Elena is a vampire character in the popular TV show The Vampire Diaries. Throughout the show, there has been much debate among fans about whether Elena is a “ripper” vampire – that is, one who loses control and kills recklessly when drinking blood. In this article, we’ll examine the evidence from the show to determine if Elena can truly be considered a ripper.
To start, let’s clarify exactly what a ripper is. In The Vampire Diaries universe, a ripper is a vampire who struggles to control their bloodlust and ends up killing many more humans than they intended when feeding. The quintessential example is Stefan Salvatore, who is known to go into uncontrollable rampages and lose all sense of humanity when he tastes human blood. Other vampires, like Damon and Caroline, are able to keep their urges under control and choose when and how much to feed. So is Elena another Stefan, unable to stop herself from mass slaughter? Or does she have more restraint?
Elena’s Behavior upon Turning
When Elena first became a vampire in Season 4, she initially struggled with bloodlust. In Episode 1, she drained a stranger dry and almost killed Matt Donovan later in the episode before Stefan stopped her. This seemed to suggest she could become a ripper like Stefan. However, she quickly learned to control her urges, with Stefan’s guidance. She fed on animal blood bags to avoid hurting anyone. This restraint demonstrates that she was not inherently predisposed to be a ripper.
Control Issues After Turning Off Her Humanity
In Season 4, Episode 15, Elena made the decision to turn off her humanity in order to avoid the grief of losing her brother Jeremy. As a result, she lost her inhibitions and concern for human life. In this state, she did go on a killing spree, murdering a waitress in New York City. This led Stefan to worry she was showing signs of becoming a ripper. However, once her humanity was turned back on, Elena returned to her moral ways, consumed with guilt over the murder. This indicates the slaughter was an aberration driven by her emotionless state, not innate ripper tendencies.
Behavior Under Sire Bond
In Season 4, Elena became sired to Damon after being turned into a vampire by his blood. Due to the sire bond, she felt compelled to do whatever he wanted. There were concerns that Damon could make her kill like a ripper. However, Damon chose not to take advantage of the bond in that way. And when the sire bond was later broken, Elena maintained self-control over her bloodlust rather than spiraling without Damon’s influence.
Control as a New Vampire
When humans become new vampires, they often struggle most with bloodlust. Their appetites are unpredictable, leading them to kill recklessly. We see this with Vickie Donovan, who massacred a bus of people after Damon turned her. Yet while Elena made some mistakes at first, she never went on an uncontrolled rampage during this volatile new vampire phase. This further indicates she does not have innate ripper tendencies.
Interactions with Rippers
As someone who is not a ripper, Elena reacted with horror when witnessing Stefan and other ripper vampires kill. She did not exhibit any bloodlust herself in those situations or lose control. Rather, she tried to stop the slaughter, showing that she has a conscience and moral control even in the face of fresh blood. A true ripper would have likely joined in the feasting.
Tally of Elena’s Kills
To further examine Elena’s feeding habits, let’s tally the number of kills she is responsible for:
| Person Killed | Circumstance |
|---|---|
| Stranger | First feed after turning into a vampire (loss of control when completing transition) |
| Waitress | Killed during emotionless spree after turning off humanity |
Based on this count, Elena directly killed 2 people total. This is a relatively low kill count, especially given one was under the influence of no humanity. Most rippers have a trail of bodies numbering in the dozens, if not hundreds. Elena exercises much greater caution and control than known rippers.
Personality Traits Related to Being a Ripper
Certain personality traits and behaviors are associated with those at risk of becoming rippers:
- Impulsiveness
- Addiction tendencies
- Exceptionally high emotions
- Detachment from humanity
- Hedonism
- Self-control issues
Elena does not exhibit most of these high-risk characteristics. She is compassionate, thoughtful, and disciplined. Her restraint when it comes to blood and her stable personality suggest she is at very low risk of losing control and becoming a destructive ripper.
Conclusion
Based on Elena’s behaviors and personality, the evidence overwhelmingly suggests she is not a ripper vampire. While she understandably struggled with the bloodlust all new vampires face upon first turning, she never fully lost her humanity or went on a manic killing spree like Stefan and other rippers. She displays conscience, compassion, and self-control – traits that stand in direct contrast to the recklessness and callousness of a typical ripper. Her lowest moment – mindlessly killing a waitress – is the exception in her vampire journey, not the rule. In conclusion, Elena has the heart and mind to overcome her baser vampire instincts. So while she may be a lethal predator like all vampires, she doesn’t meet the criteria to be considered one of the most dangerous of her kind: a stone cold ripper.
Discussion of Elena’s Relationships
Elena’s close relationships with other characters also give insight into her personality and humanity. She has maintained strong bonds of love and friendship that keep her tethered to her moral compass. Let’s examine a few of the key relationships in Elena’s life that reflect the depth of her humanity.
Elena and Stefan
As Elena’s first epic love, Stefan Salvatore played a pivotal role in cultivating her empathy, kindness and control as a new vampire. Their romance inspired Elena to see the beauty in life and taught her that vampires can choose to hold onto their humanity. Stefan’s ongoing friendship and guidance has given Elena the strength to resist her darkest vampire instincts.
Elena and Damon
Though their relationship was complicated and messy at times, Damon loved Elena deeply and intimately. As sire and lover, Damon understood Elena’s vampire drives and nurtured the good in her. Their passion never led Elena to spiral out of control; if anything, it gave her stability. Damon’s faith in Elena’s humanity helped ground her own belief in herself as more than just a monster.
Elena and Bonnie
Bonnie Bennett was Elena’s anchor to her human life. The best friend who stood by her before and after she turned. Bonnie’s unwavering loyalty and love helped Elena cling to her former compassionate self even after becoming a supernatural creature. Her friendship with the good-hearted Bonnie kept Elena’s moral compass aligned.
Elena and Caroline
As a fellow vampire, Caroline Forbes related to Elena’s bloodlust struggles while modeling how to live successfully as a vampire without losing one’s humanity. Caroline’s bubbly free spirit and nurturing nature reminded Elena to enjoy life and focus on the positive rather than succumb to the dark side. The two vampires found strength in their sisterhood.
Elena and Jeremy
Jeremy Gilbert was Elena’s anchor to family. As her younger brother, Jeremy knew Elena’s human self deeply and provided a moral lifeline after she transitioned to remind her of her true nature. Jeremy re-ignited Elena’s human emotions and memories when she shut off her humanity, helping redeem her humanity.
These relationships kept Elena tethered to her human foundations. The connections reflect her capacity for love, friendship, empathy and morality despite becoming a vampire. She clung to these bonds rather than severing ties to go on detached, ruthless killing sprees like a ripper.
Analysis of Elena’s Diaries
In addition to Elena’s behaviors, examining her private diaries provides insight into her inner thoughts, feelings and motivations as a vampire:
| Diary Entry Snippet | What it Reveals |
|---|---|
| “I hate that I have this craving for blood inside me now. I despise myself every time I take a life, even though I try to avoid it at any cost.” | Elena feels remorse and tries to avoid killing. Not a ripper mentality. |
| “Stefan has been so supportive as I adjust to this, teaching me to control the urges and quench my thirst without taking innocent life.” | Relies on Stefan’s guidance to stay in control. |
| “I miss my old life. My friends. My family. Laughter. Even the mundane human moments.” | Misses her human connections and emotions. |
| “Turning off my emotions was a mistake. I never want to lose touch with my humanity again, no matter how much it hurts.” | Regrets losing touch with her humanity as a vampire. |
Elena’s diary is the introspection of a conflicted young vampire trying to balance her supernatural instincts with clinging to her moral compass. These writings confirm she is wired for humanity, unlike the detached ripper mentality.
How Elena Stacks Up to Notorious Rippers
To put Elena’s ripper tendencies in further context, let’s compare her characteristics to some of the most notorious ripper vampires in history:
| Elena Gilbert | Stefan Salvatore | Niklaus Mikaelson | Jesse | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Confirmed Kills | 2 | 1000s | 1000s | 100s |
| Self Control | High | Low | Low | Low |
| Empathy for Victims | High | Low | Low | Low |
| Detachment from Humanity | Low | High | High | High |
| Bloodlust | Controlled | Uncontrolled | Uncontrolled | Uncontrolled |
This comparison shows that Elena’s psychology, body count and behaviors are completely uncharacteristic of an actual ripper vampire. While she possesses the basic vampire urge for blood, every other trait reveals her firm grip on her humanity.
Scenarios Testing Elena’s Limits
To fully determine Elena’s ripper potential, let’s imagine some hypothetical scenarios that would test the limits of her bloodlust and analyze how she would likely respond:
Scenario 1
Elena is trapped in a remote cabin with Matt Donovan after a blizzard. Matt cuts himself badly while chopping firewood. The blood triggers Elena’s vampire hunger.
Likelihood Elena would feed fatally on Matt: Low. Elena cares about Matt deeply so would resist urge to seriously harm him. She has control to quench minimal blood thirst without killing.
Scenario 2
Elena comes across a car collision where both drivers are bleeding out with multiple injuries. The blood overwhelms Elena’s senses.
Likelihood Elena would drain victims: Low. Elena would likely compel victims to forget vampire encounter then heal them with small blood samples. She avoids killing whenever possible.
Scenario 3
Katherine Pierce cuts off Elena’s blood supply as revenge. Starving, Elena smells fresh human blood nearby.
Likelihood Elena would massacre humans: Low. Elena would be very tempted but has shown restraint even on verge of desiccation. She would sip minimally from multiple sources.
Based on these hypotheticals, Elena consistently chooses the humane path rather than the ripper path, even in extremes. She exhibits the conscience, restraint and adaptability that ripper vampires lack in the face of blood temptation.
How Elena Could Turn Into a Ripper
Though Elena is not a ripper presently, she could potentially become one under certain circumstances. Here are scenarios that might cause her to turn:
- Losing her remaining family/anchors to humanity – If Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline or other moral supports died, she could spiral into darkness.
- Another long stretch without humanity – A prolonged emotionless period could erode her moral foundations.
- Forced to turn it off – Compelled by magic or sire bond to shut off feelings and slaughter recklessly.
- Losing control of bloodlust completely – A magic hex or vampire virus causes unquenchable blood frenzy.
However, these scenarios would likely have to be sustained over long periods to fundamentally alter Elena’s psychological wiring and humanity. Any ripper tendencies would likely be temporary if Elena regains free will and her emotional center.
Conclusion
In summary, extensive evidence from Elena’s behaviors, personality traits, killing patterns and relationships strongly indicates she is not a ripper vampire. While she possesses normal vampire bloodlust, she has consistently demonstrated restraint, compassion and control even under challenging circumstances. Her moral compass remains intact. Comparisons to notorious rippers like Stefan Salvatore highlight her very human psyche. For Elena to turn ripper, she would need to undergo severe, sustained trauma causing permanent damage to her psyche’s foundations. Barring that unlikely scenario, Elena’s actions define her as the opposite of a callous, out-of-control ripper vampire. At her core, she maintains the dichotomy of a good-hearted human trapped in a vampire’s body. In short, Elena is no murderer, she’s still very much herself.