The song for this chapter is Writing To Reach You by Travis (suggested by Anita)
[audio:https://twilightguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/writingtoreachyou.mp3]
I felt absolutely stupid when I first started on Eclipse. I took the book off my shelf and immediately started to search for my bookmark (a slip of paper that coincidentally is also my grocery list). For some reason today, I simply could not find the blasted bookmark, and it wasn’t until I had flipped the book over and fanned all the pages for this piece of paper that I realized I didn’t even have a bookmark in this one yet, because I was just starting it.
It was the first mystery I have faced in reading Eclipse, and it wasn’t even in the book. What a wonderful start.
Because I am going straight from New Moon to Eclipse, I know all of the back story right off the top of my head. Jacob is still upset over Bella choosing Edward over him in the previous book. I decided also that as Jacob is obviously having troubles completing his thoughts, it was my duty to play mad-libs and finish his sentences for him:
Bella,
I don’t know why you’re making Charlie carry notes to Billy like we’re in second grade — if I wanted to talk to you I would answer the carrier pigeons pecking at my window. You made the choice here, okay? You can’t have it both ways when Desperado Dave and his posse enlist you. What part of ‘mortal enemies’ is too complicated for you to understand in that crazy brain of yours? Look, I know I’m being a jerk, but there’s just no way around the fact that you’re now a highway bandit with a $10,000 reward on your head. We can’t be friends when you’re spending all your time with a bunch of cattle thieves, bank robbers and highwaymen.
It just makes it worse when I think about you too much, so don’t write anymore ransom notes to my father, or I’ll tell the sheriff where your hideout is.
Jacob
Surely that was what Stephenie had intended Jacob to be writing.
Still, though, Jacob is obviously in turmoil. After all, Bella is strongly attached to Edward Cullen: a vampire, mortal enemies with Jacob because of his species. Think of it as if your best friend has fallen madly in love with the local axe-weilding crazy, no matter how much you try to convince him or her otherwise. This is basically what is going through Jacob’s mind, so I do have some understanding of why he is so much against Bella being with Edward.
I was taken aback by the primitivity of the Swan’s meals. Have they not heard of the greatest invention since sliced bread: microwave lasagna? It is a meal that no one can ever tire of, requires no stirring/pots/smoke, and is ready in 23.5 minutes. It is such the epitome of effortless cooking (aka most college meals) that thieves were obliged to remove boxes of it from my freezer sans permission (as everyone and their cousin has heard by now due to my endless ranting on the situation).
I loved how casual this sentence was:
Afternoons were the hardest part of my day. Ever since my former best friend (and werewolf), Jacob Black, had informed me about the motorcycle I’d been riding […]
Alternate version:
Afternoons were the hardest part of my day. Ever since my former best friend (and green singing frog), Kermit, had informed me that my fly-repellant was ruining his chances of decent dinners […]
I suppose after a while being around vampires and werewolves will become everyday to anyone. Bella has been through so many things in the past year that go deep into the supernatural, so I’m sure by now she is either wondering what will pop up out of the woods next (if I wrote the next book: gnomes) or if it is all a very large dream.
Having been to Juneau, Alaska, I was told multiples of times by local residents statements that confirm Bella’s claim of being overcast 321 days per year. I, however, visited the place on one of those glorious, rare times when the sun was shining o’er the sea with all its might, and caught views such as this and these. Even on those sunny days, you can see that it is properly enough overcast for a vampire to survive undiscovered. And besides that, humans can’t complain about those glorious views.
Though Bella’s grounding since the incidents in New Moon has finally been lifted, it is obvious that Charlie does not trust Edward as far as he can throw him. And I don’t exactly blame him: for Edward, Bella has thrown herself off cliffs, gone traipsing out of town on more than one occasion, and had hallucinations and nightmares on his accord. If I was Charlie Swan, I would be duly concerned.
But the fact is that in reading the book, we have the ability to get into Edward’s head, and we know that no matter how often it may seem that he is a threat to Bella, we know he wouldn’t ever let himself hurt her. This is insight Charlie does not have. This is also one of the biggest conflicts caused in Bella’s mind: for she truly wants to be friends with Jacob, but cannot keep him and Edward at the same time. Bella knows for sure that Edward will never hurt her, but Jacob does not; Bella also knows that Jacob will never hurt her, but Edward does not. It is like moving two positive ends of magnets closer — yes, they can be forced together, but they will always be pushing each other away.
So I see many troubled times ahead. Edward has decreed he will not let Bella see Jacob, fearing for her safety near a pack of werewolves lacking anger management. Bella has proclaimed she is going no matter what Edward says. The trouble between the true love and best friend has started yet again — and on top of that, there is a newborn vampire on the loose. Welcome to Forks.
Question for the comments: If you were Bella’s parent, would you think Edward was safer for her, or Jacob?
——NOTES——
– I am now taking song suggestions for Eclipse! Send in your songs with the link in the sidebar (–>) or at this page.
– I am putting together features of Twilight-inspired bands. If you are a band who writes music for Twilight, please send me your info on this page.
Using mcse dumps and 642-873 sample test, pass EX0-101 exam on first try guaranteed.
201 Responses
Wow, am I really the first to comment? Sweet deal =)
The bookmark story made me laugh a lot, and I’m not sure why. But what an excellent way to start Eclipse!
Ok, absolutely loved you finishing Jacob’s sentences. I’ve always wondered where they were going…did you call up Jacob and ask him exactly what he wanted to say then? I hope you didn’t ask him “what’s new?” while you were on the phone, or else you would’ve been majorly spoiled lol.
You really were traumatized by that lasagna burglar, weren’t you?
“It is like moving two positive ends of magnets closer — yes, they can be forced together, but they will always be pushing each other away.”
^^Okay, are you physic? Seriously, did you know this was going to be a major symbolism in Eclipse? You’ll see…that is seriously scary.
Now to answer your question…it’s hard for me to be objective because I love Edward and completely get the character. But after I forced my mom to read the books, we had a discussion about that and she said if she was Charlie and this had all happened to me, she would be extremely concerned and wouldn’t even let Edward in the house at all. And I could see her point, it’s just that I am like Bella and love Edward so much that I can’t (or don’t want to) imagine why Charlie hates him so much.
Anyway, sorry for the long comment, you are sailing through the books! Happy reading!
Your manips never fail to make me laugh very loudly.
And your obvious insight into Jacob’s brain. I mean, I’m sure if circumstances had permitted, that would have been exactly what SMeyer would have had Jacob say.
Answer to the question:
Knowing everything I know about both of these boys, I would say Bella is safer with Edward, because he would kill/die to see her alive and happy.
If I had known as much as Charlie knows about the boys, which is very little, I would choose Jacob, because I would believe he was the safer choice, mentally. With how affected Bella gets with Edward, I would prefer her to be with Jacob, because, if they did break up, I wouldn’t worry as much about how Bella deals with the pain.
I’m so happy you’re on Eclipse! My roommate is re-reading them, and she’s on about the 6th chapter of Eclipse.
You know, just looking from the outside facts, i.e. Charlie’s point of view…Edward is actually a really great kid. Relentlessly polite, treats the daughter with respect, follows through on promises… It’s the daughter who would have me tearing my hair out. 😉
I would have to say Edward.
Honestly… I would have to say neither one. You know why? With Edward she ran away and ended up with a broken leg and beaten body (in Twilight), when he left she went into a depression so deep she never recovered plus she left AGAIN (New Moon).
With Jacob she rode motorcycles and went cliff diving and came home bruised and bloody half the time.
If I was a parent I would pray that she started hanging out with someone safe and boring, like Mike Newton. But I would say she is happier with Edward, so if it came down to it I would go with that.
From Charlie’s point of view, Jacob is his choice for Bella to spend time with. I think that is clear in the books. Charlie has seen Bella truly devastated due to her relationship with Edward. Congratulations on starting ECLIPSE, at last!
Also, it WAS a shock to hear you discussing magnets repelling each other. Psychic?
I think that your magnet analogy is very insightful…and a little psychic as Heather put it. To answer your question, if I were Charlie, and I knew as little about the situation as he absolutely does, then I would be inclined to feel that Jacob was the safer choice. I totally see Charlie’s point. Fortunately, there’s no way around Bella and Edward’s love. In response to what Shannon wrote: I can see what she means about Bella being the one to drive her crazy, but I think most parents are inclined to blame someone else for their child’s “acting out.” Hence, in Charlie’s mind, it’s Edward’s fault that Bella had that fiasco about running away to Arizona in Twilight, it’s Edward’s fault that she went all “night of the living dead” in New Moon, and it’s Edward’s fault that she ran off to “California” for days without so much as a phone call. But even with all of the crazy things she’s done, it is undoubtedly her zombie status that Charlie fixes on the most. I don’t think he could stand it to watch Bella go through that again…which is one of the reasons that I love Charlie so much. 🙂
choosing between two men that could both kill her hmm…one may explode with anger and knowing bella she would die or be greatly damaged or Edward who has caused her to have so many injuries already…hard choice (and yes I know they do not know about jacob but hey i can dream)
As much as I loved Edward, Charlie watched Jake grow up, he KNOWS him. You can’t deny that specifically as CHARLIE, you’d choose Jacob.
Still, though, he WAS the one who got her into motorcycles. Its undeniable how protective Edward is.
Hey Kaleb!
To answer your question, even though I love Edward, if I was Charlie, I would pick Jacob because he wouldn’t be giving me the feeling like I was his next meal. If I was Renee however, I would choose Edward because she sees how madly in love he is with Bella, which will be explored later on in the series. So, depending on the parent, my choice would be different.
Love the pics by the way! They made me crack up, yet again. You just can’t help bringing up the lasagna burgler as often as you can it looks like. But it was probably one of the funnier, and unfortunate events that has happened since this site was started. It was almost Lemony Snicket worthy… 🙂
Can’t wait till you get farter into the book, and you thought the tension was bad now! That’s all I can say….
-CrazyTurtleChik{JL}
I would definitly feel safer knowing Bella was with Edward. Firstly he is a gentleman being from 1908 hes hardly going to want to jump into the sack with her.
Jaccob has forced Bella into many situations where it was clear she was uncomfortable but because she loves him she did it anyway.
I wouldnt want my daughter with someone like that.
alright well after saying that that was a very funny alternate begining to eclipse I shall answer the question like everyone else has:
I think that it would depend on the parent in bella’s case, if you’re talking about charlie or renee or me myself and I as a parent what would I choose for my daughter? because Im only a few months shy of 16 I might not have exactly the right amount of life experience to make this choice for myself let alone another person but lets give it a whirl and pretent Im in my late thirties…
ok as Charlie I would pick Jacob up until the very end of eclipse and then (as Charlie) I would give up all decision making to Bella since (by this point) he knows who she’s going to choose anyway and that there’s no stopping her. the reason why he would pick jake first is simple.
1. there is nothing noticeably abnormal about him (besides his mammoth size but all the quileute boys are like that so in charlie’s book who’s to say thats abnormal?) while with all the cullen’s its aparent that there’s something “different” about them.
2. charlie knows jake, because he’s billy’s friend he’s watched jake grow up as a son and cares for him, and its natural he would want the two kids he cares most for together.
3. the fact that charlie was deeply impressed with jake’s ability to lifts bella’s mood in new moon when (as far as charlie sees it, edward destoyed it, if only for a while)
but after eclipse charlie begins to see how truly cautious and gentle edward is and that he’s a genuinely good person and that puts the odds considerably in his favor as far as charlie’s concerned because added on to that bella loves him and that about seals the deal 😀
as renee I believe it would be edward all the way simply because she hardly knows of jake and she knows how much bella loves edward and vise- versa as shown later in eclipse and breaking dawn 😀
as myself as a parent however I dont know. if I had renee’s basic knowledge I’d pick edward for her.
if I were charlie I dont know…charlie has more knowledge on everything thats gone on even if its only the lie they tell but even so deep down im sure he’s always known he’s jsut swallowing lies but it would be easier to except jake since he’s more familiar.
if i had my eyes wide open and knew everything it would come down to vampire vs. werewolf and i think after hearing the werewolves roles for the quileutes (protectors) I would be more inclinded towards jake as well, but knowing how protective and careful edward is withe bella I would also think edward….It think with two protecting, loving canidates on the table for my child, id ultimately let it fall to who she or he loved more than anything, and of course in this case it is edward 🙂
so there is my long ramble, not sure it made sense, but I hope it did 😀
😀 melissaturkey
This is going to be repeated over and over Kaleb, so get used to it:
Zomg you made a psychic connection! The magnets… quite impressive. Perhaps the future you who will have read more has found a way to sub-consciously send you itty bitty tidbits of random info.. lol
And I love the mad libbing, let’s hope you get a chance to do it again =D!
Now, onto the question:
In Charlie’s persepective, I would choose Jacob (though I love Edward to death). After all, if you saw your daughter was lifeless after Edward left, and he left her in the woods and left you worried for lord knows how long, as well as being the reason why she would skip out of town twice in a row, then you would hold a serious grudge against him. I’m actually a bit surprised how tolerant Charlie is of Edward. Yeah he could do better but all things considered I give him major props for just letting him inside the house without pulling out the shotgun (though it would be in vain >D..)
Plus like someone said before, Charlie does know Jacob much more than Edward. And after seeing Bella get better because of Jacob, Charlie is going to like Jacob even more and will tend to favor him a lot.
But then again, Charlie has to feel at least somewhat at ease, considering Edward is incredibly protective of Bella. At least he knows that his daughter won’t be doing dangerous things (as far as he’s concerned.. and not involving the supernatural, right?)
Hooray first chapter of Eclipse x3!
Afternoons were the hardest part of my day. Ever since my former best friend (and green singing frog), Kermit, had informed me that my fly-repellant was ruining his chances of decent dinners […]
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
to that one
and this one
We can’t be friends when you’re spending all your time with a bunch of cattle thieves, bank robbers and highwaymen.
my answer to your question is jacob.
why? because from a parents point of view jacob is safe,trusted and you know him better than edward
but if the parent know what the situation is it’s edward
LOL! Magnets!!
And I love how you ended that – “Welcome to Forks.” Because of this.
So glad you’re on Eclipse. It’s my favorite.
Here’s to hoping you get to the premiere! See you there if you do!
-sk
Hahaha, you’re still in the habit of New Moon.
Yeah, Bella was acting very blase about the whole mythical creature thing. I was beginning to wonder if leprechauns would ever pop up 😉
If I were Charlie, I would choose Jacob over Edward. It’s his best friends son (which could mean seeing each other more often), who has gotten Bella pulled out of her catatonic state and has been like a son to Charlie. However, Charlie does know how serious Edward is about Bella’s safety, much more careful than Jacob is. If Charlie considers Bella’s interests, well he certainly would pick Edward.
I wonder if he’s noticed how happy Edward has made her throughout Twilight?
If any changes were noticable?
I love the added comments of Jacob’s note haha, they made me laugh.
hahaha ending jacob’s lines was lame and funny!
i still think Edward would be safer for Bella, now that he has learnt to put mind over matter and having felt the pain of losing Bella it will still be his greatest motivation not to kill her. haha but if i were Charlie, certainly Jacob hahaha.
Edward! charlie’s vote doesn’t count because he’s best friends with jake’s father. of course he wants bella and jacob to be together, they’re practically family already. he doesn’t know how much edward takes care of her and protects, loves her. he just saw what happened after edward left, which would almost kill anyone in that situation.
The bookmark story was histerical. Anyways, I think I’d choose Edward over Jacob for Bella. She’s safer with him than Jacob. If Edward got mad he wouldn’t go wolf on her and hurt her. He’d run away so that he wouldn;t be able to hurt her. Kind of like what happened with Emily; that could be a possibilty of what would happen to Bella if she were with Jacob.
holy crap, kid. you’re amazing.
the magnet thing. you don’t even know how true that is. maybe when you were looking for that bookmark, you looked ahead? lol.
Jacobs lines were hilarious!
I already can’t wait for you to read the next chapter.
I am totally Team Edward, but I can see where the parent would think Jacob would be safer.
Good review!
Magnets. I love you, Kaleb Nation.
Ok, I have to admit that sometimes I do the bookmark thing too! =)
If I was Bella’s parent I would definitely thing that Jacob is safer for her. After all, vampires are supposed to scare humans off. The Blacks have been family friends for many, many years. Jacob IS safer for Bella, anyway. He is not having the urge to drink her blood every day. He’s better for her. However, if Bella and Edward weren’t together anymore, I would be heartbroken just as much as Bella. They make such a good pair, even though every second they are together Bella is in danger, and Jacob is in pain. Jacob may be safer, but Edward loves her more than anything else. What more could you ask for? Bella just needs to be loved, and needs somebody to love. Edward is willing to love her no matter what. How could you resist love that strong? You can’t.
Umm from Charlie’s POV then definitely Jacob. He’s known him since he was a baby and Jake only hurt Bella once, Edward’s doing all the flipping time (unintentionally obviously but still)
Magnets? Ahaha…
Nice work with the bookmark. Are you very prone to losing inexistent objects?
And finishing Jacob’s sentences? Well done. I’m sure that’s EXACTLY right. Now, if only Jacob was as good with words as you are. Unfortunately, that dog sized brain of his has its limits, and thus reduces him to half finished sentences. 🙂
I believe it was ‘informed on me’ instead of ‘informed me’. Since he told Charlie.
Yes, Edward and Jacob seem to have a problem trusting their mortal enemies. It’s odd really. I mean, sure they’re supposed to kill each other when given the chance, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be the best of friends. Ahaha, seriously though, it is a bit ridiculous.
Man, right from the start of Eclipse, Edward really annoys me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely Team Edward, but in Eclipse… Everyone annoys me. 😀
If I were Bella’s parent? Edward. *nods* And I’m not just being biased, Jacob is dangerous looking. I mean, if I were Charlie I’m sure I’d like Jake, but I’m not Charlie, and I didn’t see Jake grow up. Just from what I know of Jake, I’d have to say Edward. He radiates sincerity.
Great post, as usual. I’m glad you got started on it so fast.
“Bella,
I don’t know why you’re making Charlie carry notes to Billy like we’re in second grade — if I wanted to talk to you I would answer the carrier pigeons pecking at my window. You made the choice here, okay? You can’t have it both ways when Desperado Dave and his posse enlist you. What part of ‘mortal enemies’ is too complicated for you to understand in that crazy brain of yours? Look, I know I’m being a jerk, but there’s just no way around the fact that you’re now a highway bandit with a $10,000 reward on your head. We can’t be friends when you’re spending all your time with a bunch of cattle thieves, bank robbers and highwaymen.
It just makes it worse when I think about you too much, so don’t write anymore ransom notes to my father, or I’ll tell the sheriff where your hideout is.
Jacob”
That part really made me laugh.:))
And by the way, you may also use long lost homeworks into bookmarks. Just fold them.
Okay so, if I were Charlie, I’d probably still choose Edward because he’s who Bella wants. Charlie, even though he is strict, still wants to keep Bella happy. He’d probably be thinking about that decision for a long time since both Edward and jacob have caused Bella pain in the past. I guess, he will only be leaning on Jacob because Billy may probably warn him about Edward.
That would depend on if I actually were Charlie, or if I had insight in the mythical creatures.
If I were Charlie, I would obviously say Jacob, because Charlie knows/thinks Jacob is not a threat, Edward on the other hand, has hurt Bella so much, and as far as I am concerned, I don’t think Charlie knows that Edward was in pain too, but anyway…
If I didn’t know anything about vampires etc, I would say Edward. Edward is a nice guy. Very gentleman-ish. And Jacob is more scary-looking.
If I knew about vampires etc, I would say Edward, because he has shown us remarkable self-control, and stuff like that, but Jacob… I wouldn’t know if Bella would end up like Emily, because Jacob do not have that self-control. I think, at least.
If I was Charlie, I would pick Jacob, just due to the fact that Jacob is Bella’s “personal sun.” Even though Jacob and Bella did dangerous things together, that’s what made Bella start to really LIVE again, which made a huge impact on Charlie.
As Renee, I don’t think I would pick either boy, just be happy with Bella’s choice. It’s Bella’s life, and as long as she is happy, that would be enough for me.
Have a nice day! 😀
Yay for starting eclipse! I’d have to say that this is my favorite of the four, followed closely by breaking dawn.
I can’t wait for you to get to chapter 20!!
I am excited you have started Eclipse!!
I was engaged at 18 to a guy I was completely in love with. My parents supported my decision, and later supported my decision to end the engagement. I moved 2000 miles away, met someone else, and married him (I was 25 then). No one in my family, but my mother, liked the new guy. She understood one thing, he was my best friend, and it has made all the difference (never dreamed marriage could be so wonderful when I was with the first guy).
Now many (many) years later, I have a 22 year old son madly in love with a girl that he is planning on proposing to. I think it’s a mistake because they are not friends, they don’t talk to each other. They talk at each other, but neither one listens to what the other is saying. This is a recipe for marital disaster. When the trials come, you must be friends. That is the love that conquers all.
So, as much as I love Edward, I would choose Jacob, because they actually listen to each other.
I can’t wait for you to continue to the next chapter. And whatever happens, never, never, never listen to the Jacob bashing you are bound to recieve. Like it or not, he’s a normal teenage boy and he does things rashly. You’ll see what I mean…
Can’t wait for more!!
Magnets…. How do you come up with this stuff!
Loved your post. I loved how you ended Jacob’s sentences, I think that’s what SM meant to say too, lol…I had to laugh at the magnets comment, are you sure you haven’t looks ahead a little?
On the question on who I’d chose for my daughter first thing, do I know about them being vampire and werewolf? That would kinda make things more difficult to choose between. But if it’s just by how, like Charlie and Renee see things, I think it’d have to be Jacob just because he never hurt her like Edward did and you don’t want anyone near your kids that has/will hurt them.
Your bookmark story… LOL!
GORGEOUS pictures from Juneau. 🙂
I didn’t read everyone’s answers to your question, so this may be a repeat… If I only knew what Charlie knew (no knowledge of vampires or werewolves), as a parent I would prefer Jacob over Edward for my daughter. Jacob is Charlie’s best friend’s son and clearly, Bella is so head-over-heals for Edward that she doesn’t always think straight – that would concern me. I would probably think that her feelings for Edward were infactuation and not real love, based on the limited knowledge I had of all the situations that take place. But, of course, if I knew all about the vampires and werewolves, I would understand everything that was going on and even though Jacob is who I would wish she would be with because he’s my best friend’s kid, I would realize that Bella is totally IN LOVE with Edward and he with her. And with that information and understanding all that has gone on, I would be supportive in her decision to be with Edward and as I got to know him, I would be happy that they were together – it wouldn’t take long to see that they are meant for each other and completely devoted to each other. 🙂
my daughter has loved an ‘edward” and a :jacob” and i soooo miss the”edward” but it makes sense that charlie prefers jake.and kaleb, if you havent yet its time to visit stephenies site and read the two missing phone conversations fro new moon.
As Bella’s parent and knowing what both of the boys are? I think that, to anybody outside of the situation, Jacob will always seem like the safest bet regardless of the possible “temper tantrums”, simply because it’s not in a werewolf’s nature to purposely harm another human being; it is, however, in the nature of a vampire.
I actually just wanted to comment on the magnet analogy that you made — it’s very funny that you should make that particular comparison. You’ll see what I mean later on; Stephenie uses the exact same idea later on in this book.
Kaleb,
love this line “pack of werewolves lacking anger management”. Good. Very good.
You always make me smile.
As for your question, speaking as a parent I agree with some of the previous comments, I would be furious for my daughter to be with either boy just based on the amount of injuries she kept coming home with. I know she seems happy with Edward and she also seemed to be a bit healthier with Jacob, but I would have to have more proof that she was safe with either one.
I have brought up this thought on a Twilight Mom web site, that I disagree with Charlie and Renee’s lack of involvement in their daughter’s life. I realize she is very independent and smart and really doesn’t get into the sort of trouble so many teens can get into, but come on, they never seem to have any clue where she is or what she’s doing!
I did not micro manage my kid, but I knew a lot more than she will ever realize I knew. Keeping informed, even in little ways, and remembering what is was like to be 17 helps to maintain lines of communication. I think both of Bella’s parents are actually very observate people and that is probably where Bella developed her ability to notice details so well, but they obviously choose to distance themselves from their daughter and I’m not sure that is such a good idea* with someone who appears to spend a lot of time alone.
* see cavorting with vampires and werewolves as examples A and B.
As Bella’s parents, I would think Edward is safer. Because he has a lot of patience, and he knows how to stop himself from eating her. Jacob is different, seeing Emily and Sam together, you would think if Jacob and Bella were together that it would be the same thing.
i picked up on the magnets right away too. but it might not symbolize what you were thinking at first…
i know that edward is safer for bella because he puts her before himself and is always protecting her. as her parent and being ignorant of that, i’d want her to be with jacob because the two families have always been friends.
I’ve found you out, Kaleb! You’re not reading these books for the first time…you’ve read them all several times already and are cleverly realizing things for the first time and writing them to sound really smart. Like the comment with the magnets. Either that, or you and Stephenie have the same brain frequency.
😉
To answer your question: I’ve honestly never thought about it from Charlie’s perspective, but you’re absolutely right (darn you!). Twice now Bella has skipped town because of Edward, leaving him with NO IDEA where she is, or what she’s doing. And she comes home injured (though for Bella, that’s almost normal). That having been said, he’s completely logical in preferring Jacob over Edward. If I were Bella’s parent, I would be more worried about her falling head-over-heels in love with Edward than the fact that he’s a vampire. We could go back and forth all day about whether vampires or werewolves are more dangerous. Actually, I don’t know if I’d want Bella with the guy who takes her out on motorcycles, either. I wonder why Charlie still thought Jake was a good friend for Bella…
Sorry for the long comment. One more thing to add: I love your conclusion of Jacob’s notes. Hilarious!
Knowing what I do, I’d prefer Edward for her, knowing what Charlie does I’d want her to go with the one she loves more (Edward) as it would be horrible to have her married and settled with one when she knows she loves the other more, and knowing what Charlie does with the Charlie-ness and the Charlie way of thinking, I’d problably favour Mike Newton (’cause all dads are like that) :).
Great post!! I love Eclipse and can’t wait for more from you.
As far as your question – I’m a parent (hats off to JanetH – I agree with you). If my daughter came home injured, ran away two times, was cliff diving and motorcycle riding against my will, etc. I don’t think I would like either boy she was hanging out with. Mike Newton would be my choice. (Of course, after reading Midnight Sun, I don’t think he’s such a sweet guy.)
The scary part here is that Charlie really has so little information about either of these guys. He may be a little biased in Jake’s favor because of his friendship with Billy, but he doesn’t have any idea what is really happening with his daughter. How can he really make a sound judgement with so little information?
But, if you really love your child, you have to let them make their own mistakes. You talk calmly and rationally and then take a step back and try to be as supportive as possible. It’s hard!! Poor, poor Charlie….but, maybe it’s better not to know that your child is involved with vampires and werewolves…
Assuming that I knew everything; that Edward was a vampire and Jacob was a werewolf; that Edward has amazing self control and Bella’s safety comes first; that Jacob has very little self control (it’s pretty hard to keep from exploding into a werewolf)and takes Bella on motorcycles all the time: I would have to say Edward would be safer.
However, you have to take in mind the fact that all vampires (with the exception of Carlisle) have an all-consuming desire for human blood all the time. And werewolves do exist to protect humans. it’s a weird situation.
Well,to answer your question. I’d have to say Edward,i know Charlie doesnt know about the whole Vampire – Werewolve thing in his beloved Forks.But if he did know,would you want your Daughter being in a relationship with someone who can lose his temper at a drop of a hat and can injure her or possibly kill her? i think not.
So in many ways Edward is better as he would do ANYTHING to protect his first love and would not hurt her.So,Edward all the way.
Eclipse ftw. 😉 (Still don’t have my copy… stupid mailmen.) And yay magnets. 😉 I’ve always had a thing for magnets anyway (I know, weird obsession), but then Stephenie started using them, and, well, y’know. Cool.
Gaaahhh, that’s a hard question! On one hand I’d say Jacob, absolutely, because all Charlie knows is that Edward left and made Bella all depressed. On the other hand, Jake takes her to do dangerous stuff. Cliff diving, anyone? Then again, Edward’s the only thing that keeps Bella happy. And he’s like above and beyond polite. And he obeys the rules. Plus he doesn’t have that general gang aspect. 😛
lol…i like the comparison with the local axe-weilding crazy xD
if i were charlie… i´d think jacob is better for bella, but only because charlie don´t knows so many things… he can´t really understand the true love bella feels for edward, and even more important, he can´t see how much edward loves bella because he don´t wants to. for all he knows after bella first had a date with edward(in Twilight) she went back to Phoenix, fell off a stair and spent weeks in the hospital after returning to him. then edward left her and she was nearly catatonic. A few months after she recovered(mostly because of Jake) she went to L.A. to see a boy, who never even called her after leaving.
Truly, I can see Charlie´s point