In my first post I indicated that I am a Twihard. I saw the midnight showing of Eclipse, and loved the movie. After watching Eclipse, I was thinking about Edward Cullen and jotted down my thoughts.
Why do we love Edward Cullen?
Consider this: think of Edward Cullen as a beautiful, out-of-this-world equation. Now, from that equation, take out the good looks and the fact that Edward Cullen is the most beautiful vampire of them all. Let's also try hard (yes, it's a lot of effort) and forget that Robert Pattinson plays Edward Cullen. What's left - a creepy, 17-year old boy who is worried about not soiling his girl friend's virtue. So, why do we swoon over Edward Cullen and think that he is the best thing that could have happened to Bella Swan?
Edward sneaks into Bella's bedroom through the window without her knowledge and "watches" her sleep. And we accept this behavior in this day and age? We find this acceptable when the 24-hour media has us convinced that dirty hands could kill us, sexual predators lurk at every street corner looking for children. Most parents are so afraid that they won't let their children even walk to school or even play in the park by themselves - everything has to be supervised! Do we accept Edward's behavior because he claims that he wants to keep Bella "safe"? Do strong, independent, and bread-making, 21st century women still want to be "saved" by men?
How come we unquestioningly accept that Edward tampered with Bella's car to stop her from seeing Jacob? Seriously, we reacted to this with an “awww” or a giggle in the movie theatre. Does this behavior not remind us of "Sleeping with the enemy" even a little bit? Why was Edward not protecting Bella when Jacob was the only sunny spot in her depression-ridden life? He could have known – he could read Alice's thoughts!
I admire Edward in that he is highly-educated and pursues his music passionately. He encourages Bella to apply to colleges, to get an education, and experience the life of a normal teenager before she decides to pursue the path of immortality. I would question Edward's reasons for doing this, but, let's give him us credit in light of his otherworldly creepy actions like watching Bella sleep. But what about Bella – why is she not thinking about going to college to learn even if she does not want to be a career woman?
I know, I know each one of us are free to make choices; I respect every woman's choice to be whomever they want to be - be it homemaker, a mom (think Charlotte York), or a career woman (like Samantha Jones), or all of the above (like Miranda Hobbes); and I don't judge in which order women set out to achieve these goals (I am a huge fan of Lorelai Gilmore and her accomplishments). But why is Bella not dreaming about going to college or even has any goals besides spending forever with Edward? Later, why unlike any other mom, she is not thinking of providing for her family? Bella performs well at school - its not that her grades are holding her back. Is the fact that the Cullen family well-off clouding her judgment? Do women in the 21st century give up their dreams and goals when they meet rich men? Should Carrie Bradshaw have stopped writing because Mr. Big is well-off? How come in the competitive day and age of the 21st century when there is abundant opportunity for women to pursue what they desire and be contributing people in society, is this basic and most vital rite of passage – going to college and to learn missing from the Twilight Saga?
How many hours have women spent dreaming of meeting a guy who simply "lets" them pursue their dreams and goals or better yet supports them? Countless! Edward scores a 100% here whatever his reasons. But what is it other than good looks and money that attracts us to Edward Cullen and make us swoon every time his name is mentioned? Is it that he doesn’t want to take Bella’s virtue, and this is still in play in a majority of relationships because many women have sex with their boyfriends to keep them interested? Or is it the money? Or do you think it is the immortality – “living” without worrying about aging, illness, accident, or any threats? Is it that we still want to be “saved” even though we are almost equal to men (at least in western societies)? What do you think? I am not sure if Jacob offers a better choice – after all none of the girls on the reservation are mentioned to be going to college either. Would Bella be able to attend college and pursue a career if she desires if she chose Jacob over Edward?
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