Nitty Gritty: Bella

I'd love to get some discussions going about some of the criticisms leveled at the Twilight series and the characters therein. I thought we could start with:

Bella Swan, our heroine.

I'm going to list some of the criticisms I've heard, and my opinion of them. Feel free to comment on them, or share your own criticisms.

1. Bella is shallow; she only likes good-looking people. Her relationship with Edward is based solely on her opinion of his looks.

My comment: The fact that Bella describes people in positive and negative terms doesn't make her shallow. Saying that someone has "bad skin" isn't a nasty, shrewish criticism, it's a fact. She's 17. Many teenagers, boys and girls, are very concerned with appearances. (Add to that, she's the narrator, so if she didn't ever describe anyone, we wouldn't know what anyone looks like.) Edward's looks do play a huge role in her initial attraction to him, but how is that abnormal or bad?

2. Bella is rude and spoiled, especially where her parents are concerned.

My comment: I've never gotten this one. She calls the father she barely knows by his first name sometimes: how terrible. She calls the irresponsible, scatterbrained mother she's practically raised by her first name: rudeness beyond compare. She complains about moving to Forks: again, not seeing it. This is one I really think is reaching. I've never known a teenager to be 100% respectful and polite 100% of the time, especially in their private thoughts (which is what we're getting with Bella's narration). Nope, I think Bella handles the adults in her life pretty well, considering how they've handled her.

3. Bella is a bad friend who only likes people when it is convenient.

I imagine this criticism extends to three people: Mike, Angela, and Jessica. Certainly Bella's post-breakup breakdown in New Moon isn't really conducive to good friendship, but other than that, I'm not sure. Bella seems to be an introvert who doesn't make close friends easily, and her friendship is taken up with Alice and Edward himself. I think Bella and Angela are fairly good friends throughout. Mike and Jessica were never really her friends to begin with, so I discount them.

4. Bella's acceptance of Edward's treatment of her is tantamount to condoning abuse.

Ah, here it is. The primary reason some people are screaming for this series to be banned, burned, or whatever you do with books you think no one should be allowed to read. I've read this series several times, and I have to say it: I don't believe Bella and Edward have an abusive relationship. Each of them make mistakes, but that happens. No one enters their first serious relationship and performs perfectly. Edward does cross the line into controlling during Eclipse, but recognizes his mistake. Unfortunately, I think too many read things into this relationship that simply aren't there.

If you have time, leave a comment below!

-Deb

What happens next?

As much as I loved the ending to the series, I can't help but wonder what will happen next.

Bella has made the transition from human to vampire as seamlessly as possible, I think. She has adapted to vampirism so well, at least in part, because she essentially has given nothing up. Her transition was all gain. She has the child she didn't even know she wanted (who will be fully mature and virtually invulnerable in an astonishingly short time), her husband, and she gets to keep her family in her life, at least to a limited degree.

What will happen to Bella when the reality of vampire life sinks in? Although she and Edward should always have each other, Bella has never been all about Edward, despite criticism to the contrary. Charlie, Renee, Jacob, even her high school acquaintences have always been concerns for her. What happens if Renee gets hit by a car and is paralyzed? Or Charlie gets cancer? Will Bella still be "Bella" and try to fix everything by turning one or the other of them?

Let's say nothing like that happens: how will Bella deal with it when everyone she knows and loves dies? Or, more immediately, when they finally do have to leave Forks? Even with Charlie's limited knowledge and acceptance, they can't stay in Forks forever. Will Bella be able to deal with watching everyone around her grow old and die?

The Vampire Bella

One of the things I really liked about Breaking Dawn was the ending section, after Bella becomes a vampire. I've understood that Bella's unique affinity for vampire life and her special power have become a source of criticism for some readers, who believe her ease in adjusting to vampire life was too "pat" and made for less drama then they wanted from the end of the saga.

I have to say, the main thing I loved about Breaking Dawn was the transformation of Bella. I think her strength and power was foreshadowed throughout the series, so I have no problem with her being an amazingly strong shield. I also didn't have a problem with her self-control; she was the only one of all of them who was prepared for her life as a vampire beforehand, so she was able to temper her natural instincts with thought.

I think Bella was always destined to become a vampire. Edward was 100% wrong: he wasn't some aberration who showed up and ruined her life, he was the one who was destined to bring her into the life she was always meant for.

I'm interested to see what others think.