taxicab. And the second theory depends on a lot of coincidence to make sense.

I would like to explore the idea that perhaps Eli had no choice but to return and save Oskar. What if part of being a vampire is that you are magically bound when you make a promise like Eli did, to help Oskar in the event he got into trouble? A subsidiary consideration is whether Oskar must somehow mentally summon Eli (recall Taarna from Heavy Metal), or she just knows and must respond. I like this idea. It could add a new dimension to vampire lore--what vampires must do when they extend a promise to help someone.

I think it was coincidence that Eli appeared at that precise moment. Just consider how many coincidences you experience every day, which before they happen seem quite unlikely, but after the fact - yes... All fiction is written after the fact, so an author can decide to include whatever unlikely (but possible) coincidences he wants, without there being any need to explain them.

However, that Eli did come back was no coincidence.

Eli came back for one reason only, and that was to make one huge mess that gave Oskar no option but to leave with him/her.
You can't survive for hundreds of years without a bit of forward-planning like this. Eli knew exactly what she was doing. She owned Oskar and no way was she going to leave him behind. Eli made that decision in the "I don't want to" scene.
"Then get out. Start over.
Find someone who . ..
Eli throws his head back, screams up at the ceiling: "I don't want to!"

a_contemplative_life wrote:that she never really left Blackeberg, and was shadowing Oskar; or that she left, decided she could not live without Oskar, returned and tracked him to the pool.

I think that theory is quite plausible.

I do too; the taxicab, somebody pointed out recently, could have been going...a mile away.

There's more than a hint of the ol' vampiric telepathy in the movie, and that would help. It doesn't discount ACL's notion of a magical design of Fate, either.

I could go with some sort of connection, but I fond acl's magic a tad too strong. I disagree with metoo also, the whole book has an air of a destined voyage about it (Oskars stroke on the cheek etc), and then it feels a bit feeble that Eli just happened to pass by because he missed Oskar.
And Ash: Shame on you!

Ash wrote:Eli came back for one reason only, and that was to make one huge mess that gave Oskar no option but to leave with him/her.
You can't survive for hundreds of years without a bit of forward-planning like this. Eli knew exactly what she was doing. She owned Oskar and no way was she going to leave him behind. Eli made that decision in the "I don't want to" scene.
"Then get out. Start over.
Find someone who . ..
Eli throws his head back, screams up at the ceiling: "I don't want to!"

*Sniff*...meanie!

drakkar wrote:I could go with some sort of connection, but I fond acl's magic a tad too strong. I disagree with metoo also, the whole book has an air of a destined voyage about it (Oskars stroke on the cheek etc), and then it feels a bit feeble that Eli just happened to pass by because he missed Oskar.
And Ash: Shame on you!

I'm of this opinion also. Neither luck nor magic were the deciding factors. Destiny just feels more appropriate, fitting the tone of the novel better, somehow.

Ash wrote:Eli came back for one reason only, and that was to make one huge mess that gave Oskar no option but to leave with him/her.
You can't survive for hundreds of years without a bit of forward-planning like this. Eli knew exactly what she was doing. She owned Oskar and no way was she going to leave him behind. Eli made that decision in the "I don't want to" scene.
"Then get out. Start over.
Find someone who . ..
Eli throws his head back, screams up at the ceiling: "I don't want to!"

Ouch! Serious punch in the head is equal to reading this opinion. Not saying it's not one of possible explanation´s of what happend . But realy not my favorite one .

It has something to do with when Oskar asked what happens if hitting back wasnt enough and Eli said that she could help. I do believe it has to do with some kind of supernatural bond between them. In vampire mythology, when you invite one into your house, you invite the vampire into your soul. I also believe Oskar's imagination could be a factor too.