Twilight, written by Stephenie Meyer, is a book that often comes to people’s minds when thinking of the topic first love. Twilight is a story that follows a young Bella on her journey of her first encounter with love. I have never read the book, but I did watch the movie when I was younger. I always hear people say that the books are better than the movies. This is the perfect time to put that theory to the test.
While getting to know the story, I thought it was a bit farfetched that things were happening to Bella specifically. For example, when Edward could not read Bella’s mind or Bella being Edwards biology partner. There are too many coincidences like these to stay believable. It raises false hope and expectations. Since I am more of a realist, I tend to criticize aspects like these because they are not relatable and realistic. ‘’How many adult readers can summon up an image of themselves as teenagers, stretched out on a porch glider, totally absorbed in a novel the whole of a long summer afternoon or staying up long past bedtime with an engrossing book?’’ (Appleyard, 1991, p.7).
While reading this story, I realized my point of view stayed the same. Certain situations, apart from the imaginary vampire aspects, are not realistic. For example, Edward’s almost stalker-like behavior towards Bella. This even came to the point where he stood far away from Bella one second and then saved her life the next when a car almost crashed into her. This shows he always keeps an eye on Bella, no matter how far or close he is to her. ‘’I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my life.’’ (Meyer, 2005, p. 44). The fact that she is romanticizing this idea also shows that she is a naïve young adult since the brain in this stage of life is now fully developed yet. She still is in the ”what is in it for me” stage of thinking. ‘’When an adolescent comes into a situation where he or she can get a reward for themselves, the wise decision is not made and the adolescent goes for the reward. This is also the reason why adolescents take more risks than adults.’’ (Het adolescentenportret, n.d.).
As far as Bella’s character development goes, it is fairly present. She starts as an awkward introverted girl who mostly keeps to herself and ends as a girl who has been through a lot, she is not as awkward as she was and she opened up to people who are close to her, especially to Edward. As we know a lot about her, her situation, her thoughts and feelings and her preferences, I would conclude that Bella is a round and dynamic character.
During class discussions, I realized I was not the only one who found certain aspects in the book unrealistic. We however, did agree on the presence of mutual interest coming from mystery. Bella is intrigued by Edward, the mysteriously hot guy and Edward wants to know more about the only person who’s mind he cannot read. There were also some noticeable problems, such as Rosalie not liking Bella, Edward shying away from Bella thinking she will see the monster he thinks he is and James who is on the hunt to kill Bella. Although Edward’s family, including Rosalie, saved Bella at the end of the story, Rosalie’s despise of Bella is not resolved.
For most of the book, Edward is still hiding his true self from Bella in an effort to protect her. Bella gets in certain situations for being around Edward, for example James wanting to feed on her, so he feels responsible.
There are a couple of notable role models and parental figures present in this book.
- Charlie Swan tries his best to be a good father for Bella, even though he tends to be just as awkward as Bella, maybe even more. Since he has not always taken care of Bella, he does not know how to do this, but he tries his best and, in my opinion, succeeds.
- Carlisle Cullen is portrayed as the hero of the family as he has taken vampires under his wing and made them his children. He is protective of his family and Bella and is a warm and open person.
- Esme Cullen is a warm motherly figure who is shown to deeply care about Bella as she even cooks a meal for her at their first meeting. This is especially sweet because vampires do not eat themselves, Esme has not probably cooked in years but purely does it to make Bella feel welcome.
- The Cullen family can also be seen as a role model to other vampires, because they do not drink human blood.
Although Twilight does not particularly suit the reading preferences of an adult, it certainly does suit young adults. Aside from the relatability, this book makes young adults think. They get to see the consequences of certain actions and it makes them realize the story is more than words on paper. ‘’This notion that literary meaning is something “hidden” in the text can be seen as an extension of the adolescent’s new-found awareness that there is a disparity between the inside and the outside of experience.’’ (Appleyard, 1991, p.17).
S. Kalicharan
Appleyard, J. A. (n.d.). The Reader as Hero and Heroine. Retrieved March 20, 2020, from https://hubl.hu.nl/archive/file/23328
Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight [EPub]. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Sharinna/Documents/Hogeschool%20Utrecht/Jaar%202/Periode%203/Literature%20II/Books/First%20Love/Twilight_-_Stephanie_Meyer[1].pdf
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