Twilight, Vampires, and Souls

Some of you might think it's odd that I write so much about Twilight when I hate it so much. But the idea from this blog post came out of an AIM conversation I was having with Taya, and then I just had to write about it.

So Taya said that the only thing she hated about Twilight was that Edward had a soul. I was really surprised at that . . . I had no idea (like I said before, I've only seen the movie and read like a chapter of the book). So Taya said, "Well, it was never said that he did, and that's what bugged me. Was that he wasn't evil. Vampires are monsters." And that got me thinking: I'm pretty sure Edward qualifies as a monster (all sparkling aside). I told her so. Her response? "Monsters don't love." Let me tell you something. Edward doesn't either.

From the beginning, Edward and Bella's relationship has been completely based on mutual dependency (in a very bad way) and lust. That's it. They are attracted to each other based solely on physical features, there is absolutely zero connection between them. Bella spends pages going on about how hot Edward is. I think we got the picture in the first sentence. Edward is attracted to Bella based on . . . guess what . . . the scent of her blood. I mean, ew!!. That is not a reason for attraction. Oh, I forget, he also thinks she's "mysterious" because he can't read her mind. Well, I'm sorry, but the only reason that he can't read her mind is because there's nothing in it! Leaving aside the whole idea that trying to read people's minds is completely unethical, I mean, really.

Then there's the whole idea of Edward-as-a-stalker. He sneaks into her room to watch her sleep. That's, like, what serial killers do to their victims. And then, there's the pedophilia issue. Physical appearances aside, Edward is a good hundred years (if not more) older than Bella. Their relationship is completely illegal. Add to that the fact that neither of them are emotionally mature enough to make the distinction between love and lust, and you have a problem. Another thing worth mentioning is that (correct me if I'm wrong) but they fall in "love" over the span of a few days (weeks at most). A relationship should take years to develop. Not weeks.

Now, on to the idea of mutual dependency. There's nothing wrong with being extremely attatched to your boyfriend/girlfriend. There's nothing wrong with being sad at the prospect of not being able to see said boyfriend/girlfriend for a long period of time. But these two take it to a very disturbing. Both Edward and Bella try to kill themselves when they're apart from each other. That is not the mark of a healthy relationship. Bella is clingy and her only goal is to keep Edward by her . . . she deludes herself into thinking that he is what makes her life worth living. Any relationship based on love does not include the idea that you will die without your boyfriend/girlfriend by your side (that's what also bothers me about Romeo and Juliet). And look at Edward's reaction when any other guy so much as looks at Bella, much less the fights he gets into with Jacob. He is disgustingly possessive, and so clearly views Bella only as an object. This dehumanization of women is a huge problem in our society, and I think it's awful beyond words that Stephanie Meyer makes it seem like such a wonderful thing. People who are really in love don't treat their partners like objects. End of story.

I know people who will point to New Moon as an example of Edward's true love for Bella, a validation of the "If you love someone enough, you'll know when to let them go" principle. That's not true. A real example of that can easily be found in the Odo/Kira relationship from Star Trek: Deep Space 9. This is quite different. Edward is acting in his own self-interest: he does not want to inadvertently kill or injure Bella, and then end up in a whole mess of trouble. As their suicidal tendencies after their breakup clearly show, they each think that their existence depends on a continued romantic relationship with the other. Excuse me? Since when did one person, let alone one relationship, define people's lives? I would be tempted to say, "since Stephanie Meyer", but there is a different, better answer. That idea is found all the time in high school flings, which is, when you get down to it, exactly what this relationship is.

Edward and Bella are not in a loving relationship. They are in a lust-based and probably mutually destructive one. It's true that monsters don't love. Edward Cullen doesn't love Bella either. And based on his horrifyingly creepy and disgustingly possessive actions toward Bella, I think there's plenty of evidence to show that he is, indeed, a monster.

So, agree/disagree? *Hides from swarm of rabid Twilight fans.* No, seriously. My exposure to these books/movies has been limited, and I welcome any civil debate. Emphasis on civil, you guys =)