New Moon
Thoughts Post Chapter 04
I’ve often mocked the fact that Edward and Bella’s love is supposed to be Epic And True, but often I forgot that what I was mocking is presented seriously. So from a serious angle, what is Epic and True love supposed to look like? What is the perfect relationship, the love to end all loves, supposed to be?
Presumably, in any healthy “real world” relationship, there is a level of trust, respect, and balance. One partner does not completely dominate or control the actions of the other (this is a “normal” relationship, not S&M which is a different bag of cats), both partners trust the loyalty of the other and know when and how to rely on the other’s strengths and compensate for or forgive weaknesses. They grow and develop together, becoming stronger and closer over time. It’s perfectly ok for them to have other friends, hobbies and interests outside the relationship.
None of this is evident in Bella and Edward’s relationship.
There is no basis for the relationship. Edward is hot, Bella has tasty smelling blood. This doubles under the “they have no distinguishable personalities” category as well, but that’s an argument for a different time. Bella goes catatonic without Edward – but what is it about Edward that she’s missing? She only describes his purely physical traits; how pretty he is, the sound of his voice, how he’s always really chilly. There is nothing about, say, Edward’s wicked sense of humor, or his ability to say the right things to raise her self confidence, or his loathing for smelly cheeses. What is it about Edward that makes Bella’s love for him more than skin deep? The same could be argued the other way: what is it about Bella, beside her tasty smell, that makes her attractive to him? What is it about the other that they can’t live without? I have no idea.
The relationship is unhealthy and abusive. At first I couldn’t quite pinpoint this as Bella tends to over-romanticize everything Edward does. Edward essentially controls the entire relationship. He holds all the authority and ignores what Bella wants. She doesn’t want to go to prom? He takes her anyway. She doesn’t want a birthday party? She’s taken to a surprise one. Edward determines how much time they spend together (Bella is always asking him if he’s staying), who Bella socializes with (how he cuts in on Jacob during the prologue of Twilight comes to mind), and how far their physical intimacy goes. Of course, it’s all “for her own good.” It’s not uncommon for the abused partner to justify the actions of the abuser. Lets not forget Edward’s tendency to pick Bella up and move her around like a rag doll, his jealousies towards guys who would be better “suited” for Bella no matter how often she says he’s the only one for her. Edward is also emotionally withdrawn – despite all the “I love you” talk, rather than discuss his fears about the relationship like a rational person, he runs off the second he starts having doubts. Edward also threatens suicide, hearkening back to the tried and true “if you break up with me/if anything happens to you I’ll kill myself.” Is this guy really a hundred years old? Bella herself is a dishrag, relegated to the damsel in distress role, her occasional moments of irritation played off for laughs or as unreasonable, and has no ambitions outside of Edward and all his crazy.
… and this is supposed to be the One True Love? It reads more like a potential episode of Jerry Springer.