Why I Like Twilight

If you’ve been following my twin over at Wicked Lil Pixie, you’ll know that she is definitely NOT a fan of the series or movies. While I was reading her posts about what she doesn’t like, it got me to thinking about why I do like the books and movies so much. Also, going to see New Moon twice this week has probably contributed to my thought process as well, lol.

     

I get why some people don’t like the series. From what I’ve gathered, the most prominent points of contention are:

• That Stephanie Meyer has turned the vampire mythos on its head by having vampires that, gasp…  have no fangs and… wait for it… Sparkle!
• That Edward’s behaviour towards Bella is obsessive, stalker-like and controlling.
• That the relationship dynamic between Bella & Edward is unrealistic and a bad example or role model for tweens and teens.
• That the plot or story-line about Reneseme in Breaking Dawn is too far – fetched to grasp.

Well, my “inner lawyer” or “inner debater”, wants to argue these points.

1)Yes, Stephanie Meyer did turn the vampire mythos on its head. So what!?  She writes fiction. Fiction means a fabricated tale and the author has the right to create any FICTION that she/he wants to. Is it that far of a jump for the imagination to believe that a vampire, an immortal, uber-strong being, can bite into someone without fangs? I don’t think so. Is the sparkling aspect cheesy? Hell yes! But does it ruin the story for me? No, not at all. I get where she came to the idea if an immortal is ice-cold, has pretty much rock hard skin or is rock hard, and otherworldly. What do the descriptions of “Ice Cold” and “Rock Hard” bring to mind? For me, a diamond or some other rock or mineral that reflects light such as crystals. But so much criticism has been lobbed about regarding this one detail. It makes me wonder if people just enjoy cutting people down for kicks. Get over it!

2)People think that Edward’s behaviour towards Bella is obsessive, stalker-like and controlling. To my thirty-something-year-old love/battle-scarred, lives in the real world self, that kind of behaviour from a man would come across as all those things. To the 16/17-year-old I used to be, it doesn’t bother me because I remember what it was like to be infatuated, fall in love for the first time, to lust after someone who I never thought would give me the time of day because he was so hot. If that guy had been so into me, then at the time it would have been great. Then throw into the mix the immortal vampire, the otherworldly perfection, the super strong, the amazingly gorgeous, the he saved my life a couple times… well, that would have blown me away! I would have reacted pretty much the same way the character of Bella does.

Let’s take a good look at the character of Edward. He was born in 1901. Back then, men were protective of their women. He was 17 when he was turned and at that point, any “romantic” part of his life was stalled completely. He spent the next hundred years trying to reconcile his new existence, fight his urges to kill humans, and try to make sense of it all. He learned to be a part of a new family of immortals and spent a lot of time doing the things that he loved such as reading, studying, listening to & playing music. He came to the conclusion that he was damned because he believed in God, heaven and hell. Because of his beliefs, he also believed that his soul was lost when he was changed. He also has the ability to read the minds of everyone, and then after so long of questioning his existence, wondering what’s the point… along comes this girl whose mind he can’t read! (There are great details about this at http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0058224/bio )

My point is that I totally see how trying to figure out why this girl, Bella, is so different from anyone else he’s come across in over a hundred years is so consuming for him. He doesn’t ever sleep, so he steals into her room at night to watch her, to try and figure it out, this new fascination. He’s also extremely drawn to her because of her smell, her blood she’s his “la tua cantante”, which means her blood appeals to him more than anyone else’s. He has to fight the compulsion he has even harder. So because of this fascination and attraction they have for each other, they fall for each other. Edward, in spite of being over a hundred years old, is basically no different from a regular 17-year-old in matters of romantic love. That attraction, that first love is all-consuming, epic, and monumental in a huge way. On top of that, he fears he will kill her because of his blood lust, his immortal strength and he fears for her life from others of his kind. So yes, he’s obsessed, but so is she. He’s over protective, but so is she. He’s consumed with her, but so is she. That’s what falling in love for the first time was like. And it’s all magnified for him because of the danger involved. If you all don’t remember what it was like to fall and fall hard for the first time, then I’m sorry for you.

3) On the issue of the relationship dynamic between Edward & Bella not being realistic, or that it’s a bad example or role model for tweens and teens. Give your teens and tweens some credit people! I’m pretty sure that they are aware that if they are reading a work of fiction, that the story is NOT REAL. It’s a fantasy, plain and simple. Pure escapism from reality. It is after all, a young adult paranormal romance. I’m assuming that if someone’s intelligent enough to be reading through 4 mammoth books like these, then you do know that it’s not real. If a young adult can’t differentiate between fiction and reality, then maybe you as a “concerned parent or adult” should be worried about what it is that you’re doing wrong in your education of your children/young adults instead of putting the blame on a book or author!

4) I agree that the plot of Breaking Dawn is pretty hard to take. The whole imprinting thing and Renesme story-line is beyond fantastical. But you know what? I was satisfied with the ending, so it’s all good. It’s a story, just a book.

In conclusion, yes I love the Twilight series and the two movies that have been made. I thought that all things considered, they did a pretty good job of putting the book to screen.I love all the casting they’ve done, but casting Robert Pattinson as Edward? Genius! (Drools….) :p