It's not usually a good idea to watch a movie before reading the book, because nine times out of ten the book is better than the movie. But when it comes to Twilight--Stephenie Meyer's first book in her bestselling vampire series--there is really no harm done in reversing the order of things. This is because the movie is better than the book.
If you don't know the story already, it is about a 17-year-old girl, Bella Swan, who moves to her father's house in the small town of Forks, Washington, and then falls in love with her classmate, the pale and dreamy Edward Cullen, who turns out to be a member of a coven of non-human-eating "vegetarian" vampires. Over and over again, Bella drones on about how amazingly beautiful, how hauntingly captivating, and how dangerous Cullen is--dangerous because, even though he has chosen not to eat humans, he still has the desire to do so; and because out of all the humans, Bella's scent is the most irresistible to him.
In contrast, Bella Swan is the quintessential weak female, repeatedly in need of rescuing--from a car accident, from a group of men in a dark alley, and ultimately from a man-eating vampire. When her life is not in danger, her body is, as Bella is prone to tripping and falling over pretty much anything in her path. Because of this, Edward warns her over and over again (I would say about every other page for 400 or so pages) to be careful, because he is convinced that she can hurt herself doing absolutely nothing. The other thing he repeats a lot is how wrong their relationship is; how it cannot be; and how he is dangerous and bad for her. For her part, Bella fails to spend a single day without questioning her own worth compared to her otherworldly "god" of a boyfriend.
I read a review that glowingly compares Twilight to a soap opera. It's a good comparison that helps to explain why the book is so popular. After all, women do like dangerous men we can't have--and apparently we are willing to slog through 500 pages of achingly repetitive drivel (or waste away in front of the television) to live inside that fantasy.
"American women like dangerous men," my Ukranian friend Olena corrects me, shaking her head. (Olena has a hard time understanding why her female coworkers chase the men that they do).
"It's because of society--and the media," I tell her, knowingingly, before diving back into my borsch and egg log.
A brief Google search of "women as weak" revealed the following post, Why have weak women become cool? posted by candrani in the "Female Ass-Kickers" club at fanpop.com. The premise of the post is that even though strong women were recently in vogue (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer), they have since gone out of style in favor of their weaker alter-egos. The author gives the oft-crying Hermione in the Harry Potter series and Bella Swan in the Twilight series as examples. (Although I myself am not sold on the Hermione example--I see her as a strong, smart girl who occasionally cries, as even the strongest women are wont to do)--I most certainly agree that Bella Swan is the poster child for the helpless, weak female who gets the man of her dreams by giving up her own life. And as it turns out, I am not the only one who has recognized the harmful images of women and relationships portrayed in Twilight.
Meyer has been criticized for weak characterization and I have the same complaint--the characters, and their love, come across so shallow it's painful. For example, I still can't grasp what Bella sees in Edward except for the fact that he's so beautiful, which is pretty much all she talks about.
As far as Edward's interest in Bella, Amazon reviewer T. Adlam put it well: "I wondered what a century old vampire might find utterly attractive in a seemingly average 17 year old girl, besides the fact that she smelled delectable, could pick out a common tune by Debussy, and had a penchant for identifying the mitotic phases of an onion," concluding that "When one really steps back from this novel and looks at the entire scope of it, the true dysfunction of their unhealthy relationship is obviously apparent."
Of course, I'm probably taking things too seriously. It's just trashy fiction after all. And when it comes down to it, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is an easily digestible thriller with a clever story line--a point with which the American public clearly agrees. (Let me admit too that even thought I saw the movie first, I still read the book cover-to-cover. This after months of busy-with-other-things non-reading, after picking up and trying unsuccessfully to read other, more intelligent books.) So, after all that, let me now take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Meyer for ushering me back into the world of words after my long hiatus. (At right, for you purchasing convenience, is a link to the entire 4-book collection plus four collectible prints!)
On a final note, there has been some question as to whether or not Edward Cullen is a real vampire. Here is a post by Prince Darnyx at hellhorror.com (a website which, incidentally, was populated with Disneyworld ads when I visited) that should clear that up for you:
"Edward Cullen is NOT real. he is a fictional vampire that is adored by only ppl who enjoy romance. ...i DO believe in vampires, but if any1 reads this, plz dont become some1 who bites others without their consent. thank u, but dont try to jump from tall buildings or drink other ppls blood."
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