Okay, so I have to admit from the beginning, I am a book snob. I never intended to read the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. I generally stay away from modern fiction, and certainly never read vampire stories. Thank goodness my sister Kate sent me the first three books (via Amazon.com) and since it was a GIFT, I had to read them.
Flash forward several months, and you have me standing at WalMart at 11:00 pm on August 1st. After waiting an hour in line (which wrapped halfway around the inside of the store), I had my copy of Breaking Dawn and was on my way. I started at 12:30 am, and finished at 11:00 am. I have a strange ability to stay up all night long, if I'm reading a good book.
I have to confess that I am a HUGE Jacob fan. All of Edward's handsome, greek-god, perfection held little appeal for me. In my mind, Jacob represents a real man--sweaty, annoying, and impossible to live without. So Eclipse was a fantastic love triangle that had me from the word "go" (or whatever the first word of the book was!). Honestly, in BD I expected to experience more of the love-triangle. I wondered, "How can this end?"
What I realized after reading Breaking Dawn (which had no love triangle, just Jacob as a third wheel until Renesmee entered the picture), was that IT HAD ALREADY ENDED. Bella made her choice at the end of Eclipse. She chose Edward. Somehow I didn't believe her. I guess I just felt so bad for Jacob. I could see she really loved him, and didn't see how she could just walk away like that. But she did.
Some critics of BD complain that Bella didn't have to deal with the consequences of her choices. Not true. Bella made a choice, she chose Edward, and her future with Jacob (as a couple) ceased to exist. The fact that Jacob stuck around despite the constant pain inflicted of seeing Bella in love with Edward was true to form. No offense, but my experience with guys (especially in High School and college) is that they have an unbelievable ability to hope which prevents them from walking away from a situation when all reason and logic say they should. I used to say "With guys, hope is like cockroaches. You have to kill every last one or it will multiply and come back to haunt you."
It seems clear to me that the story was always about Bella and Edward. It started as a dream about them (in the meadow), and the questions were "How did they get here?" and "How will this end?" Jacob was never more than a minor character whose role grew (I remember an inverview/FAQ or something where Stephenie mentioned her editor liked Jacob and wanted to see more of him). His part was to offer Bella another choice so she would really know what she was missing. Little did she know Jacob would be such a major character that we all would grow to love--and that some of us would prefer to Edward!
Stephenie also mentioned in an interview that in New Moon, Edward had to leave so Bella would know what her life would be without Edward. She had to really understand the price of each choice before she made it. But it's like the end was already decided--Bella had already chosen Edward, but we all had to go with her on the journey of getting there.
Okay, so I'll admit my next opinion comes directly from my own life. Bella and Edward were meant for each other. The fact that she chose Edward says nothing about Jacob. It wasn't that he wasn't enough, it's that he wasn't "the one." I look back at all the poor guys I dated when I was a very young and very silly person. They were all fantastic (in their own ways). And some of them really cared for me. But none of them ever had a chance. Not because they weren't smart enough or good looking enough or talented enough. Not because I didn't truly like them (and sometimes love them). But because once my husband Sam walked into my life, it was over. Nobody else stood a chance, because for me, he was "the one."
I do admit that I hoped for a different ending for Jacob. It's all fine that Bella got pregnant and had a baby, that could have still happened just fine without Jacob imprinting on Renesmee. I had hoped that maybe Leah would imprint on him. That he would get to experience the total love and devotion he had offered to Bella, and that it would be irresistible to him. They could have had their own personal pack and lived happily ever after. I don't quite get how imprinting on Renesmee makes any sense, and there's part of me that refuses to know more, even if Stephenie Meyer does write another book. But, knowing me, I'll probably be first in line. . .
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Why Jacob Never Had A Chance
Okay, so I have to admit from the beginning, I am a book snob. I never intended to read the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. I generally stay away from modern fiction, and certainly never read vampire stories. Thank goodness my sister Kate sent me the first three books (via Amazon.com) and since it was a GIFT, I had to read them.
Flash forward several months, and you have me standing at WalMart at 11:00 pm on August 1st. After waiting an hour in line (which wrapped halfway around the inside of the store), I had my copy of Breaking Dawn and was on my way. I started at 12:30 am, and finished at 11:00 am. I have a strange ability to stay up all night long, if I'm reading a good book.
I have to confess that I am a HUGE Jacob fan. All of Edward's handsome, greek-god, perfection held little appeal for me. In my mind, Jacob represents a real man--sweaty, annoying, and impossible to live without. So Eclipse was a fantastic love triangle that had me from the word "go" (or whatever the first word of the book was!). Honestly, in BD I expected to experience more of the love-triangle. I wondered, "How can this end?"
What I realized after reading Breaking Dawn (which had no love triangle, just Jacob as a third wheel until Renesmee entered the picture), was that IT HAD ALREADY ENDED. Bella made her choice at the end of Eclipse. She chose Edward. Somehow I didn't believe her. I guess I just felt so bad for Jacob. I could see she really loved him, and didn't see how she could just walk away like that. But she did.
Some critics of BD complain that Bella didn't have to deal with the consequences of her choices. Not true. Bella made a choice, she chose Edward, and her future with Jacob (as a couple) ceased to exist. The fact that Jacob stuck around despite the constant pain inflicted of seeing Bella in love with Edward was true to form. No offense, but my experience with guys (especially in High School and college) is that they have an unbelievable ability to hope which prevents them from walking away from a situation when all reason and logic say they should. I used to say "With guys, hope is like cockroaches. You have to kill every last one or it will multiply and come back to haunt you."
It seems clear to me that the story was always about Bella and Edward. It started as a dream about them (in the meadow), and the questions were "How did they get here?" and "How will this end?" Jacob was never more than a minor character whose role grew (I remember an inverview/FAQ or something where Stephenie mentioned her editor liked Jacob and wanted to see more of him). His part was to offer Bella another choice so she would really know what she was missing. Little did she know Jacob would be such a major character that we all would grow to love--and that some of us would prefer to Edward!
Stephenie also mentioned in an interview that in New Moon, Edward had to leave so Bella would know what her life would be without Edward. She had to really understand the price of each choice before she made it. But it's like the end was already decided--Bella had already chosen Edward, but we all had to go with her on the journey of getting there.
Okay, so I'll admit my next opinion comes directly from my own life. Bella and Edward were meant for each other. The fact that she chose Edward says nothing about Jacob. It wasn't that he wasn't enough, it's that he wasn't "the one." I look back at all the poor guys I dated when I was a very young and very silly person. They were all fantastic (in their own ways). And some of them really cared for me. But none of them ever had a chance. Not because they weren't smart enough or good looking enough or talented enough. Not because I didn't truly like them (and sometimes love them). But because once my husband Sam walked into my life, it was over. Nobody else stood a chance, because for me, he was "the one."
I do admit that I hoped for a different ending for Jacob. It's all fine that Bella got pregnant and had a baby, that could have still happened just fine without Jacob imprinting on Renesmee. I had hoped that maybe Leah would imprint on him. That he would get to experience the total love and devotion he had offered to Bella, and that it would be irresistible to him. They could have had their own personal pack and lived happily ever after. I don't quite get how imprinting on Renesmee makes any sense, and there's part of me that refuses to know more, even if Stephenie Meyer does write another book. But, knowing me, I'll probably be first in line. . .
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