Friends With Benefits

"Fear was lost in stupor; revulsion, in a certain sensuality. Hofmanstahal's nightly visit was no longer a thing of horror, but the soft arrival of a friend whom he wanted to help with all his being and who was in turn helping him. Night and day they exchanged life; and the life nurtured became a single flow and purpose between them. Craig was the quiescent vessel of life, which Hofmanstahal filled every day, so that life might build itself against the coming of night and the return of its essence to Hofmanstahal." Page 5


I had always been at a lost about the sensuality revolving around vampires. Their characteristics of immortality and beauty are appealing, but I could not identify a clear reason why vampires and sex are ofter paired (True Blood, Anne Rice, and, of course, Twilight). This passage offers an interesting insight into the sexuality surrounding vampires and their feeding methods. Craig and Hofmanstahal "exchange life" at night, similar to sex being connected with pregnancy and new life, like how"the life nurtured became a single flow and purpose between them." It is interesting how although this relationship might seem parasitic because Hofmanstahal is using Craig for his blood, Craig says it is a mutual relationship. Craig benefits from the companionship of Hofmanstahal as well as the peace and satisfaction that comes with the nightly feedings. It is as if Hofmanstahal and Craig are FWBs.

Blood Brothers?

“'So – now it is over.' Hofmanstahal's voice was soft; his hands were warm on Craig's shoulders.. 'So it ends – our little idyll.' The hands tightened. 'My friend... my friend, before the ship comes, the men and the noise, the work and the worry and all that goes with it, let us for the last time -'

His head bent, his lips found Craig's throat with their almost sexual avidity.” (118)

I think this quote addresses most explicitly the homosexual undertones present throughout Share Alike. As the two men create their idyllic isolated world, the rules and boundaries of society fade and they allow themselves to form a “strange intimacy” through Hofmanstahal's nightly feeding. Craig thinks of Hofmanstahal very tenderly, describing him as “the sensitive vampire” who brings him “peace,” “satisfaction,” and “fulfillment.” Craig and Hofmanstahal's intimacy grows until “the life they nurtured” in the form of blood becomes “a single flow and purpose between them.” Craig seems to relish the fact that “he was part of Hofmanstahal” and “Hofmanstahal was a part of him,” even calling the feeling “lascivious.” This act of sharing life is “almost sexual” in nature – sex is often thought of as 'becoming one' with another. Vampirism in Share Alike could be read as a symbol for homosexuality; while Craig is happy in his vampiric relationship with Hofmanstahal, he feels a constant guilt over the disgust that his father and the church would feel if they knew of his 'sinful' actions. I think this internal conflict between what feels right and what society tells us is right mirrors those of many closeted homosexuals. At the end of the story, Craig's fear of others' disapproval prevails over his intimacy with Hofmanstahal. As the ship approaches, so do the judgmental eyes of society; unable to handle the “disgust” of the men aboard “if they should see him,” Craig destroys their relationship in order regain “normalcy and sanity” – perhaps at the cost of his own happiness.

Vampire Nature

“They rend and kill, and give nothing in return for the food they so brutally take. They can offer only their very bodies, which are in turn devoured by larger creatures. And on and on. The world is not a pretty place, my friend.”

“Are men so different?”

“Men are the worst of all” (112)

Hofmanstahal’s clever insert addresses the nature of the sharks in the surrounding waters of the shipwrecked men. Interestingly, the nature of vampires can easily fit into this same description. When Hofmanstahal feeds on Craig, he is solely doing this for his survival and out of necessity.

I believe Hofmanstahal mentions this to bring forth the notion that vampires are not so different than the other predatory creatures of the earth. They simply are following the orders of nature and not as vicious as portrayed in legend. However, men do not need to kill other humans to survive, yet brutal killings exist every day for nothing more than personal gain, making them the worst creatures.

Q: Why did Hofmanstahal always have his back toward the moon? Did Craig turn into a vampire?

Are We No Better Than They?

"Hofmanstahal sighed, and looked out over the tossing sea. 'Monster. Always they say that of us; they, who feed off the burned flesh of living creatures'" (Bixby and Dean, 115).

It is here that Craig discovers that his companion is not all that he appears: a vampire. Like most normal people, he is shocked and frightened. He is also appalled that he is taken advantage of in such an intimate and invasive manner. He goes on to call Hofmanstahal all sorts of derogatory things and lead Hofmanstahal to say the aforementioned quote.

We, with our set diets in a modern world, find that anyone who does not follow the norm is strange and should be feared, banished, or ridiculed. Vegetarians, they are ridiculed because they don't want the "burned flesh of living creatures" in their systems. Foreigners eat all kinds of strange things that we find completely atrocious, but they look at us and wonder the same thing. Cannibals eat the living flesh of their own, which is not such a foreign concept in other species. Not that cannibalism should be endorsed, but the main point of this is that we cannot judge others based on their behaviors. Who are we to judge a behavior that someone has been doing their whole life?

I'm trying to find a more formal way of stating this, and find myself fumbling over the words. Who are we to judge what is right? What is right anyways? Who sets the standards for what is right? The whole idea of right-ness is brought up in just this one tiny section and I am left wondering this question.

Now I leave it to you, to let it resonate in your ears: Who sets the standards for what is right?

Share Alike

“Men! Normalcy and sanity, cities and machines and half forgotten values, coming nearer and nearer over the tossing sea, beneath the brassy sky…

Men! Like himself, like his father, who hovered shouting his disgust.

And he, lying in the arms of—God, God, what if they should see him!”

This is when Craig and Hofmanstahal’s long time stranded at sea is finally coming to an end. They have finally spotted a ship and know they are about to be saved, so Hofmansthal feeds on Craig one last time. This is right before Hofmanstahal dies, as Craig pushes him into the water because he is ashamed of whether people should see what they are doing.

This passage very much reflects Craig’s final attitude towards Hofmanstahal’s nature, regardless of their long time spent together at sea. Although Craig is first repulsed By Hofsmantahal when he finds out what he truly is, he soon comes to accept and even form a quite close bond with him as he realizes that this way of life is in his nature—there is nothing either of them can do about it. They come to form an interesting friendship, and soon Craig becomes familiar with and even looks forward to their mutual “symbiotic relationship” at night. Although in the back of his mind he knows that this against his values, he realizes that for the time being there is nothing more he can do, it is said that their relationship became a “single flow and purpose” between them.

In this moment, however, Craig realizes that he would give up all this—this mutual purpose and the unusual friendship that he and Hofmanstahal now share—in order not taint the way that society views him. He fears he will be judged and criticized by others if they see what Hofsmantahal is doing, and knows that it goes against his values as well as those of his peers, and so is therefore ashamed. Although we know that Craig very soon after regrets what he has done, Craig’s actions in this instance show a very important part of his true nature—he cares more about what others think of him than his newfound loyalty to the vampire.

Q: If Hofmanstahal had survived, what would his relationship have been like with Craig once they were back to civilization?

Life at Sea

"Hofmanstahal's nightly visit was no longer a thing of horror , but the soft arrival of a friend.. Night and day they exchanged life ; and the life they nurtured became a single flow and purpose between them." (117)

At this point , Craig has now solved the mystery of his shipmate's eating habits. Eric is a vampire that has basic needs as any human but his craving/ appetite is blood. He manipulates Craig into a proposition he can't refuse because he needs to survive as well. Eric takes adavntage of his size over Craig's and suggests a "symbiotic" relationship would be best for both of them. It is clear that when the, " nightly visit no longer became a thing of horror,"explains that Craig no longer disapproves of having his friend well nourished and satisfied at his expense. However , Craig constantly hallucinates the image of his father as a reminder that what he is doing is very much against his values . Evidently , as the days continue to pass he becomes less and less concerned with violating his morals.

As the story continues , it all becomes a routine and "nightly visits" become normal and necessary to both of them . Towards the end of their survival journey, Craig begins to gain practical / logical thoughts . He begins to question what will happen once they get rescued and what will become of this relationship . It is interesting to see how far Craig was willing to go simply to survive and stay afloat. He tossed out his morals/ values and took matters into necessary action sustain his existence.

Q: If Eric wouldn't have died and they both were rescued would the "nightly visits " cycle continue ?

Blood Donor

“Some say,” he went on, after a moment, “that when homo sapiens and the ape branched from a common ancestor, there was a third strain which was so despised by both that it was driven unto obscurity. (116)

            This excerpt comes from short story Share Alike by Jerome Bixby and Joe Dean. Having survived a horrible sea accident two men become stranded at sea. After a couple of nights pass Craig, a Merchant Marine, begins to suspect that there is something unusual about his fellow shipmate. Craig has yet to see the other man eat and that combined with the fact that he is feeling weaker by the day drives him to the conclusion that Eric Hofmanstahal is a vampire. Eric confirms Craig’s suspicions and this causes him to pass out. When Craig awakens he begins to come to terms with his current situation and the two men form a mutually beneficially relationship. Now more comfortable with one another they begin to chat and Craig asks Eric how he became a vampire.

 One of Eric’s explanations of the origin of vampires is very interesting and would not normally be considered when discussing mythical creatures such as vampires. Usually we relate the conception of vampires to some sort of black magic or religious being, such as the devil, who has malicious intentions towards the human population. However in Eric’s explanation this is not the case. These particular creatures of the night simply evolved like every other organism on this planet not to hurt us, but because they are good at surviving. This puts a thought-provoking spin on the story because we no longer view Eric as an evil creature, but just as another being trying to endure. Also we must consider that this story was published in 1953, a time when evolution was quite controversial. Even today this topic is still debated in educational establishments throughout the country.    

Q: Did the authors of Share Alike intentionally compare evolution to the other make believe origins of vampires?

--Jonathan Virdell