I don’t know, but I sure do appreciate her putting in all this work to do these posts this week. Her work was greatly appreciated and awesome!

This Kristina girl sure knows her Twilight… and I couldn’t agree with her more! It’s totally acceptable to assume that Oedipus screwed his mom and then gouged out his own eyeballs, but the idea of a mortal and a non-mortal being in love is ludicrous?!? People need to have better imaginations and much more open minds!

Right from the bat you make my own point for me! Twilight’s romance is completely unrealistic. It does not exist in the real world – and it’s counterparts, the relationships that most closely resemble it, are not healthy ones.

Romeo and Juliet is about lust. So is Twilight, but both are about the persons involved not realizing that what they have isn’t true love. Only, in the case of Twilight, the author is unaware of that fact as well.

I’d never say that Bella wouldn’t have a right to be upset after Edward left her, but it’s her reaction to that upset that disturbs me. Not only that, but the romanticization of her misery is an unwelcome layer of creepiness that I don’t think is good for most teenage minds to indulge in.

As for the ‘unhealthy relationship’, I’m frankly annoyed with the number of people who try to qualify their love through their abstinance. And let’s not forget the mess that was Breaking Dawn – Bella pressuring Edward for sex, tormenting him even after their last encounter left enormous bruises on her body? The fact that she never confronts him on his controlling behavior? Just because it doesn’t bother her doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be an issue.

You have good arguments. You haven’t convinced me, unfortunately, but again, it’s nice to see someone actually thought about this stuff for a change of pace.

Well, let me just say this. You acknowledge that Twilight’s romance is completely unrealistic – hence fictional, and then you worry that teenage girls will romanticize, and I assume mimic, their version of love.

Well, since it doesn’t exist in the real world, I’d say that these impressionable young minds are safe.

Not really, because people often build up their minds the standard of their ideal romance and reach for it. Which is fine, but when your standard is impossible… yeah. That kind of messes you up for a while.

I mean, I’ve seen girls (and this is an extreme) who have dumped their boyfriends because they decided that the guy was a ‘Mike’ and not an ‘Edward’. Which is kind of messed up. The thing about fantasy is that the reader has to suspend disbelief, which is fine when you’re dealing with guys who can leap tall buildings or use magic, etc, but when it comes to human relationships that gets… tricky.

Because lots of impressionable young people don’t know what it’s like to be in love yet, they will build up an idea of it from outside sources. This is where having the fantasy layer into emotions and characterization is a bad idea, in my opinion, ’cause then you start getting girls and boys who think that it isn’t love if he’s not spying through your window at night.

Those girls are 1) Immature and 2)…well, immature.

I seriously think if Twilight didn’t exist, they’d still be idiotic about boys. That’s what high school is for. And when I went to high school 10 years ago (ow), Twilight didn’t exist and they were STILL that idiotic.

Incidentally, it’s one of the biggest reasons I love Twilight – because despite being teenagers, the characters don’t act as such.

I am a harsher critic than you, because I look for plot holes.

[...] The third Twilight project I took on was one of two Plurk timeline backgrounds that I developed for a couple close friends.  The first for Kristina Sanchez, an aspiring screenwriter and blogger who aided me in my Twilight Soundtrack revisited post and author of the popular 3 part Twilight series on my blog Debunking the Anti-Twilight Propaganda I, II, and III. [...]

Oh honey, believe me, I look for plot holes. And I see them too. They exist in every work of fiction I’ve ever read or seen.

You call yourself Twilight’s harshest critic yet you basically disregard all valid criticisms of the book with no real reason to back up your opinion? Please.

Bella exists to be with Edward. That’s it. She has no life outside of him. She has no hobbies, interests, or career goals. I’ve personally never met a person like that, so how is she realistic? Everyone has something they enjoy doing (Bella claims to be a bookworm yet Meyer only shows her a few books and only then to try and make connections to her own lousy story).

And you cannot honestly believe that young girls will realize this is a totally fictional, unrealistic, impossible “romance” (I use quoatations because Bella and Edward are in lust, not love)? Please. What if a 13 year old girl is completely obsessed with the books and her boyfriend slowly starts controlling who she can and cannot see over a period of time? Isn’t it possible that she would think “Edward stops Bella from seeing Jacob but it’s only because he loves her so much!”? Maybe it isn’t likely, but it is definitely possible.

I read a lot and have no problem with just about any controversial topic being put into a book as long as it is addressed. This is Meyer’s problem. Her books are seeping with sexist garbage, unhealthy and abusive relationships, and superficial garbage and she never addresses any of it.

The bottom line is that Bella likes Edward for his looks (though why a slab of marble turns her on is beyond me) and he likes her for her delicious blood and the fact that he can’t read her mind. Being intrigued by someone does not equal love (and believe me Edward, you aren’t missing a thing by not getting inside her head).

You claim to be a critic of Twilight yet you don’t actually discount any of the arguments you set out to debunk. Your rationale is faulty and simplistic. And I know no one will ever read this as it’s almost a year old, but I just discovered it and am very frustrated with your attempt at analysis. Sorry, but it doesn’t work.

I agree with Christina.

It just amazes me how Edward can’t be classified as an controlling boyfriend even though there are plenty of times in the text where it is SHOWN, not told where he is being a controlling jerk. Never is it SHOWN where he is being nice. It is only told to us. I’ll give examples of him being a controlling boyfriend after I give a definition to the phrase.

The Top Ten Sides of a Controlling Boyfriend

He’s Always By Your Side

‘If you are in a relationship where it seems that you have no time to yourself, chances are you have a controlling boyfriend. He never wants you to go anywhere without him. There is no more “girls night out” for you and your friends, unless he is with you. Doesn’t sound like a good time.”

While Edward does ‘give’ Bella time to hang out with Angela and Jessica he shouldn’t have to ‘give’ her time to spend with her friends. He never lets her make her own decisions unless someone from his family prevents him from controlling her.

And whenever she is having ‘fun’ with her friends he’s always around the corner with his Volvo to save her from the ‘dirty rapists’ who want to hurt her. (Chapter 8 of Twilight)

Now it takes Alice and Jasper to prevent him from controlling her opinion in the end of Twilight. It takes Emmet and Alice to prevent him from sucking her blood in the beginning of the book. It takes Rosalie to prevent him from forcefully giving her an abortion in Breaking Dawn.

See something wrong with this trend?

You Do What He Likes

“When you do go out, it is to an event that HE chooses. You may not feel like going to a movie, but it is what he wants to do, for example. Also, his turning down an offer to do what you would like is a key sign that he is not flexible. It often leaves the impression that he does not care about your interests. He may, or may not, but he is not supportive either way.”

When Bella is in Port Angeles for the first time and he ‘saves’ her he forces her to go to a restaurant even though she’d been looking for a bookstore. This can pretty much sum up the whole conversation.

“Drink,” he ordered.

I sipped at my soda obediently

She always does what he wants her to do. Forging her signature to go to Dartmouth, the Prom, the Wedding. These are things that she didn’t want but he forced them upon her. Even if it is logical to want some of these things it doesn’t excuse the fact that he forced them onto her. If a child agreed to being abused does that make it right for the abuser to abuse them? No.

You Do Things For Him

“Honey, go pick up some soda for me.” sounds like a genuine request for assistance. If your boyfriend is constantly asking you to run errands, without including you as the benefactor, this is another sign of the need to feel in control. Instead of “…pick up some soda for me.”, the request should be, “We’re out of soda. Can you go pick some up, please?”. Can you see the difference? WE are in need of soda, simply.”

Very honestly I see nothing that he gives Bella in return for ‘all the things’ she does for him. Her life would have been much easier without him returing again and again to give her another dose of the dazzle.

No Manners

“In the previous example, the “please” was left out intentionally. Your boyfriend will not be polite. He will not say “thank you”, “you’re welcome”, “please” or even “excuse me” to you. It is because he is expecting you to comply with his requests. He also feels as if you should be thanking him for allowing you to do things for him.”

Whenever Edward does say please it’s not polite. He doesn’t have manners. He’s not a gentleman. Honestly what sort of gentleman does this to a lady?

“His long hands unexpectedly gripped my waist, and his foot pushed mine off the gas pedal. He pulled me across his lap, wrenching my hands free of the wheel, and suddenly he was in the driver’s seat. The truck
didn’t swerve an inch.”

“We were near the parking lot now. I veered left, toward my truck. Something caught my jacket, yankingme back.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, outraged. He was gripping a fistful of my jacket in one hand.

I was confused. “I’m going home.”

“Didn’t you hear me promise to take you safely home? Do you think I’m going to let you drive in your condition?” His voice was still indignant.

“What condition? And what about my truck?” I complained.

“I’ll have Alice drop it off after school.” He was towing me toward his car now, pulling me by my jacket.It was all I could do to keep from falling backward. He’d probably just drag me along anyway if I did.

“Let go!” I insisted. He ignored me. I staggered along sideways across the wet sidewalk until we reached the Volvo. Then he finally freed me — I stumbled against the passenger door.”

I hope I’m not the only one seeing things wrong with this situation.

Questions, Questions

“When you can finally break through the chains, and find some free time for yourself, be prepared: your controlling boyfriend will interrogate you when you return. Putting himself in a “father figure” position will install more of a sense of control. Treating you like a child that went to the mall, prior to doing her homework, is the kind of humiliation in you he is trying to achieve.”

Does anything need to be said about Edward’s condescending attitude to her all of the time? And the countless probe sessions that he puts her through because he is unable to read her mind.

No Questions, No Answers

“Unlike the aforementioned subject, your boyfriend will come and go as he pleases, without answering to anyone – especially to you. If you try to question his whereabouts or activities, he will become defensive. The subject will immediately transfer from your asking, “where were you?” to his comeback remark about how you nag him too much, or something similar to that effect. He will ignore answering the question, and make you feel guilty for asking it. This is in hope that you will not do it again.”

Edward is always denying her answers or asking a question in return to her questions. He fits the description quite accurately.

He’s Always Right

“In an argument with a controlling personality, it is very difficult for him to accept defeat. The controlling boyfriend will get more defensive, change the subject, or bring up a past occurrence, when he was, indeed, correct, in order to prove his point with the issue at hand. He may not always be right, completely, but he is never wrong.”

YES! Edward is always right no matter what in all of him and Bella’s ‘disagreements’. She always bends to his will like a rubber band.

Can’t Buy Me Love

“Fools gold has been around for centuries. However, a fool AND his gold have special meaning to the controlling boyfriend. He will buy you nice jewelry, take you to expensive restaurants and maybe even offer to pay a debt of yours. He will say it is because he loves you. Not true. He needs to feel superior to you. You now owe him, in his mind. Who is the fool? To him, you are.”

YES! YES! AND YES! Edward is always buying her expensive gifts and giving her needless expensive things that won’t do her any good. She hates having money squandered on her yet he does it anyway and allows his family to do so not realizing that it adds to her inferiority complex.

You’re Worthless

“Belittling your self-confidence can be have very serious consequences. Making you feel as if you are worthless without him, the controlling boyfriend will prey on times that you may be stressed the most. If you have just lost a job, or if you are experiencing normal hormonal reactions, this is the time he will strike. He wants you to feel as if life is not worth living without him. It’s hard to believe, but his confidence level is actually lower than yours.”

Bingo. Do I even need to give an example of all the times Edward says that he can kill her with his big toe? This is not neccesary. It is also wrong for him to tell her to stay away from him and then say that he’ll see her later in class. What sort of thing is that to say to someone?

No Means No

“This is the most upsetting trait that a controlling boyfriend can display. If he forces you to do things, against your will, he is not in love with you. Whether it is going to a baseball game, when you hate outdoor stadiums, or, even more harsh an act, makes you perform sexually against your will, he is NOT in love with you. Not showing you the courtesy to respect your wishes is not a behavior that goes away. This will continue as an abusive relationship, where you will be treated as an object, instead of a person.”

Bullseye! This is the trait that Edward displays the most. Whether it’s forbidding her to see her friends by taking the motor out of her truck or forcing her to eat when she insists that she isn’t hungry. This is controlling behavior and does not need to continue.

1.Attached At The Hip – many controlling boyfriends behaviour is sparked by their inability to trust. Someone who has to control another always needs to be around to watch what they are doing and to ensure that their partner is only having a “good time” when he is around. If you are in a relationship with someone who insists on always being there and not allowing you any time to yourself, then you are a victim of a controlling boyfriend.

2.On His Terms – if your boyfriend is always making plans without including you in the decision making process, then this is a major sign that he has controlling habits. If he is constantly turning down invites and opportunities to attend events that you have interest in and you always seem to be attending events he has interest in, then chances are you have a controlling boyfriend.

3.Interrogation – a controlling boyfriend is a great fan of interrogation. If you do find a moment to yourself, spend some time with the girls or arrive home a little later than expected, prepare to be asked a lot of questions as to where you were, who you were talking to and why you took so much longer than the average person would. Be careful of being in this type of relationship which usually makes you feel humiliated and as if you are in fact in the wrong.

4.Always Right – regardless of the situation or argument, the controlling boyfriend will never admit to being wrong. This is often also linked to breaking the partner down by making them believe that they are always wrong or doing something wrong. When in this type of relationship, the controlling boyfriend will swiftly change the subject to all the things you may do wrong or have done wrong in the past.

5.Confidence Battering – the controlling boyfriend will be well aware of when you are feeling stressed and a little down. He will use this as an opportunity to “save the day” or sometimes even ridicule you or make you feel silly for even believing you could do something successfully on your own. This can range from social situations to work decisions that you may have made. Breaking down ones confidence can have serious and long lasting effects.

6.Snooping – a controlling boyfriend is usually a professional snoop. He can often be found looking through your emails, sneaking a few peaks at your cell phone messages and even reading your mail. This type of behaviour in a relationship shows his need to control and always be in the know, along with a lack of trust.

7.Isolation – when you find yourself in a relationship with a controlling boyfriend, you will find that he will try and isolate you from your family and friends. This will start usually with general disinterest in them to obvious dislike and will sometimes even try to convince you that they do not love you or care for you and are possibly even out to get you.

Those are even more signs for you to decode and bash.

It such come as a red flag for you when Edwards name flashes across the screen whenever you type the phrase ‘controlling boyfriend’ into google.

There is nothing loving about his behavior.

While many say that it’s ok because it’s his first relationship and he doesn’t know how to react that still doesn’t make it ok.

Are all boys controlling in their first relationships? No.

Harry Potter was not abusive to Cho Chang. In fact it could be considered the exact opposite.

Bella has battered woman syndrome and there is no way to say otherwise.

Let’s see some symptoms of an abused woman shall we?

“DENIAL

The woman refuses to admit–even to herself–that she has been beaten or that there is a “problem” in her marriage. She may call each incident an “accident”. She offers excuses for her husband’s violence and each time firmly believes it will never happen again.

GUILT

She now acknowledges there is a problem, but considers herself responsible for it. She “deserves” to be beaten, she feels, because she has defects in her character and is not living up to her husband’s expectations.

ENLIGHTENMENT

The woman no longer assumes responsibility for her husband’s abusive treatment, recognizing that no one “deserves” to be beaten. She is still committed to her marriage, though, and stays with her husband, hoping they can work things out.

RESPONSIBILITY

Accepting the fact that her husband will not, or can not, stop his violent behavior, the battered woman decides she will no longer submit to it and starts a new life.”

There’s one problem with this though. Bella hasn’t moved on to the third stage. And she never will.

Here on some warning signs that Charlie and any other responsible adult should have picked up in their relationship ages before they got married.

“The abused woman:

* shows guilt, ambivalence, and fear over living conditions.
* feels isolated and untrusting of others, even though she may be involved in the community.
* is emotionally and economically dependent.
* has a poor self-concept (this may not have been true BEFORE the relationship).
* has observed other women in her family being abused or may have been abused as a child.
* feels angry, embarrassed, and ashamed.
* is fearful of being insane.
* has learned to feel helpless and feels powerless.
* has unexplained injuries that may go untreated.

The abusive man:

* shows extreme jealousy and wants to keep the woman isolated.
* has an inability to cope with stress and shows a lack of impulse control. (This may not necessarily appear outside the home)
* shows severe mood swings.
* may have a history of abuse in his own family and may have been abusive in courtship.
* presents a history of personal and/or family discord; unemployment, cruelty to animals, abuse of alcohol or other substances, and other unexplained behavior.”

Edward might not be abusive, but if he wasn’t sure that he’d kill her by smacking her around I’m sure he would be. In all actuality he does cause her phyiscal harm on more than one occasion.

Was it neccasary to throw her out of the way before lunging onto Jasper?

Was it necessary to drag her around by her coat into his Volvo?

I won’t even mention Breaking Dawn.

12 Ways To Tell Whether Your Partner
May Turn Into An Abuser

1. Heavy drinking or drug abuse (especially if he uses substances as an excuse for what he does: “The alcohol made me do it.”)

2. Abuse during the courtship period is a guarantee of further abuse that will become more frequent and severe. Don’t marry him with the belief that “I can change him.” You won’t.

3. Morbid jealousy. This may be a bit flattering at first, but will be a curse later on. You will never convince him that you are innocent of his accusations.

4. Past child abuse and/or witness of marital violence. This happens in some cases. Children learn what they live. Boys tend to copy their fathers. Abused children discipline their own children as they were taught. He may be a “violence carrier”.

5. Inability to handle frustration. If he blows up and explodes at small things, and reacts with a tantrum over minor things, he may act out frustration with violence in a marriage. How he deals with anger is the key.

6. A violent temper. This speaks for itself. If you feel fear when he acts out his anger, that fear is a warning signal. Listen to it!
7. Cruelty to animals, abuse and mistreatment of pets, great enjoyment of hunting for the sake of killing animals could help you to face this question: What makes you know he will treat you any differently?

8. Preoccupation with weapons. They are an extension of self. A person is what she/he lives. If he ever “playfully” points a gun at you or ever gestures at you with another weapon, what could happen if he became very angry with you?

9. Mental illness. A person with an unsound mind or without any sense of moral responsibility or guilt may not be in control of his actions. Does he act in ways that you feel are abnormal or strange?

10. A poor self-image; insecurity about his own masculinity. If he feels compulsive about always being “one up” and dominating and he lives out a macho role at all times, you will be subject to his control and possibly treated like one of his possessions. He may feel he has the right to treat you like his property, to do as he pleases.

11. A pattern of blaming others, particularly his wife, for his problems. If he never accepts his faults and responsibilities when things go wrong, be ready to be blamed for everything.

12. Acceptance of violence as an appropriate problem-solving method. Do you want a man who talks out or acts out his anger?

Edward fits more than 6 of these characteristics. Is that the sign of the perfect boyfriend involved in a healthy relationship? No.

I understand that your a brunette and can picture yourself as Bella because others have ‘known what’s best for you’.

But please don’t say that Edward is nice, even when he’s not, and that he is a good boyfriend. He is a controlling boyfriend and these need to be identified so that Generation Y doesn’t end up screwed up by these books. As much as many people like to disagree, Fiction Influences Most Teenagers Lives.

And by saying that a controlling, potentially abusive, boyfriend is a good thing for a teenage girl you are setting many bad examples for teens.

As for your mother the psychologist that supposedly anayzed Bella and Edward’s relationship, maybe you need to check her degree because if she is indeed a good phsychologist why do you claim to have been a recluse in your youth?

Just because Bella accepts it, that doesn’t make it right!

I must say I am extremely impressed with the argument this blog shows. I have to say that I don’t agree though.

I’m 14, and in highschool. I hope my opinion isn’t disregarded because of that fact. I read Twilight because I’m hugely into reading and was curious at all the attention this book was getting. I have read all four books, plus the midnight sun draft.

Firstly, I have to say it’s not Twilight that I have the most issues with, it’s the other three books.

I read Twilight, It annoyed me that Bella had no personality and Edward didn’t seem to have any character traits except overprotective and controlling and there wasn’t much of a plot. Oh and I thought Bella became spineless after falling in love with Edward and the whole book and all its characters was overrated. I didn’t hate the book. It was kinda a mindless fluff type of book and I realized that.

Then I read the other three books, waiting for character development and a plot.

I’m still waiting.

There are a lot of flaws in the books. Too many to name. The thing I hate most is how it’s portrayed as right. The lust between Edward and Bella is portrayed as love( And don’t tell me it’s not lust just because Edward doesn’t have sex with Bella until after they’re married- you can lust without having sex). I hate that my classmates and friends don’t realise what’s wrong with the relationship in Twilight.

I want to talk briefly about your earlier argument about murder being murder. If you believe that Edward was right in killing people because they were rapists or murderers (Bit hypocritical there- Murdering someone because they murdered someone) then look up arguments about capitol punishment. It’s the exact same thing and capitol punishment is generally seen as wrong or cruel. To reply to your question asking if I had the chance to stop murderers would I take it, yes BUT there were other ways Edward could have stopped these guys such as handing them into jail.
Also, if you’re so stuck on the fact that what Edward did was noble- then why did he stop? Shouldn’t he keep ‘helping’ the world by taking out these murderers? Surely that would be a better use of time then constantly doing school over and over again.

Lesson’s that can be learnt from Twilight (Other than how not to use a thesaurus).

- Throw away your life for your high school boyfriend. Don’t worry- you’ll have a fairytale ending.

-Don’t worry about VCE, that’s not important in the slightest, you’ll always have a boyfriend who can say:

“I’m sure you did fine. Or, if you’re really worried, I could bribe Mr. Varner to give you an A.”

- Unrealistic expectations of teenage pregnancy, because of course your pregnancy will be over in a week and you’ll end up with a beautiful baby girl who can communicate with you perfectly from birth. Oh and of course you’ll get your pre-baby figure back instantly.

- Forget your family and friends when you get a boyfriend, he’s the most important thing.

A giant issue that I think needs to be addressed is the point of love. You could argue that I know nothing about love because of my age., but keep in mind Bella was only just over 2 years older than me when she fell in ‘love’. The point I’m trying to make is that the series focus on romantic love and completely neglects the love of family and the love and loyalty of friendship. Charlie never checks up on Bella and don’t really mind that she turns into something that is not human. Bella’s mother is never called on for support or friendship although Bella describes her as her best friend. The books are full of Edwards family and friends/enemies but Bella doesn’t even have any friends worth keeping in contact with from before she moved. The group of Jessica, Angela, Mike etc were extremely friendly on Bella’s first day- unrealistically though, yet she has no problem ditching them on numerous occasions. In New Moon when Edward leaves Bella is devastated, and she has no strong support network of friends or family.

A really potentially damaging factor is the lack of sacrifice or consequences in this book. There’s no consequence of being a vampire, there are actually an overwhelming number of perks (strong, fast, beautiful, intelligent…the list goes on). Bella doesn’t have to make any sacrifice to become a vampire. There’s no consequence to Bella kissing another guy when she’s engaged for goodness sake!

The superficiality of it all. Bella is constantly going on about how amazing Edward’s chest/ hair/ eye’s are throughout the whole series. Do you think Bella would have fallen in love with some creepy 108 year old human? Yeah right (Probably would have made a much more interesting storyline though!!!)

I know these posts were ages ago, but I do appreciate the intelligent argument and I felt like sharing my opinion.