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A movie version of "New Moon," the second and, arguably, most obnoxious, of the "Twilight" series is set to be released at midnight, and it got me to thinking - just what are Twi-hard teen fans learning from this cultural phenomenon? Are they just silly romantic fantasy novels? Or is Edward Cullen a more sinister hero than is healthy in a teen fiction book?
I've read all four "Twilight" books, and while I could complain about a number of problems (bad prose, for one, and the "Mary Sue" nature of the main character, Bella), I'm not going to go into a deep literary criticism of silly teen romance novels. The books are a quick read and a relatively enjoyable one - like super-sugary candy for your brain. Yes, there are many, many, many things that don't exactly make sense in the books. (For example, why do the vampires keep going to high school? Aren't there more interesting things to do? I know that if I were 100 years old and looked like a 17-year-old hottie, I would not be hanging around the high school.)
Heck, I could even discuss the theme of teen abstinence in "Twilight," but I'll refrain from that, too. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that the main characters don't hop into bed together once they realize they're in love.
No, my problem has to do with Bella's behavior in "New Moon." (Spoiler alert!)
The first book, "Twilight," told the story of 17-year-old Bella falling in love with Edward Cullen, a brooding vampire who was born in 1901 and turned into a vampire when he was 17, during the Spanish Flu epidemic. In "New Moon," Bella and Edward are getting settled into a nice routine when, on Bella's 18th birthday, Edward's "brother" nearly snacks on Bella when she cuts her finger. Edward decides that he is too dangerous for Bella and leaves town, leaving Bella all angsty and heartbroken. Pretty decent start to a story about star-crossed lovers, right?
But here's where it gets really objectionable. When Edward leaves, Bella completely falls apart emotionally - for months. He leaves, and she lays down in the woods, forcing her friends and family to search for her. She then spends months brooding, emotionally dead to the world, before she is finally brought out of her angsty stupor when she realizes that when she does dangerous things, she hears Edward's voice in her head telling her not to do anything stupid. She meets up with Jacob Black (who is part of an American Indian tribe where boys can turn into wolves), who helps her learn how to ride a motorcycle. She then dives off a flippin' cliff to hear Edward's voice and nearly dies. Edward thinks she does die, so then he tries to kill himself (which is kind of difficult for vampires). It's sort of Romeo & Juliet, actually.
I have a few issues.
1. Bella having a complete emotional shutdown over a boy - for months. Dramatic much? Of course, a 20-, 30- or 40-something who reads these books will know that months in a zombie-like state over a lost lover is completely ridiculous. I don't care if he is your one true love - GET. OVER. IT. There's obviously a real problem with any 18-year-old who would react that dramatically to her boyfriend breaking up with her. She obviously needs psychological help for depression and is clearly obsessed over a boy, and instead it's treated in the book as just normal teenage angst.
2. Bella puts herself in harm's way for a boy. That's not a good precident to set in any sense, especially for an impressionable young woman. She's also a perpetual "damsel in distress," and always has to wait around in scary situations for Edward or Jacob to save her. I have news for girls - there's not always a hunky boy to save you. Sometimes, if you want something to happen, you have to do it yourself. You should act more like Buffy (as in, the Vampire Slayer) instead of Bella (the Mope Arounder).
And, the most important ...
3. Edward calls all the shots in the relationship and is frighteningly controlling of Bella. He acts like a creepy stalker quite a bit, including breaking into her room and watching her sleep. Creepy! I'd be freaked out if my husband sat by my bed and watched me sleep - I can't imagine if some guy I met at high school started breaking into my house to do it! It's less, "Oh, how sweet!" and more "Oh, let me get a restraining order! Like, today!" Edward also demands that Bella stay out of harm's way all the time, even after he breaks up with her and skips town! And, the thing is, his power over her continues after he leaves, because she hears his voice in her head telling her not to do anything dangerous. He also tells her who she should be friends with, repeatedly encourages her to lie to her father, drags her to the prom when she doesn't want to go, eavesdrops on her and her friends and gets incredibly furious when she doesn't do what he says. Two words: control freak. Three more: get out now!
For myself, of course, I see these warning signs and I think, "Meh, it's a sappy, silly romance novel, and what's acceptable behavior in a fantasy book is not always acceptable in real life." But I'm 24 and not easily influenced by the things I read. What about a 15-year-old girl who reads "Twilight" and decides that it's OK that her boyfriend doesn't want her to be friends with anybody else because he wants her all to himself? Or that she's dating a guy who doesn't let her do things she wants to do because they're dangerous? "He's just being protective, like Edward Cullen," she might say, when really her boyfriend is exhibiting some of the most important signs of dating abuse.
FYI, some of the signs of dating abuse in teens are listed here, and include:
- isolation
- emotional issues
- jealousy issues
- the need to impress and
- making excuses for him.
If Bella were my daughter, I'd be on the horn to the National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline ASAP. (Their number, by the way, is 866-331-9474.
So, what's the deal? Am I overreacting to a silly flash-in-the-pan book and movie series, or should we be concerned about just what teen girls are gleaning from "Twilight"? Let me know what you think!!!
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