The castration

[metoo]

In fact this makes it more obvious-

"The signature melody of Dallas floated out into the room and Eli tore her head away from the woman's throat."

Quite so, I didn't read the passage thoroughly before posting

[gattoparde59]

"There was a skyscraper of mirrors on the TV. A man dressed in a suit and a cowboy hat got out of his car, walked toward the skyscraper."
I could be way off mark, but that was Dallas on the cancer woman's TV, and the "Eli" being called out could have been directed at Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow, a character in Dallas (matriarch of the Ewing family). Eli could have mingled the TV voice into her own morphine hallucinations.

Good call! You and (Johnajvide apparently) really know your Dallas. That would explain the choice of TV viewing for the cancer lady.

[Ash]

But perhaps not. But it's something.

[a_contemplative_life]

I always figured Eli was hallucinating the Man in the Wig on the TV, and that her reaction (becoming frightened and waiting for him to grab her neck) was a conditioned response.

[metoo]

I always figured Eli was hallucinating the Man in the Wig on the TV, and that her reaction (becoming frightened and waiting for him to grab her neck) was a conditioned response.

Yes, that's my view too. But the Miss Ellie clue was still interesting.

[Angelmaker]

I always figured Eli was hallucinating the Man in the Wig on the TV, and that her reaction (becoming frightened and waiting for him to grab her neck) was a conditioned response.

Yes, that's my view too. But the Miss Ellie clue was still interesting.

Yeah she was on a big trip and like on mushrooms Eli was making things out of what her eyes could actually see. Then the brain mixing that with memories and thoughts. Her trip went bad and she heard the lord speak to her. Maybe he shouted to Eli to come back when Eli escaped him and she remembered that or maybe Eli just imagined that the lord would want him back. Obviously Eli wouldn't ever want to though

[crazychristina]

When I read the novel I interpreted that whole scene as being relatively short. Elias is tied down, castrated, vampire lord drinks blood from wound, the glowing rod is used to cauterize the wound (not specifically as torture, which is not really implied by the story), vampire lord bites and Eli is released. The events would seem 'endless' to Eli even though of short physical duration.

[rgh]

When I read the novel I interpreted that whole scene as being relatively short. Elias is tied down, castrated, vampire lord drinks blood from wound, the glowing rod is used to cauterize the wound (not specifically as torture, which is not really implied by the story), vampire lord bites and Eli is released. The events would seem 'endless' to Eli even though of short physical duration.

I must be slow, because I have never considered that the glowing rod was used to cauterize the wound. Makes perfect sense.

[Angelmaker]

When I read the novel I interpreted that whole scene as being relatively short. Elias is tied down, castrated, vampire lord drinks blood from wound, the glowing rod is used to cauterize the wound (not specifically as torture, which is not really implied by the story), vampire lord bites and Eli is released. The events would seem 'endless' to Eli even though of short physical duration.

I presumed the rod was for cauterizing too. So the lord didn't want Eli to die from the wounds, he wanted Eli to be a vampire and must have had a reason for it too

[rgh]

When I read the novel I interpreted that whole scene as being relatively short. Elias is tied down, castrated, vampire lord drinks blood from wound, the glowing rod is used to cauterize the wound (not specifically as torture, which is not really implied by the story), vampire lord bites and Eli is released. The events would seem 'endless' to Eli even though of short physical duration.

I presumed the rod was for cauterizing too. So the lord didn't want Eli to die from the wounds, he wanted Eli to be a vampire and must have had a reason for it too

I've always seen the vampire lord as a sadistic SOB who was interested in pleasing himself and not much else. I think he intended to keep Eli around for his amusement, which is why he hand-picked him and rigged the game. I think this could be why Eli doesn't share the details of what happened to her during this time.