The song for this chapter is Pressure by Paramore [suggested by Ricky]
[audio:https://twilightguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/pressure.mp3|titles=Pressure by Paramore]
I realized suddenly this morning that anyone visiting my site for the first time probably has no clue what the main concept of it is, since the entire front page is covered with movie news. Who can blame me? Besides all the fun I had in LA and seeing the film, now we all know that New Moon will be a movie. For Summit, that means this franchise is nowhere near dying — for me, that means I get to enjoy another movie premiere sometime 😀
I had to do a bit of review to remind myself what had happened in the previous chapter, but as I was at a rather pivotal part it wasn’t hard recalling everything. Jacob had just appeared at Bella’s school, and was stealing her away to the beach again. Meanwhile, Edward is spontaneously combusting.
I found it a bit odd when Quil imprinted on a two-year-old, and it took me a bit of time to swallow it down and reason with it in my head. As anyone who visits the chat room knows, I have declared war on all creepers, specifically through use of my banhammer and threats to call Chuck Norris. So, I can’t help but feel at least a few creeper vibes from this at first. I am sure that I’m not alone in this.
But as usual, like with Edward always watching Bella and climbing through her window at night, you have to look at it from the perspective of Stephenie’s world. If something like this was to happen in the real world, 1-800-CALL-FBI would be punched on my cell quicker than Jacob’s temper. But the nature of imprinting, to me, is supernatural — almost a magic betrothal that spans across more than species or age. And since werewolves don’t age, it is simply a matter of waiting for the imprintee (?) to grow up. When you think of it in those terms, it takes a bit of the strange edge off.
I find it so funny how some people think that by simply adding ‘With all due respect’ to the beginning or ‘No offense intended’ to the end of a sentence, they are entirely excused from whatever they say. Jacob:
“You have the whole day off, right? The bloodsucker won’t be home yet.”
I glared at him.
“No offense intended,” he said quickly.
“Eat toads!” I said, spinning on my heels and pushing Jacob into the ocean, where he was attacked by piranhas and crabs.
It reminds me of a similar conversation I had with my web hosting company last week, when my sites were down the entire time of the premiere:
“Sorry sir,” said my web host. “But with all due respect, we’ve suspended you forever because you’re too popular, and we hate popular customers who have a gobzillion readers who will all hear of our horribleness and never buy from us again. No offense intended.”
“Eat toads!” I said, spinning on my heels and pushing my web host into Internet-hell, where they were attacked by piranhas and crabs.
or something similar.
Another thing I found in this chapter: an absolutely awesome band name! Jacob:
“C’mon Bella. Let’s go back to the house and get our bikes […]”
“I really don’t think I’m allowed.”
“By who? Charlie or the blood — or him?”
who would have thought?
After seeing the movie, I have suddenly taken a new perspective on a few of the characters. To be very honest, I haven’t really clicked with Alice much along the way. I don’t know why, but perhaps it was because I hadn’t developed a clear mental picture of her in the books.
But after seeing the Twilight movie, I have an entirely new outlook on Alice, and she is definitely one of my favorite characters. She seems to know exactly what to say at the right times, and she always seems to be positive when Bella needs it the most.
I find it very mature of Edward when he arrives back at the house, and suddenly finds it within him to accept that Bella might know what is best for herself. It was something I was not expecting from him at all. Until now, Edward has been very protective — overly protective at times — and now it seems that he is finally deciding to let Bella go a little, and give her some room to breathe.
Perhaps I’m looking too deep into this. But I feel strongly that a relationship should be built on trust, and it is that part of Bella and Edward’s that has been on the rocks ever since Jacob appeared. Of course, you can’t expect Edward to like Bella hanging around Jacob. No guy ever wants to see his girl with someone else — especially one who obviously would relish the idea of you falling from a bridge into a boat transporting poisonous vipers. If I was Edward, I don’t think I would trust Bella around Jacob either.
But the truth is that Edward probably doesn’t need to worry, because Bella is being strong to stay just friends with Jacob. Sure, Edward would really like her to stay away from Jacob entirely. But finally he is seeing just how much he can trust her — and that seems to show just how strong their love is.
Besides, I started laughing when Edward tensed up about all the female vampires in Denali. Edward Cullen is just far too loved. And as Edward said, Bella is far too funny when she is jealous 😀
Question for the comments: Do you think it is good (or safe) for Edward to start trusting Bella more? Also, do you think it is right for Bella to be seeing Jacob, when she becomes jealous just hearing about any other girls in Edward’s life?
——NOTES——
– Thanks to my four days of being completely offline (and my resulting fire-and-brimstone call to my former web hosts) I totally fell off the top 10 of the Topsites, even though visits have nearly doubled! So, I would appreciate anybody who would vote for me by clicking this button, to help restore my site to where it was:
– ADDED: Lauren, the amazing person who started the biggest Twilight fan page on Facebook, just started a Facebook page for me! For all the people who have tried to add me on Facebook, you should join her group instead or friend me on Myspace 😀
97 Responses
Hmm… I think Bella probably underestimated how jealous Edward gets when she isn’t with him, so it’s a bit unfair that she is allowed to see Jacob when she gets jealous just hearing about Tanya.
That was one of my favorite chapters!
Oh also, I agree that it seems a bit weird about the two-year old. But the thing is, the imprinter is so dedicated to the imprintee (haha) that he will be whatever the imprintee needs most. So Quil is completely content to be the caring older brother figure for as long as he needs to be. So it’s not too creepy then 🙂
I can see things from Bella’s perspective on this. In her mind, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her spending time with Jake. He’s her friend, and she has no subversive thoughts of doing anything with him Edward wouldn’t approve of. So when she can’t understand why he’d say, “No! No! I can’t – la la la la la la!!!” whenever she mentions hanging out with Jake, it’s only because the idea of doing Something Wrong has never entered her mind.
Her jealousy over Edward and other girls, though… if you’re dating someone who is unbelievably beautiful and seems to be too good to be true, doesn’t it make sense that you would worry that they had done something with someone before you? Hell, I adore my husband, and I KNOW he’s done things with people before me that are horrible.
It’s the “Chasing Amy” thing… the thing where, no matter how much we DON’T want to know about what our significant others did before they were with us, we HAVE to know. If it gets brought up, we HAVE to pull it out of them, even if it kills us AND our relationship with them. It’s a stupid human quality, and I love that Stephenie included it in the book.
Hope all that makes sense. I’m a bit sleep deprived. It sounds good in my head, maybe not so good on the screen… 🙂
Totally agree with Erynne.
And Kaleb, I’m so glad that you’re back to the chapter thingy…Great chapter, one of my favorites too and I think Edward’s trust in Bella is making their relationship stronger, she’ll see that in no time (:
Yeah, I think the fact that he trusts her more is a good thing, even though I think it really pains him to do so.
He means well, I think that if I were a vampire, and my significant other was the most accident-prone, trouble magnet in the world I would be over protective too. (That is probably the weirdest sentence I have ever typed!)
I’m glad you’re up and running! I’m sad that your costs have gone up though. That sucks, did you have to change web hosts?
Im so glad to see that you are back to reading Eclipse i was getting a little anxious to hear your thoughts again! I think that Edward should trust bella bu i also understand where he is coming from seeing how werewolves tempers can flare but i was happy to see him let up a little on her! Jacob and Bella’s relationship is a lil deeper then even tanya and edward’s and i think that it’s a little hypacritical but they both have reasons to be jealous! Glad to see you back to reading im excited to see your reaction for the rest of the book!!
Edward definitely needed to trust Bella more at this point. This is when I began to swing back from Team Jacob to Team Edward. While it’s of course silly for either of them to be jealous given the other’s devotion, it’s natural and when they can laugh about it it’s okay. The possessive controlling stuff from Edward up to this point was just pissing me off. However well intentioned, it’s ridiculous. Bella doesn’t always make the best or most informed decisions, and as someone who cares about her and has a lot of his own future invested in her future, he has every right to call her on that, but to forbid and control is way out of line. Also, he needs to figure out if he wants to possess her or be her partner in life (well, existence, whatever…you know what I mean). Being the wonderful Edward we know him to be, he realizes what a tool he was being and returns to his respectful ways.
The imprinting was initially creepy, but I think the more one learns about it, the more one realizes that it’s not necessarily a sexual thing. Again it’s about partnerships, and partnerships are equal, so right now it’s about being the best big brother a girl ever had and loving and accepting her for who she is now. And later when she’s grown, it’ll be about loving her for who she is then and being her partner with what she is able and ready to give. And thinking about the future is just not in a werewolf’s make-up, so there’s no creepy, even though under any other circumstances this situation would call for castration (or something equivalent).
So glad your site is back up!
It’s nice that Edward started to trust Bella more. Since it’s hard for him to see her with Jake, it shows just how much he loves her. Her happiness is much more important to him than his own.
It’s good that Bella’s continuing her friendship with Jake; but the more she’s with him, the more hope she gives Jake that they have a chance of being together. It’s not all her fault. To her, Jake is a part of her life and always will be. She doesn’t really see anything wrong with that or the impact it makes on Edward because they‘re just close friends.
When Edward left, Jacob and Bella formed a very strong bond, stronger than friendship. It is good that Edward trusts Bella more because Jacob and Bella are “connected” in a way and he is way too possessive sometimes. However, I don’t think Bella should continue to stay friends with Jacob seeing as he expects more than friendship and their relationship is hurting him. But there’s more on that later. Yeah, it’s a bit hypocritical of Bella but it’s natural to get jealous I guess. Edward’s even jealous of Mike Newton! Jealousy is irrational.
Well it is a bit unfair that Bella can go see Jacob but Edward can’t really even talk about past girls in his life without her being jealous. Considering that Jacob is her first and foremost her friend and not a “lover” (Tanya and Edward weren’t but Tanya wanted her and she IS a bit more forward than Jacob)or whatever then it is sorta different.
Yes the imprinting is creepy but once you really really understand it it is like nothing. It just seems like a part of life. And it’s not like he’s gonna be making out with her when she’s two. Then it would be creepy. And also since you can’t control it, it really isn’t as bad as it seems otherwise they would imprint on the person they wanted and at the time they wanted. Jacob probably would have imprinted on Bella. Weird to think about… Hmm.
Anyhoo… As to the first question I forgot to answer I think that Bella is a fairly good judge of what is safe for her. She knows Jacob better than Edward so she knows that the werewolf aspect of him would not hurt her because he is in fairly good control of that part of him. Just like Edward is in control of his thirst around Bella. I find that there are many things in the story that you can compare with Jacob and Edward. Like the fact that they need to control around Bella.
I also don’t think that it is really Edward being mature, it’s just him wanting to not lose Bella by pushing her too far in a direction she doesn’t want to go. Honestly, he seems like he wants her to pick Jacob but he doesn’t want to give her up so he has way too much internal debate and he can’t have a happy medium anywhere. He is either on the North pole or the South pole but he can never stop on the Equator.
That is just my two cents. Glad to see your website is back up and running! Can’t wait to hear more from you soon!
after meeting you in at the LA after party i knew i had to check out your sites. and i must say kaleb you are an absolute delight. i laughed continuously as i read through your blog. so for your first question i must say it is good for edward to start trusting bella more because he loves her and it lets her know that there is trust. and i also know that he has enough confidence in himself to know that Bella is his. I pretty much hate jacob and wish Bella wouldnt see him as much but i get why she wants to be around him so much. jacob was there when edward left. jacob picked up the pieces though he couldnt put them back together. its something you cant take back. she has a need for jacob and i think edward understands that and until bella completely understands that its ok for her to be around jacob.
P.S. It is hard to answer your questions without spoiling you! Ugh it’s so frustrating!
Oh yea I was wondering… Do you even look at the comments we put on here? Are are you too busy with your calculus homework? HEHE
But seriously do you?
Ahahah! “Eat toads!” I’m definitely going to at least try to use that phrase now.
To be honest, I don’t think about a lot while reading the books. Seriously, not even the books. I read in a very… in the moment way. I don’t theorize, I don’t go any further than to question bits I don’t understand. Quil imprinting on Claire is certainly not something I thought about. Looking back on it, yes, it’s creepy sounding. But at the time I just accepted it. Without the explanation Jake gave, too.
Damn web host. I mean… er, I’m not very good with coming up with things on the spot, so just imagine I said something that made sense here.
Ah, jealousy. Where would any relationship be without it? Doing well, that’s for sure! Ahahaha… I’m not funny. Anyway, SMeyer said that one of Edward’s biggest flaws was to overreact. Like when he goes all, “Stay away from the mutt!” and then does a one-eighty, “As long as it makes you happy, sure!” I don’t think he should have just given her a free reign. As controlling as this makes me seem, he should have at least asked her not to go, for him. Keeping things hidden is not healthy, and he’s clearly jealous. I mean, not telling her how he feels about it isn’t exactly promoting trust.
And Bella gets jealous hearing about Tanya! It’s pretty obvious that Edward’s just better at hiding it. You’d think that she may take the way she feels about Edward being around Tanya into consideration when there’s this dog practically throwing himself at her.
But a couple of my favorite lines:
‘especially one who obviously would relish the idea of you falling from a bridge into a boat transporting poisonous vipers.’
Ahaha. If only that would do anything, right?
‘Edward Cullen is just far too loved.’
What do you say to something like that? I know. Hear hear. 😀
Loved it. Wait, you’re off Topsites? 😮
I’m voting right now. Read the next chapter!
I don’t think Edward’s problem was trusting Bella. I think he doesn’t trust Jacob. Edward doesn’t trust him because: 1) he’s a new werewolf, and 2) Edward can read his mind, and knows how much Jake wants Bella to love him.
Oy…I thought it was cool that Edward let her see Jacob, but I think it isn’t safe for her, because she could become too attached to him, and then when she has to make a choice, it may kill her.(emotionally) And I don’t think she really knows how jealous Edward is that she’s hanging out with Jacob. I think she’s thinking it’s the whole Vampire-vs.-Werewolf, instead of what it really is: Edward-vs.-Jacob.
So glad you are back on chapter comments! Missed ya!
I was as surprised as Bella when Edward was so calm about her trip to La Push, but I am glad for it. He did need to show her he trusts her, I mean for pete’s sake she trusts him with her life every moment they are together…he could show a little of that trust back! It also makes their relationship take a healthier turn. I love Edward as much as the next person, but it was getting a bit out of hand with how controlling he was. That isn’t a healthy relationship.
Bella loves Jacob like she loves Charlie, he’s family. She doesn’t see how her actions give Jake more hope. I think this is naive on her part, but this is Bella. She doesn’t see herself clearly- as Edward is quick to point out in Twilight with the line of suitors waiting for her.
Is it wrong though for Bella to be jealous of Tayna or Rose? I don’t think so. It’s the human reaction to wonder how someone so unbelievable wants to be with you. I don’t think its just a girl thing either. Edward and Jake aren’t typical guys by any means, but they both love Bella and there are things each of them would like to do for her, but can’t…creating their own jealousy of the other. And Edward admits to being jealous of Mike Newton.
I am just glad Bella and Edward were able to discuss it and not let it fester and hurt their relationship as so many couples do. 🙂
i dont think its so safe for edward to trust her but i also think its nice
no i dont think its right because BOTH adward and bella have never though more but a friendly thing some one said that its ok because bella thinks that edwad is a god and its right to be jealouse yes it is but edward thinks the the same thing about bella…that shes perfect
I think Kathleen is right. Edward knows that Jacob will do anything to “steal” Bella from him. I think Edward trusts Bella, though. Personally I don’t like Bella or Jake in this book (you’ll see as you read more.) Any girl who is in love with guy A, knows guy B is in love with her but hangs out with him anyway and even is continuously holding his hand is a (insert bad word here.) She leads one on and hurts the other. Mike Newton was right about her–girls are cruel! Hey wait…I just insulted myself! By the end of this book I though Bella and Jake deserved each other…and that’s not a compliment! My opinion only, please don’t attack me, everyone.
I think it’s okay for Edward to trust Bella more, but I think he should still, you know, be protective and all that. Like, he can keep an eye on her, but less than before. He should allow her to talk to Jacob and hang out with him every once and a while, but I think it’s okay for him to feel a little…uneasy? about it. So, yeah, I think Edward should still feel protective of Bella, but maybe sometimes he should keep his opinions about to himself and give Bella some trust.
Trust is a good thing. . . as long as it’s well placed. 🙂 Bella has no previous experience with werewolves whereas Edward does. His worry is justified but he doesn’t realize how Jacob’s love for Bella can make her safe with him. Jacob has huge motivation for learning control. However, while I’m not sure Bella is in danger of being physically hurt by Jacob there is all the emotional drama and the deviousness of Jacob. Bella should be trusted. Jacob should not.
I think “imprintee” is indeed the proper term, it works. I was thrilled to hear that you’re finally making a close connection with Alice. I adore her. Her relationship with Edward is so wonderful, very siblingesque (we’re just gonna pretend that’s a word, ok). She gets under his skin all the time but he loves her dearly; so brother and sister. It’s the closest non-romantic vampire relationship and is so dynamic – it reminds me of twins, the way their minds are so constantly supernaturally connected.
Also, yes, Edward’s release of Bella is a huge breakthrough in their relationship. It’s part of what Stephenie always so brilliantly incorporates into the story to keep it on our level. We can all relate to jealousy and the destructive force it can be. Ah, good stuff.
Like many others, I’m so glad you’re back to your chapter reviews. It sounds like we were all having some withdrawals from your witty and uniquely insightful thoughts. Welcome back once again!
The whole imprinting thing? Weird! It freaked my freak in the beginning and I had to work really hard to make sense of it, not sure I still do but I moved on.
I love the relationship with Alice and Edward, I love Alice.
I think someone said something about not trusting Jacob, I completely agree. Bella was clear from the very beginning about what she wanted from their relationship, he tried to manipulate that. I think Edward was still trying to learn to deal with this new found emotion of jealousy.
I knowww… imprinting is just plain CREEPY. I don’t buy the “magical supernatural epic love” crap. It’s CREEPY.
Much like Edward stalking. Really, Bella SHOULD be freaked out by this.
And Alice is awesome.
Awesome post! I have a lot to comment on:
“Meanwhile, Edward is spontaneously combusting.” Classic. I laughed out loud for like 20 minutes. That was made of awesome.
Yeah, the Quil/Claire thing is super weird at first, but you got remember that at this moment Quil is not romantically interested in her at all. It’s more of a brotherly, or even fatherly, love. There’s just a need to do whatever makes her happy and to protect her. There is no romance involved at all. Now when she grows up, it could quite possibly be a different story, but who knows?
Haha Bella should throw Jake to the piranhas and crabs. I’m sure Bella would be happy to take care of your web hosting company too, while she’s on a roll lol.
I’m very happy you love Alice now. I liked her a little better than the rest of the Cullens in Twilight because she was so accepting, and in New Moon I fell in love with her. Alice is made of awesome. (Speaking of movie Alice, I just loved whenever she was trying to help Bella in the ballet studio but she smelled the blood and had to keep closing her eyes and focusing on something else. That was so cool)
It’s great right now that Edward has decided to be accepting of Jacob and Bella, but you’ll see how that comes back to bite him in the…you know.
And I just loved how Edward skirted around the whole Denali clan thing. He was just like, “maybe if I don’t really answer, she’ll stop asking”. You could so tell he was embarrassed he had to answer these questions.
“Question for the comments: Do you think it is good (or safe) for Edward to start trusting Bella more? Also, do you think it is right for Bella to be seeing Jacob, when she becomes jealous just hearing about any other girls in Edward’s life?”
I won’t answer the first part, because it’s hard for me to answer spoiler-free when I know the rest of Eclipse. But the second half, I’ve never thought of it that way. It really isn’t right of Bella to get so bent out of shape about Edward and the Denali’s when nothing even happened there, and then for her to think Edward is being unreasonable when he isn’t jumping up and down excitedly whenever she wants to see Jacob. Excellent point.
You’ll come to find in Eclipse that every single person does really stupid stuff and you really don’t like any of the characters. You want to bash them all upside the head.
OMFG!
That was the most adorable picture I’ve ever seen. That my Edward, right there. Adorable toad.
Anyhoo, I think Bella is fine in being jealous. Because, like he’s said, when vampire emotions are effected the change is more permanent. So, he’s got some permanently in love with him super-gorgeous chick who will NEVER go away? Scary thoughts.
Also, in her mind her love for Edward is unquestionable. Plus, Edwards deal with Jacob isn’t that he thinks they’re going to run off together. He thinks Jake is going to go all wolfy and mangle her face.
And the Quil thing – I wasn’t really effected. I mean, gross at first, but.. I read a lot of Jane Austen / Bronte(plural) novels. So, its kind of common for the female protagonist to end up with a family friend of sorts. Cousins are still creepy, though..
Glad you’re back to the book (although, it was nice to be caught up in the movie for a while).
Alice is the best. She is more than a sister to Edward, she is his best friend, his closest confidant – they are so like each other and they share more because of their abilities. Glad you finally are ‘seeing the light’ when it comes to her.
Now – to answer your questions…
It is absolutely necessary for Edward to trust Bella. That is the basis of a good relationship. She is so naive about Jake -which is not a good thing. But, I personally think there is another reason he allows her to spend time with Jake – there is still a part of him that wants her to remain human and be with someone who will allow that to happen. As much as it would hurt him, he sorta wants her to love someone else (he sees himself as a monster, remember).
Bella makes some major mistakes (won’t say any more or I’ll spoil it for you). She’s human and she’s a teenager. She doesn’t have the life experience to deal with such a complex situation without a few mistakes. They all make mistakes – Jake, Edward and Bella.
But, you’ll see as you keep going thru the series how all of this is necessary…..keep reading already!! ha ha. This is one of the reasons that I love Stephenie – she saw the story evolve and knew the necessity of certain things – the threads go all the way through the books. Continuity….
LOL AT THE IMPRINTING THING
oh what awaits
HAHAHA! I can’t wait for you to finish this book. You have few shocks ahead and I am awaiting anxiously your reaction. You’re my favorite Kaleb!
I think that trust is always a good thing is relationships and that it means that they are entering a new and more stable phase in the relationship.
You’re number 11 now on Twilight Topsites, I’m sure you’ll be back on the Top 10 in no time at all
The imprinting on a two year old did weird me out at first but after his explaination, I was okay. When you take the romance out of it and realize that Quil is a big brother to Clair at this stage of the game it takes the creep factor out. And least it did for me. ‘
I mentioned this in the last chapter comments but that line of Edwards’ where he tells her he won’t let anything create a wedge between them still brings me to tears. I wish more people took this attitude in their relationships. Granted it took Edward a while to get to that point, but he got there. That’s what we love so much about him. He’s dedicated to Bella first and foremost in everything. He doesn’t give up just because its hard.
I’m not going to answer your questions because I’d probably spoiler you, but I will say this:
Another good band name from Twilight = Jacob and the Wolves
I think it’s normal for them to be jealous. They, of course, have no reason to be, but if I were Bella, and I had found out that there were other women who had been trying to win Edward’s affection, I would definately be jealous, even though I would have no reason to be. And if I were Edward, I would be extremely jealous that Bella was hanging around Jacob without me. Especially because I would know that he wants me to die, so he can have her all to himself. Knowing his thoughts, I think, makes it 10 billion times worse for Edward. I felt so bad for him during this book. And Bella was really getting on my nerves. She was always saying how much she was hurting Jacob. She didn’t think about how she was hurting Edward, too. If I were her, I would probably just make Jacob come to my house to visit 🙂 That way, Edward wouldn’t have to leave her, and she could visit Jacob. If Jake didn’t want to come down to visit me, then I would probably just blow him off for being poophead. Haha 🙂 I know he’s really depressed, but if wanted to see her that badly, he would just come to her house. Edward would hopefully allow that. I thought he was being overprotective, and that really got on my nerves, too. I think they were all just overreacting to something that could have been solved with patience, understanding, and trust. All they needed to do was calm down and sort things out. I sort of wish Jacob had been nicer to Bella. If cared about her, you’d think that at some point, he would have let up, and accepted to some degree that she loves Edward and not him. Just to let her be. He doesn’t realize that he’s hurting her because she thinks he’s hurting because of her. And then she has to be all martyr-like. I think he’s just being a stupid boy who will do anything, no matter how heartless, to get Bella. And that is my theory. Haha. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jacob! And Edward. But they were really annoying in this book. It was so hard to read. Especially when Bella, the most annoying person of all, was telling the story. *sigh* Oh well. It was still amazing! And I love Alice!!! I’m so glad you love her too! She is my favorite character, other than Seth and Edward! I cut my hair to look like hers. I’m the biggest dork ever. Oh well. It looks pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Tehe 🙂
But you can’t have it… I’m using it for fanfiction
I think that as far as trusting Bella goes, we forget one very crucial fact that is the center of Edward’s world:
Bella is HUMAN and, therefore, as fragile and breakable as glass. Imagine how you would feel if the love of your life became very very ill and the slightest contact with the wrong thing would kill him or her. You would start getting pretty protective really fast. Edward has saved Bella from so many near deaths that it would be funny if it wasn’t so frightening for him.
I think that Edward’s jealousy of Jacob is secondary to the very real threat he sees in the instability of werewolves. Stephenie makes that point very clear with the story of Sam and Emily and with Paul’s volatile nature. Edward is scared to death that Bella, being the magnet for danger that she is, will mistakenly do or say something wrong and set one of the werewolves off and poof, no more Bella. From Edward’s perspective this is a real possibility and not something he is willing to gamble on.
I think his “trust” of Bella in this chapter shows more than just another step in their relationship, but personal growth for Edward. He is so used to being all knowing that he has a superiority complex. He doesn’t believe Bella, who has had only a mere 18 years of experience in life, could have the judgement necessary to know when a situation is really safe. For him to finally let go and let Bella make this decision is like giving your teenage driver the keys to your new porche. It’s very scary for him to trust Bella with the most important thing in his life–Bella–but he knows that he has to let her grow up and make her own decisions. This can’t be an easy thing for him to do, but he does it and ultimately shows how much he loves her and how much he has grown in the time that he has known her. How could growth like this be a mistake?
As far as whether its fair of Bella to see Jacob when she gets jealous of girls in Edward’s past. Well, as much as I think Edward underestimates Bella, I think Bella both overestimates and underestimates Edward. Bella takes for granted that Edward can read minds, but she probably doesn’t realize what Edward sees in Jacob’s mind-especially where Bella’s concerned. Bella is very good at downplaying any attraction that males feel for her, and so dimisses it. Edward knows exactly how Jacob feels and does not dismiss it. He may trust Bella’s love, but he doesn’t trust Jacob and the desperation he must see in his mind to keep Bella human. Do you blame him? Bella, on the other hand is confident of her own feelings and her ability to keep Jacob as a friend and no more. I don’t think she really realizes how this affects Edwards because 1, he is really good at controlling negative emotions around her when he thinks those emotions will cause her pain and 2, because she overestimates Edward’s confidence or maybe underestimates his humanity. This seems pretty easy to do because Edward always seems to self-assured and above petty human trivialities.
I guess this is a very long way of saying overall, I think Edward is justified in his protective attitude of Bella and Bella is slightly oblivious to the depth of Edward’s jealousy because she still doesn’t quite understand what Edward sees in her that is worth this much trouble.
Hope this makes sense to someone other than me. 🙂
Edward is too extreme. One minute he is over-protective and the next he is too loose. What they need at this point is a good sit-down conversation on where their relationship is and where it is going to go in the future. If she isn’t sure about him she really should let him know instead of running off without him knowing to spend time with some other guy she has feelings for. Lame!
While I loved your coverage of the premiere (delayed as it was…. stupid web-hosts) I’m glad to see a chapter post. I love hearing what you think while you read.
Trust is the foundation of a good relationship and Edward needs to trust Bella for the two of them to be more equal.
The imprinting bothers me to a point but once it’s explained and you can see it evolve it makes a lot more sense and loses most of its creepiness.
DR – you made great points – and I get what you mean. 🙂
Chalie or the bloods 😆
Hilarious!
And Edward should trust Bella… Also, it is sort of unfair to him though xD
Hmm… Okay, this is what I think and I totally agree with what DR had to say. Edward was a bit overboard at times with protecting Bella so I think it is safe for him to trust Bella. After all she spent months with Jacob as a werewolf before. I also think it is alright for her to be seeing Jacob when she gets jealous hearing about Tanya because Edward wouldn’t not visit Tanya every once and a while.
By the way, Kaleb, where can I get a copy of ‘Charlie or the Bloods’? 🙂
you didnt mention anything about jacob getting mad and since the chapter is called ‘temper’ it is kind of important…other than that good review. although i disagree with you on the quality of the movie, you have an interesting site to read. keep on reading!
AHHHAHAHAHAHHA. LOL. YOU WILL……. IDK WHEN YOU GET TO BREAKING DAWN. >.<
Also, nice comment (mini-book?) to DR #38. Very well done.
AHAHAHAH piranahas and crabs (can’t forget the crabs…….)
I think Dr. (comment # 38) hit it right on the head. What with Bella underestimating her own worth so much.
I think you will find, in life, that things are not fair or equal. Such is the case here. Bella is jealous, but doesn’t allow for Edwards jealousy. The same is true in reverse. It makes for a believable, relatable story.
I love Jacob and desperately want him to be a part of Bella’s life, but she’s only hurting both Edward and Jacob, as well as herself by trying to be in both worlds. It wasn’t right of Edward to outright refuse Bella’s wishes, but it was wrong to do a complete turn-around also. He would have been better off explaining why he didn’t want her around Jacob, and opening up a little more.
this is totally not on topic but your comment about Jake wanting Edward to fall off a bridge into a boat filled with poisonous vipers made me laugh. Because thats just an all you can eat snack buffet for a vegetarian vamp, lol
ANYWAY, back to the subject of this post.
Yes, it’s good that Edward is trusting Bella more. Is it safe? Of course not, she’s a danger magnet. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t trust her.
And I don’t think Bella can NOT see Jake since she loves him. Maybe not the way Jake wants, but she does love him. So yes, I think she should still see him. And Bella just needs to have some faith in Edward because obviously he doesn’t see the Denali sisters as possible lovers.
but that’s what makes the story so good, the uncertainty and jealousy. It makes it more real and believable.
because otherwise it would be really boring
Hey Kaleb!
Loved the post! Charlie and the Bloods sounds like a fantasmic band! Also, I totally agree with the fire and brimstone idea. How dare they punish you for having one of the most awesomnest sites ever! Piranahs and crabs FTW!!!!
On to the question: I think it is great that Edward is trusting Bella more, even if it could lead to more heartache and pain in her life. (see when Jacob ignores her in New Moon). I agree that it is slightly unfair that she can be jealous and Edward can’t, but of course, Edward is being the bigger person about this. Also, he probably realizes that either a) he let her see Jacob b)he refuses and she hates him forever or c)she gets over Jacob. Seeing as the third isn’t an option at this point, and he would rather die then allow the second one, he chooses the first.
TTFN!