This book, for me, is a lot like feeling nostalgia for movies that I liked as a kid. It's fun to reminisce about an old Judge Rheinhold/Fred Savage vehicle but under no circumstances should you ever try and re-watch them, or even look them up because you are making an odd 80s reference in your blog. The reason is that the more you learn the less you like. Feeling that pain of sweet memory for an old cherished movie is nice but quit while you are ahead and don't ruin it. Entire Star Wars forums are devoted to how much childhood memories have been ruined* by George Lucas. With Bella and Edward the problem for me is that the more that they talk the less I really want to know.
It's a systemic problem in the book because they aren't likable characters for two important reasons. The first being personality, but going into that in depth would result in me recapping this entire series thus far. I don't feel the impetus to doing that right now. The second is that there are two many times that they all of the sudden switch roles and opinions. Most of the time Edward is all about protecting Bella from danger and other times he's actively inviting her to it. I get that this is the real crux of the book. All of the tension and conflict is going to come into that danger, but if he's so intent on protecting her why does he invite her to meet his family in there isolated house? That just seems to be the worst idea he can make.
Of course that's not Bella's concern, "I'm not afraid of them,' I explained. 'I'm afraid they won't...like me. Won't they be, well, surprised that you would bring someone...like me...home to meet them? Do they know that I know about them?"
First off, they know. We know they know and she does as well. We know this because Edward spent a great deal of time in the pasture in the forest explaining his absence for a week, the fights that he had with his other family members about this very relationship. By the six legs of Sleipnir she met Alice. It is possible however that I'm being to harsh, she's nervous...for the wrong reason but nervous nonetheless, so this could just be an act so she can delay the inevitable. If we take that as our reasoning it makes sense.
It makes even more sense when we consider her actions since moving to Forks. Essentially she's isolated herself from everyone else that has even tried to be friends with her. Bella has taken their generous tokens of friendship and used them merely as means to achieve her relationship with Edward. This was never her goal from the outset but once she spotted the Cullens everything changed. After all, what was really wrong with Mike?
Bella changes the subject, "So did Alice see me coming?"
Alice, the Cullen's Delphic Oracle, can see the future. Yet her limitation is that she is much better at seeing the future of her own kind. This is like knowing the threads the three fates of Greek mythology are weaving once you know, you can't un-know, and the if the future is written** do we really want to see how things turn out? Bella doesn't really care right here, she's just delaying.
Edward's reaction is worth reporting, "His reaction was strange. 'Something like that,' he turned and said uncomfortably."
That's pretty obvious foreshadowing right there. We can glean, and hope, that Alice didn't see Bella but saw something different because of her. Whenever I picture Alice I see her in a white/gray cloak looking into a bowl of water and then prophesying in some hollow voice. What's more curious to me though is if her prophecies are straightforward or like those given in Herodotus. Because for Edward to be uncomfortable whatever she said must have been bad. As though she brings a coming conflict, and yet like Cassandra she's completely ignored. Shouldn't the good Doctor Cullen be consulting his prescient daughter on just about everything? Or, like the time turner in Harry Potter, is this going to be ignored because the plot works better if we don't have the future already known?
None of this matters, because the self-proclaimed intelligent Bella doesn't address his tone or his uncharacteristically sheepish manner as she has relationship issues to discuss. On the other end, shouldn't Edward be a bit more forthcoming with impending doom? Especially since he loves her so much.
He should, but maybe it's his old school mannerisms preventing him from doing so. First we have to establish the relationship, "And you should introduce me to your father, too, I think."
I've said it numerous times already, it makes absolutely no sense for her to keep this as much as a secret as she already has unless my uncomfortable theory is correct. It's important to note that while Bella knows that Edward is a vampire, Bella's father does not. Aside from the usual nervousness about having the folks meet the new relationship none of her actions make a lot of sense. Edward should be understandingly frustrated with Bella about this. His argument is actually a good one, he's her boyfriend, he's taking her to meet his parents (who are all vampires), so why shouldn't she do the same?
Her reaction is to get all mopey because Edward's just her boyfriend. I know what I said last week, but she's moving way too quick on this one. "Just" what more can they be? Since they are living in Washington state, and they both are claimed to be 17, they will need their legal guardians to sign off on the marriage. That should actually be more of a reason for her to push for the meeting with Charlie Swan. Yet there's another issue at stake here, "I cringed at the thought of Edward and Charlie and the word boyfriend all in the same room at the same time."
Oh yeah, she's got what we call "issues." The phrasing of that sentence is all the proof I need. It's not about her having her father meet her boyfriend. It's something completely different. This is just the type of girl I would bring home to my parents.
_____________________________________
*Which of course is complete bullshit. He can't ruin your memory as it is YOUR memory, he can only make new stuff suck.
**Not noting the pun, but rather we don't know the accuracy of Alice's predictions only that she found one of the Cullens wandering alone.
It's a systemic problem in the book because they aren't likable characters for two important reasons. The first being personality, but going into that in depth would result in me recapping this entire series thus far. I don't feel the impetus to doing that right now. The second is that there are two many times that they all of the sudden switch roles and opinions. Most of the time Edward is all about protecting Bella from danger and other times he's actively inviting her to it. I get that this is the real crux of the book. All of the tension and conflict is going to come into that danger, but if he's so intent on protecting her why does he invite her to meet his family in there isolated house? That just seems to be the worst idea he can make.
Of course that's not Bella's concern, "I'm not afraid of them,' I explained. 'I'm afraid they won't...like me. Won't they be, well, surprised that you would bring someone...like me...home to meet them? Do they know that I know about them?"
First off, they know. We know they know and she does as well. We know this because Edward spent a great deal of time in the pasture in the forest explaining his absence for a week, the fights that he had with his other family members about this very relationship. By the six legs of Sleipnir she met Alice. It is possible however that I'm being to harsh, she's nervous...for the wrong reason but nervous nonetheless, so this could just be an act so she can delay the inevitable. If we take that as our reasoning it makes sense.
It makes even more sense when we consider her actions since moving to Forks. Essentially she's isolated herself from everyone else that has even tried to be friends with her. Bella has taken their generous tokens of friendship and used them merely as means to achieve her relationship with Edward. This was never her goal from the outset but once she spotted the Cullens everything changed. After all, what was really wrong with Mike?
Bella changes the subject, "So did Alice see me coming?"
Alice, the Cullen's Delphic Oracle, can see the future. Yet her limitation is that she is much better at seeing the future of her own kind. This is like knowing the threads the three fates of Greek mythology are weaving once you know, you can't un-know, and the if the future is written** do we really want to see how things turn out? Bella doesn't really care right here, she's just delaying.
Edward's reaction is worth reporting, "His reaction was strange. 'Something like that,' he turned and said uncomfortably."
That's pretty obvious foreshadowing right there. We can glean, and hope, that Alice didn't see Bella but saw something different because of her. Whenever I picture Alice I see her in a white/gray cloak looking into a bowl of water and then prophesying in some hollow voice. What's more curious to me though is if her prophecies are straightforward or like those given in Herodotus. Because for Edward to be uncomfortable whatever she said must have been bad. As though she brings a coming conflict, and yet like Cassandra she's completely ignored. Shouldn't the good Doctor Cullen be consulting his prescient daughter on just about everything? Or, like the time turner in Harry Potter, is this going to be ignored because the plot works better if we don't have the future already known?
None of this matters, because the self-proclaimed intelligent Bella doesn't address his tone or his uncharacteristically sheepish manner as she has relationship issues to discuss. On the other end, shouldn't Edward be a bit more forthcoming with impending doom? Especially since he loves her so much.
He should, but maybe it's his old school mannerisms preventing him from doing so. First we have to establish the relationship, "And you should introduce me to your father, too, I think."
I've said it numerous times already, it makes absolutely no sense for her to keep this as much as a secret as she already has unless my uncomfortable theory is correct. It's important to note that while Bella knows that Edward is a vampire, Bella's father does not. Aside from the usual nervousness about having the folks meet the new relationship none of her actions make a lot of sense. Edward should be understandingly frustrated with Bella about this. His argument is actually a good one, he's her boyfriend, he's taking her to meet his parents (who are all vampires), so why shouldn't she do the same?
Her reaction is to get all mopey because Edward's just her boyfriend. I know what I said last week, but she's moving way too quick on this one. "Just" what more can they be? Since they are living in Washington state, and they both are claimed to be 17, they will need their legal guardians to sign off on the marriage. That should actually be more of a reason for her to push for the meeting with Charlie Swan. Yet there's another issue at stake here, "I cringed at the thought of Edward and Charlie and the word boyfriend all in the same room at the same time."
Oh yeah, she's got what we call "issues." The phrasing of that sentence is all the proof I need. It's not about her having her father meet her boyfriend. It's something completely different. This is just the type of girl I would bring home to my parents.
_____________________________________
*Which of course is complete bullshit. He can't ruin your memory as it is YOUR memory, he can only make new stuff suck.
**Not noting the pun, but rather we don't know the accuracy of Alice's predictions only that she found one of the Cullens wandering alone.
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