Twilight’s Bella Ruined The Book For Me
Posted by: Catherine Strawn
Filed in:
news
3:30PM, Wednesday November 19th 2008
“Twilight” fans, you’re probably not going to like what I have to say about the book, but I’m okay with that—just don’t get too angry.
Twilight disappointed me. The story was pretty captivating—I definitely didn’t want to put the book down—but Bella made feel sad. Here’s why…
During the first half of Twilight, author Stephenie Meyer sets Bella up as a girl who had always been a bit of an outcast. She’s a bookish type who has her own life going on, her own interests. She doesn’t care about going to the homecoming dance. She doesn’t mind driving an old truck. And she certainly isn’t as boy-crazed as the other girls who go to school with her. But then, in the second half of the book, all Bella can talk and think about is Edward. She seems clingy and needy and desperate. When she finds out about how one becomes a vampire, she won’t stop pestering Edward to make her one. I started worrying about her—what happened to the independent girl? She fell in love, of course. And if Bella leaves her human life behind to be with Edward, she will have to give up everything. She doesn’t see that, though, because all she can see is Edward.
I had a boyfriend when I was in high school. Of course, I thought I was totally in love with him and abandoned all of my friends in favor of spending time with him. We broke up after about a year. One year. There is no way we would be together now, a decade later. We both changed, and so would Edward and Bella. The guy Bella fell for might not end up being the man she wants to spend eternity with.
I realize Twilight is a work of fiction. And even if it weren’t, I know I shouldn’t get mad at Bella for making the same mistake most of us made when we were first in love. I just hope she doesn’t end up becoming a vampire as the series continues. That would be more permanent and horrible than having a Billy Bob tattoo on your arm after you’ve broken up with Billy Bob—mostly because it might give tween and teen readers the idea that giving up your entire life for a boy is okay. And we can’t have that. After reading about Edward, they probably already think that all guys are as dashing and dreamy as he is, which is hardly the case.
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Amelia
wrote on November 19 2008 @ 03:45 pm: [report]
You know who also pisses me off? William Shakespeare! Thanks to him, girls probs think it’s okay to stab themselves after their boyfriend drinks a vial of poison.
CaityB
wrote on November 19 2008 @ 03:50 pm: [report]
I agree with you in that I was somewhat let down by the book. Although I do consider myself a fan, I thought the characters would be more developed and deeper than they were. However, similar to you, Catherine, I couldn’t put it down. I read the first one in a day and went out and bought New Moon and Eclipse the next day and finished them within the week. So obviously, overall, I enjoyed the book.
Bella’s obsession did come off as slightly naive. But I think along with vampire world, Meyer intended the love between Bella and Edward to be similar; however unlikely it may be, it’s still “magical.” As she wanted us to believe in the fantasy of vampires, she wanted us to believe that Edward and Bella’s love was truly real, and that it could, in fact, last for eternity. Yay, fiction!
JayCee
wrote on November 19 2008 @ 08:25 pm: [report]
Just continue to read the series. I don’t think you will be disappointed in the end.
Katia
wrote on November 20 2008 @ 12:32 am: [report]
Amen! How I hated these books…and hated myself even more for not being able to put them down (thank god they each only took a day to read). I hated Edward the Stalker. I hated Bella’s obsession with Edward. I hated Jacob’s obsession with Bella. And I HATED the name Reneesme. I loathed this series and yet I could not stop reading. Somebody PLEASE explain that to me? It was like cheap literary heroin and I was Stephenie Meyer’s bitch. *sigh* And now I’m even considering reading “The Host”. Clearly I have no shame.
Syrupnhoney
wrote on December 30 2008 @ 06:59 pm: [report]
Katia—
herion is effin right!
I LOVED the second book, I loved how she realized how effing codependant she was and how depressing it all was….and then the stalker came back and was super controlling and ick! I couldn’t help but feel sorry for bella too! I was outraged all through the third book she was so easily and obviously being minipulated in every way possible….grr!!!! she was obviously a depressed little girl that could use some time to grow up before she decides what she wanted to do with the rest of her eternity.
and i still bought the books, read them all and will see all the movies…..i am shameless as well…oops