His Golden Eyes :: Thoughts of a college guy who was forced to read twilight :)

nathanbrisk · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 3:12 pm

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

So I read Twilight, and I am surprised that it is so popular.

I am completely troubled by the fact that Bella and Edward’s relationship is supremely and completely based upon aesthetics. I was surprised at it really! It seems that women criticize men for only focusing on looks (which I do not believe is the reality of the situation), but the beau of this book stands only upon his looks! His character qualities (as well as hers, for that matter) are ugly! He is arrogant, commanding, angry, and stalker-ish. The book does not hide the fact that she is mesmerized, captivated, and helplessly in love with him based solely upon his appearance. There isn’t a time that they converse that Bella does not think on his eyes, muscles, smile, or face. This shallowness also went the other way! He didn’t like her for her personality but was drawn to her for a reason he didn’t know. Noting how popular this book is to women opened my eyes a little to the power looks can have over them (though they seem to downplay it).

I was simply struck at how shallow their relationship was. All they ever did was fight when they weren’t in awe of each other.

The book was very dark. The whole book consisted of Edward’s homicidal tension. It was much like sexual tension except for the meat of the tension was Edward’s desire to murder Bella. The problem was also that Bella didn’t help him fight his temptation. She was in love with him and intimated to him many times that she didn’t really mind if he drank all her blood. She was under his spell when he didn’t necessarily want her to be.

My main problem with the story was the darkness, but the close runner-up was the defense of letting love override one’s better judgment. On Edward’s side–the story was about a vampire fighting his nature. On Bella’s side–the story was about abandoning all her better judgment to be with the most beautiful person she’d ever seen.

In short, the book was a case study in destructive relationships.

Bella ends up lying to everyone and hurting her family all for the beautiful lie.

I’m just glad that the girls are reading Boy Meets Girl in turn. Hopefully it’ll dispel some of the romanticization of the shallow, fake, dangerous, stupid love in Twilight (which is not love).

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TravisCullen · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:14 am

that's very true.

their relationship was always very boring too.

i don't like the fact that they're so in love so quickly and she doesn't care one bit that he's a vampire who wants to rip into her jugular.

and him watching her sleep... hm.

But, yes, i completely agree with your views on it.
they're always checking each other out, their conversations aren't even very deep.

you should read Heart's Delight, it's a really really good short little novel.

Vampiregirl · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 5:45 pm

You're all wrong:P Edward really likes bella because of the way she smells and the way she can hide her thoughts, and of course her looks. daw, what man would'nt fint something beautiful about the girl he totally admires? If you analyse the metaphores in the book you can get a whole new view of it. You can see edward as a human, exept that his fealings are too strong. you found out that him wanting her blood is a way to explain sexappeal, but do you get the rest? like the mind thing and the smell? :P

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nathanbrisk · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:22 pm

The meat of the tension was due to Edward stating how dangerous he was to Bella and going after her anyway. There is nothing good about this concept!

twitina · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:19 pm

nathan -
You should take a look at stepheniemeyer.com. Check out the chapters of Midnight Sun. They describe Edward's side of the story. In reality, he didn't think she was more than average at first. Only after getting more involved did he decide she was beautiful. Probably healthier than Bella's perception of him - which is just what it was, perception. People do tend to think of someone they love as perfect and beautiful, even when others don't see it. I guess it didn't bother me as much, because I viewed Bella as a teenager who didn't have a lot of life experience. I liked Breaking Dawn best because both characters are forced to mature.

The meat of it for Edward was making very difficult choices, not giving in to his base nature.

Dardur;]] · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:16 pm

I haven't interpreted it like that. There's more to it than just looks.
do you truly believe that he would go kill himself if he was just atractted to her?
and it's not just the way she smells or her hidden thoughts. he loves her because she's sensitive and sweet, because she thinks about everyone else before herself.. it is way more powerfull than that if you ask me.
a relationship based upon looks could never last so long.
I don't think he is arrogant or commanding. he's the one who always say she overestimates him.
he's not commanding, angry or whatever. he's just a serious type of person, he gets a bit crazed when he knows she's in danger, overprotective. he overreacts sometimes but it's all from a good intention.
he's a vampire who loves her so profoundly in spite of his atraction to her blood. he's brilliant and caring, sweet and witty. I don't think the word shallow has something to do with all that.

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brunettegirl · Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:27 am

Where to begin?
Is she a bit immature in the first book sure. A bit rash, yes.
I believe most people are attracted to their significant other visually before they are attracted to their personality and mind. There has to be a healthy dose of both the"superficial" attraction as well as the other.

You do realize erotica is the female version of *beep* basically right. To me the books aren't sexually erotic really. He likes her because she is sensitive, unpredictable, intelligent, selfless, and smells better than anyone else (which means more to him than you or I).......

He hardly ever is even angry with her never mind a control freak and everything. Everything he does is for her safety and his love for her.

She is attracted to him immediately because he "dazzles" her, he is mature, intelligent, intense, and probably because he is dangerous.

BTW, it is about Vampires of course it will be a bit dark!!

She tries throughout all the books to not hurt anyone!! Her ultimate goal is to be with Edward without hurting anyone......even her shallow high school friends. She always feels guilty for trying to be happy. Everyone deserves happiness!!!!

Everyone should be as lucky as Bella.....yeah,yeah it's fictional..........

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Last edited by brunettegirl on Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Vampiregirl · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:07 pm

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love...

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nathanbrisk · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:21 pm

Dardur;]] wrote:

. . . she's sensitive and sweet, because she thinks about everyone else before herself . . .
. . .I don't think he is arrogant or commanding . . .

We'll agree to disagree :)

brunettegirl · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:50 pm

I couldn't agree with Dardur more!! What he says about the characters is exactly right.
Nathanbrisk you need to have more of a response than just 'I disagree'. I'm not looking for a fight or anything but there isn't even a debate here if you can't defend your position.

I must say he is a bit of a stalker in the beginning.....

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"Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt,sing like no one is listening,and live like it's heaven on earth."
William Purkey
amanda

azelauskas · Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 6:40 am

Edward is hot and sensative stop arguring!!! lol just kidding Cool

Okay, this is in my opinion.. of course

i honestly didnt get edward's falling in love with bella at all untill i read midnight sun. in my perspective it went... first sight, hate, like, then love. It was all, BAM BAM BAM BAM! Did you notice that the baseball scene was only 1 day after the clearing scene? its all awefully quick.

If you do read midnight sun on stephenie's site... omg it cleared up everything. It showed how he was nearly inches from ripping her throat out, but he didnt. then he just thinks it over and slowly does wind up falling for her. (it is slowly because he sneaks in her house at night, and he also spends that time in Alaska, and ignoring her after the "crash" in the parking lot).

I think both of them were kind of stalkerish in the beginning, but it all turns out the same... true love, against all odds

Rachelll · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 12:39 am

Hmmm I dont know about that.
I mean there are other things than just smell right?
Edward tells her other stuff that he loves about her.
But I guess i could see how you could come to that conclusion.
I still like their "relationship" though.
=)

ed1918 · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:44 am

what an interesting topic,this has been going through my mind as well but just in case you haven't noticed the vast majority or our society are attracted to one another based soely on looks, though it seems that the nature of their relationship is explored more in the books that follow the first, well to each their own i suppose

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pinkaquaclouds · Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 3:42 am

I don't think it would matter what they look like or who they were really. They were drawn to each other at first glance. When I read it was like trying to keep to magnets apart. They are polar opposites but they attract each other.
His beauty failed in comparison to how they actually felt towards one another.

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Eos · Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 9:21 pm

I think you bring up some really good points but I also think some of them really do filter into that "men are from mars etc. " thing. I'm not saying you don't understand, far from it. There are just some things in Twilight that have double meanings and quite possibly make sense to the female mind more than the male.

I totally understand where you're coming from in respects to how fast they seemed to fall in love and the irrational connection that forms even when death is the main obstacle. However, after finishing the book I went back to reflect on it and I can explain what I read between the lines. Maybe it will help you understand why females love these books so much.

First and foremost, the concept of "death" in this book relates and substitutes for sex. It doesn't seem to makes sense on every level so I can only tell you that as a woman, that's what I got from it. It's the same primal lust and desire. It's also something beyond control when it starts so you can see how connections can be formed. I think Mrs. Meyer even went over this a little bit in an interview somewhere.

The fast pace of the relationship is also driven by primal desires. In this case, not the desire to kill but the chemical connection between the two characters. It's very primal and utterly unrealistic in this day and age but it plays into that part of out brain that still recognizes those urges. After all, scientifically humans are drawn to each other by factors we don't even consciously take into account. Scent being one of them although not to this degree.

As for the fact that every other sentence Bella utters is about Edwards looks, there's a reason for that too. Part of it is to establish that in being "perfect" he is ultimately the most dangerous thing in her life. It's meant to show you that no matter what, he draws her in. How did Meyer put it? He's the perfect predator. It also serves many minor purposes like showing us how vampires are different from humans and how Edward is about as opposite as it gets when you look at his character vs his looks.

As for the relationship in itself. Bella reads pretty shallow but I think Meyer was trying to show us that she was always meant to be with Edward. She basically grows into herself in the last book. However, I will say that it's super hard to pick up on that in the first book. The first three are hard actually. I can only imagine it really is a gender thing but who knows. I might be reading things that aren't there. XD
That's my take.