I was never super into reading Twilight or any of
the following books or watching the movies. In fact, I’ve only ever read the
first book and watched the first movie. I don’t even remember what my thoughts
or opinions were on the book the first time I read it. But wow, do I have some
opinions now!
First of all, although I practically shudder to
admit this, I couldn’t put the book down. Yes, I know how terrible it is and
what a horrible representation of love it portrays, but I found myself wanting
to know what was going to happen next (although this may be contributed to my
personality, since I’m usually the type of person who has to reach the end of a
book as soon as possible to find out what happens to the characters). But
whether or not I like to admit it, there is something about the book that kept
me semi-interested. I do think part of it is that almost every teenage girl
ever can find some way to relate to Bella; whether through her awkward
clumsiness or her far-away desire for a dream boy. Bella is a very relatable
character, which makes for an interesting and easy read.
On the other hand, one reason I was so interested in
finishing the chapters was because of the shock/mild horror I felt. I never really
thought about it until now, but Edward is one controlling guy! I found it disturbing
that he followed Bella and ridiculous that he wanted to stay with her always to
protect her. He walked her to and from every single class and was jealous if
another guy so much as thought about her. While some teenage girls may find
that adoration and “love” charming, it’s actually quite a disturbing
relationship if you think about it. I will be interested to see what everyone
else’s reactions were during our conversation in class tomorrow!
I had a really similar experience reading Twilight. The first time I read it, I only got through the first 30 pages and had to restart a couple of months later. But once you get started, it is the type of book that you have to keep reading.
ReplyDeleteTeenagers can relate to Bella. She's kind of awkward but she still get a hunk of a boyfriend, even if he is a super controlling vampire. I also saw a video where some comedians were explaining why they thought vampires went from horror movie staples to teen heartthrobs. To them, the vampire genre best depicted the weird sexual feelings teenagers have. Because they explain everything better and in more detail, here is the link http://www.cracked.com/video_18261_why-everyone-wants-to-have-sex-with-vampires.html
It's strange rereading the book many years later! When I first read the book (6th grade), I didn't notice the controlling/stalker-like relationship. Edward is creepy! He watches her sleep...that's weird.I think he has some serious issues considering what's to come-attempted suicide after deciding to leave Bella for "her own good." New Moon goes on to elaborate just how screwed up their relationship is. Bella is thrown into this crazy depression with the constant attention and control from a man. Anyway, I know it's not a requirement, but since you kind of enjoy reading this book, you should continue to read the whole series and see just how strange (and unoriginal) it really is! They're easy/quick reads!
ReplyDeleteThat controlling aspect is probably what brought up the 50 Shades of Grey comparisons from other class members, and I have to say it's really creepy. If I ever pursued a girl like that, I'd be waking up in a jail cell the next morning. I think other than that aspect, though, this story kind of illustrates an ideal for a teenage girl. Bella is an awkward teen who finds a "hunk" (your words not mine), and in doing so finds acceptance (to a degree) and love. But that love isn't boring, it's an intense relationship filled with danger.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the books, I couldn't put them down either! And I didn't think too much about the stalker-ish tendencies of their relationship. I knew it wasn't healthy or normal, but I didn't really care. I think the biggest thing I'm realizing as I re-read this is how much I took at face value when I read the novel as a teen. I interpreted everything exactly how it was written and I thought their relationship was kind of romantic because that's how it was portrayed. Everyone else in the book was jealous of their relationship so it must have been good, right? I didn't really think about the greater impacts or underlying reasons behind them. I wonder if we would have a similar reaction to other books we read as children if we re-read and actually thought about the messages they are sending.
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