At this very moment, in my apartment, the scent filling the air is that of rice, steak and jalapenos, as I just finished a wonderful Tex/Mex dish in my attempt to deviate from lasagna and swiss cheese (you are not alone: this has come as a shock to many). I found it curious that this chapter should be called ‘Scent’ when one of my biggest points in Chapter 9 was about the smell of Bella being on the pillows and clothes that had vanished from her room. Obviously, it’s something that the vampires and werewolves can smell: and something that the intruder took as evidence that he had actually found Bella.
It’s interesting how Edward and Jacob are working together in a somewhat manner. Though they still can’t bring themselves to stand in the same house as the other (seeing the destruction to the ballet studio when a vampire fight broke out is enough to make me agree) they still work around it. It seems childish, but I suppose it works.
And all this ridiculousness about Bella smelling. First Edward says something’s in her room. Then Jacob says something’s in her room. Then Jacob says it’s her hair. Since this chapter is called Scent you would think it would be a good scent, like sour cream and onion or peanut butter chocolate (I once knew a girl who had chocolate-chip cookie dough scented lip balm (or whatever they call it), which is a bit strange if you think about it…). Has Bella been bathing in old horseradish or are Jacob and Edward simply losing their minds? I find it funny how they both seem to be battling for her to smell like a wolf or a vampire.
I have a slight problem when reading that I’m sure all of you have realized by now. Sometimes, when I come to a very serious line, that I should be putting on my serious-business-face for, my brain recalls something else entirely, and instead I begin to chuckle at the memory, instead of being grave and somber for what was said. For example:
“…You know,” I teased halfheartedly, “this whole secrecy and deception thing is kind of a pain.”
Edward’s expression hardened. “It gets easier. After a few decades, everyone you know is dead. Problem solved.”
He sniffed. “In fact, that thought is so depressing, I might just break out into song.”
And thus a new career was born.
The deal fell through soon after...
Edward is doing much better in acting like a boyfriend instead of King Cullen, and I think even Bella is surprised. Of course, I don’t entirely blame him for the way he has been since they met (Bella isn’t called a danger-magnet for nothing, as I mentioned before). But it’s always nice to see that even Edward can grow up some and learn that he can’t watch Bella 24/7. The change really came about when Edward realized that he was being too controlling and that Bella actually can be trusted somewhat with her own safety (as long as this doesn’t involve cars, motorcycles, cliffs, water, tennis, needles, knives, mace spray, axes, shotguns, the pavement, the woods, climbing trees, airplanes, volleyball or a potted prickly cactus, which only through supernatural means made it from Arizona to Forks without sticking her in the eye).
And thus, Bella is off to La Push again, with plenty of blessings from Charlie, who would certainly love to invent a new brand of force field that blocks Edward out but allows Jacob Black through. Still, with this, I am having an even harder time understanding Edward — and I can more clearly see one of the major concerns voiced by critics of Bella. I know that if Bella was my girlfriend, and some fellow like Jacob came bounding along who was pushing to be her best friend, and constantly trying to steal her away, I don’t think I would be happy at all for her to be spending so much time with this half-dressed chap who is about 1/10th my age.
It irks me that Bella would continue to see Jacob, knowing how it makes Edward feel. Is this something that Edward should just accept? Is it respectful to their relationship for Bella to be hanging around so closely with other guys (especially guys like Jacob who would obviously jump at the chance to steal her away)?
As most of my readers are girls, I will flip this around — imagine your boyfriend hanging out with some other girl who happens to be a model and is dying to steal him away, and he goes crying to her anytime you get into a fight, and she welcomes him with open arms, saying what a beastly brute you are for hurting his feelings. It would probably come to an ultimatum: one or the other.
As I thought about this, however, I was reminded of what I was reading, and also that Edward can read minds; an ability real guys do not possess (much to the chagrin* of many). So, these problems can’t even be the same as if Bella and Edward and Jacob were humans. The difference is that since Edward can read Jacob’s mind, he knows what is going on, and maybe also that Jacob is well-intentioned. And, even though he can’t read Bella’s, perhaps he has come to trust her enough so that it’s almost as if he really can: he trusts Bella enough to know that she is keeping it friendly with Jacob.
But then again, I’m sure Jacob has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He doesn’t quite seem ready to give up yet 😀
Question for the comments: do you think it is alright for Bella to lead both Edward and Jacob on? Do you think she even knows what she is doing?
——NOTES——
– For those of you who enjoy my music, I just uploaded a brand new song and would love opinions. Also, the new song can be downloaded for free for the next two weeks (and no sneaky things to sign up for either :D)
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134 Responses
bella’s a whore and edward’s a man whore.when u read breaking dawn, u will find out y…
Like many others, I’ve been in Bella’s shoes- with my current boyfriend, a definite Edward, and my ex-fiance, a Jacob. She sees Jacob as a friend that she doesn’t want to hurt to let go, and he’s a bit of a safety net for her- if Edward ever leaves again, she has someone who will step in. But she truly loves and wants to be with Edward, as we’ve seen. So, she tries to be friends with everyone and make everyone happy- which she can’t do without hurting someone.
Ironically, this is the book that made me go, “WAIT A MINUTE” and have a stark realization about my own little triangle. Now, my “Edward” and I are still happily together, and I told my “Jacob” that we didn’t seem to be ready for friendship, and I was sorry to say good bye, but he couldn’t give me a platonic relationship, and I couldn’t give him a romantic one. So, I think Eclipse saved my relationship- hopefully Bella will come to the same realization that I did.
heyyyyy! whats up? bella completely fell in my eyes in this book, although it is my favorite in the series. bella always compares herself to catherine in wuthering heights and that is a start. atleast she feels bad, but she was like the stupidest person ever and i really hated her in this book and breaking dawn, but not for the same reason…
great post, i wish u could read more than a chapter…
Whoops! And to answer your question, it is most certainly not right. No matter who she chose in the end, it hurt that person a lot. They both love her so much, they’d do anything for her. I’m pretty sure that she knows, somewhere in the back of her hard head, that she’s leading Jacob on. If I were her, I’d probably tell him that if he wanted to see me so badly, to drive his lazy butt up to my house himself. Haha 🙂
Ahh!!! And one more thing. I love both Jacob and Edward!!! I just want to clear my name so no one hates me or anything. Tehe jk 😉
E- um no, I didn’t want an “everybody dies” ending. I was trying not spoil it for people that haven’t gotten through with all the books.
What I mean is, this was a major conflict of the series, and I don’t like the way it was “resolved”, if you even want to call it that.
Same. We’re actually very similar ^_^ It irks me that Bella can go with Jacob and she knows it hurts Edward. This is really what annoys me most about Eclipse, and why it is my least favorite book to me in the series. Stephenie did say that it is one of Edward’s major flaws: How he watched Bella Jacob get closer, and not do anything about it. It does make me angry. Sometimes I just think, “why doesn’t he do anything?!” It KILLS me that he doesn’t do anything. I really can’t help but pity him because of Bella.
I think Bella does know what she’s doing, but she can’t help it. She and Jacob have grown quite close in New Moon. My answer?
NO, IT IS NOT alright that Bella leads on Jacob and Edward. How can it be alright? In New Moon, Edward didn’t try to find a replacement for Bella or crutch, did he? Maybe every damn thing in Eclipse was alright if Edward did the same. Breaking Dawn didn’t even balance anything.
I was really really annoyed at Bella, but hey, you can learn to get over it. Breaking Dawn really does help. ^_^
I suppose it’s not really okay for Bella to lead Jacob on, but she doesn’t know what she’s doing, sooooo…
Also, although Edward is obviously not going to be happy that she’s hanging out with Jacob, there is of course a reason that he accepts it. He loves her! So he’s putting up with everything, because he doesn’t want to hurt her.
I think that Bella is kind of a selfish dink. She really is Kathy from Wuthering Heights.
I also think the reason why Edward lets her stay friends with Jacob is to constantly allow Bella an out. I think Edward is amazing with his kindness.
I also think that Jacob is a dink.
Bell’s in denial about Jacob and how much she cares about him. She refuses to believe that her feelings for him are inappropriate and so she doesn’t see how much she’s in the wrong. She’s only eighteen and inexperienced so give her a break people. She’s not doing it on purpose, but Jacob certainly didn’t help matters.
I don’t hate Jacob, he’s only a boy and immature, but still he acts selfishly in Eclipse and he treats Edward abominably. Though it probably seems worse because of the contrast between his treatment of Edward and Edwards treatment of him.
Edward loves Bella so much that he wants her to be happy first and foremost. Not being able to read her mind he doesn’t have an insight into her thoughts and feelings like we do. He doesn’t know the depth of her feelings for him. When you look at their relationship Bella holds the power. Edward is always proclaiming his love and making sure Bella has no doubts about his devotion to her. Bella, on the other hand, isn’t near as vocal or as open with her own feelings leaving Edward feeling much less sure of her feelings for him. Sure, he knows she’s strongly attracted to him physically, but to him that might just be the vampire effect. And he knows human emotions are fickle. He is left constantly doubting her feelings. He needs reassurance, but Bella does the opposite; running after Jacob only proves to him she could leave him at any moment without a second thought. And he hates himself and loves Bella enough that part of him wants that b/c he thinks that would be better for her no matter how much it hurts him. As a vampire his emotions are not fickle or subject to change. He can never fall out of love with Bella. And still he lets her know that she’s free to do whatever makes her happy. Edward is amazing in his self-sacrifice and generosity. As long as she wants him he’s there for her and, lucky him, he get’s to be happy too. But if she treats him like a he’s a toy or completely ignores his feelings he’ll just take that too and still think he’s lucky.
If only Edward could love himself more and believe that he’s not a soulless monster. But he needs Bella to show him he is worth loving, something she fails at miserably throughout eclipse. Bella should think of Edward more. He deserves it.
Well… I haven’t read all the posts so I’m not sure if I’m repeating anything but…
Jacob: He’s a teenage boy who’s been giving a ton to deal with. Tradition, the supernatural, being a werewolf, all this and still going through high school… He’s young. Not to mention the girl he loves is in love with a guy he views as a “leech” and a “monster” and wants to turn her into a monster leech too. He’s right now doing everything in his power to keep her alive (as in, nothing but human.) I don’t really see too much fault in Jake. He’s trying to do everything he can to postpone the vampirization date, to have her love him back and save her from being the one creature he is forced by nature to loathe, fight, and kill.
Edward: He’s lived over a century alone, and the one person that he loves unconditionally is Bella, who happens to be a danger magnet and has a werewolf for a best friend. Edward is EXTREMELY conflicted because he feels he owes Bella something because he left (I left so you can keep the werewolf best friend you made while I was gone, because he patched you up after I hurt you) He feels remorseful for leaving in the first place– he knows he hurt Bella. (And Jacob had a little bit too much fun reminding him) He also can’t live without her and she keeps throwing herself at said guy (ok, throwing is a strong word…) who is dangerous because he could kill her in a flash. But at some point, not only does he trust Bella, I think he comes to trust that Jacob loves her enough not to hurt her either (that’s where this chapter comes in.) Does that mean he doesn’t want to mess with Jacob still? HALE NO! That’s why the whole hair and scent thing is in the chapter. Edward can’t read Bella’s mind, and not knowing the extent of what is happening must be very unnerving as well. Basically, Edward is being weighed down with so much stress over Bella (being conflicted, remorseful, worried, jealous, etc. etc.) that he’s trying to hide his pain, his annoyance FOR Bella. Because despite all the stress she causes him, he loves her more than anything in the universe.
Bella: Bella is 18. Bella is human. Bella is a danger magnet who is madly in love with a vampire and has a werewolf for a best friend. Obviously, she has a few issues compared to most humans. Bella is madly and unconditionally in love with Edward, except in Twilight (in the first chapter, mind you) she tells us that she has a hard time showing her emotions. (This must bother Edward to death [lol vampire pun :D] because he can’t read her mind and doesn’t know what she’s really feeling… and we do.) Bella is naive, and I think that a corner of her mind accepts what Jacob is doing, but also craves the freedom and the friendship he gives her. Now everybody, I am Team Edward except get real: Jacob is like her escape, where being with the Cullens and Edward lately is a little more tense considering they’re all concerned with Seattle and Victoria and… you know what I mean. Jacob is fun, and they really bonded when she was a zombie. She can’t just erase that now that Edward is back… Do I think she is being fair? No way. I think that she is so sure of her love for him, and so sure that he is sure, (especially because she kinda can’t live without him) that she doesn’t even consider how all of the Jacob stuff affects Edward. She always considers herself as the one who is more obsessed, more in love with the other. So Edward being jealous of Jacob? It doesn’t even cross her mind until Angela suggests it. I don’t think that she really considers Jacob’s affect on Edward because she knows that she won’t take her relationship with Jacob any further, and she knows that she’s madly in love with Edward. It’s almost as if she believes Edward can read her mind or something, and know that she is so invested in him that Jacob really can’t do anything to her love for Edward. But he doesn’t know—and that’s where a lot of the pain, jealousy, and problems emerge in the story. This love triangle thing between Edward, Jacob, and Bella has so many problems because it seems Bella is indecisive, in love, and unable to really tell these boys how in the world she truly feels about anyone or anything. Maybe if she made her emotions and true feelings a little clearer, she would have saved them all the problems.
Just my thoughts, my two cents, on what’s happening/ going through the heads of the characters 😀
Anna
Bella: She loves Jacob, and not as a best friend. Some part of her heart loves Jacob, can’t be without him, can’t just stay away from him, even though the rest of her heart is in denial over this. Bella truely does love two men deeply at this point, and doesn’t want to choose. So she spends time with both and avoids really thinking about why she can’t stay away from jacob.
Edward: he understands that Bella loves Jacob, even if she doesn’t see it, and he respects and loves her far too much to force her anymore to do what he wants instead of what she wants. He would let her see Jacob because she WANTS to see Jacob, and that’s the entire reason. Seeing Jacob makes her happy, he will no longer get in the way of her happiness, even if it hurts him. Of course he’s jealous, of course he’s upset, but he won’t show it, he won’t tell her, because he wants her to ultimately choose him freely, without pursuasion from him. He won’t force her to do anything anymore against her will. This is very decent actually, and a big part of why I respect Edward, though really I wish he would trust her enough to say how he’s feeling, and let her decide after that, though he probably knows she would decide to do what makes him happy, and sacrifice herself, which he doesn’t want. Really this whole problem could have been avoided if they weren’t so self-sacrificing. 😉
Jacob: He has an annoying tendancy in this book of telling Bella what she is feeling even when she disagrees. He shows a distinctive lack of trust in her insight and judgement, which deserved or not, shows a lack of respect for her as a person. It’s demeaning. While Edward figured out that Bella should be allowed to think and feel and act of her own volition for her to be truly happy, Jacob still tries to control her, forcing her into situations she is uncomfortable with, telling her she should like it. It’s scary sometimes.
And that’s my take on our love locked trio. 🙂
About Bella and Jacob, she has made it clear that she is not interested in him like that. And Edward knows that he helped her when he was gone. He also just wants Bella happy, and im sure that whatever Bella wanted, she would get. Even if she wanted something outrageous like a pet dragon. Well, then again, i guess we could say ALMOST anything she wants. And thats your hint XD
But think of it as, Edward has thousands of girls he could run to who are dying to date him, (Tanya) but do you see him avoiding them for any reason?? And they make Bella jealous. But he still has the right to be with them just like Bella can be with Edward.
I dont think she is leading jacob on at this point, or any point. While you make a good point, because i was just in a situation where my boyfriend would go to a certain female about everything, its a complete double standard. Everyone can say what they want, but thats just how life works. Even when jacob crosses the line Bella never meant for their relationship to be that way. She loves him, and she needs him, just not the same way she needs edward. Edward understands this, and thats why he eased up. As much as he didnt want to, he also didnt want to keep causing her pain.
Well, thats sort of a bad comparison, because Edward knows full well that Bella loves him more than she could ever love Jacob. Also, when Bella and Edward fight, their usually more like ongoing heated debates. and bella doesn’t go to jake every time they fight.
Yeah, Bella is a tad bit selfish and Edward is a tad bit passive.
I just started reading your blog the other day, nothing has made me laugh as heartily as that nice little chagrin action. Thanks for that. Brilliant.
After rereading “Eclipse,” I surprised some friends by admitting that it wasn’t Edward or Jacob I disliked, but Bella. No, I don’t think she’s leading Jacob on intentionally, but she’s got to know it can’t be easy for him when she goes to LaPush and holds hands with him as they stroll the beach. As Edward is able to read Jacob’s mind, he knows that’s going on, too. It would tick me off if I were in either of their shoes.
your so funny!
If that album is ever made, I want it! I hardly ever *lol* when finding funny things online, but you somehow got me to do it twice on this post. Go Team Kaleb!
As to the running off to a model thing…
A little backstory, first. I have been betrayed by most of my female friends, in some very painful ways. I have also learned that there are a lot of hateful, spiteful, back-stabbing girls out there as well. So I tend to have more males as my close friends, rather than female.
How does this relate? I have been in the relationship where the guy was super controlling, especially when it came to my male friends (he went so far as to delete them from my myspace and address book once). Flipping out to that degree tends to push people away more.
But with this story, Edward has to remind himself that 1.) he left her, which shattered them both. 2.) In spite of that, she risked her life for his, because of the amount of love she held for him. 3.) She is very much in love with him, and only wants to keep her friend in the process.
But yes, I’m sure if it was switched, and he was running off to Tanya for friendship and guidance, Bella would become very much jealous/controlling as well.
what happened to jacob's hand
I was angry with Bella throughout this entire book. I thought she was being completely selfish. She wanted everything and she continually hurt both Jacob and Edward in the process.
i freaking hate everything about Jacob! Some People feel bad for him, but i have no sympathy for him. He never thinks about his actions, before actually acting them. Edward ROCKS! (: I think Bella is being a little selfish, and she is so caught up in wanting Jacob and Edward to be friends, to “have” both, etc. that she is kind of forgetting her impact on others.
(love the song) It's wrong to lead 2people on at the same time but at times its uncontrollable because of the other person. Bella had always made it clear to Jacob that she wanted them to be friends because she was afraid to lose him ect… it pretty much is Jacobs fault for being in his position because he just never gave up (even when it was pretty clear that she wasn't going to choose him over Edward). Most of the time i don't think Bella really knows what she is doing to Jacob except for the pain that she is causing him but i can feel why she does it. She was a wreck when Edward left her and the person who brought light back into her life was Jacob. SO how can she just stop all the feeling she gathered for Jacob cold turkey just because Edward is suddenly back in her life?!!!
–Bella actually can be trusted somewhat with her own safety (as long as this doesn’t involve cars, motorcycles, cliffs, water, tennis, needles, knives, mace spray, axes, shotguns, the pavement, the woods, climbing trees, airplanes, volleyball or a potted prickly cactus, which only through supernatural means made it from Arizona to Forks without sticking her in the eye).— That is hilarious!!! I can't stop laughing at this post… but seriously, we have all gotta remember that Bella is very naive about things… well, relationship things that is… she really doesn't know she is delving into matters so much… Edward is trying very hard to make her happy and protect her at the same time… he doesn't like it, but perhaps he is not truly sure about the proper balance in this situation. Like, maybe he could be supportive without letting her romp off into his open arms all the time… Edward is 110 but still 17 when it comes to love… just a thought 🙂
–Bella actually can be trusted somewhat with her own safety (as long as this doesn’t involve cars, motorcycles, cliffs, water, tennis, needles, knives, mace spray, axes, shotguns, the pavement, the woods, climbing trees, airplanes, volleyball or a potted prickly cactus, which only through supernatural means made it from Arizona to Forks without sticking her in the eye).— That is hilarious!!! I can't stop laughing at this post… but seriously, we have all gotta remember that Bella is very naive about things… well, relationship things that is… she really doesn't know she is delving into matters so much… Edward is trying very hard to make her happy and protect her at the same time… he doesn't like it, but perhaps he is not truly sure about the proper balance in this situation. Like, maybe he could be supportive without letting her romp off into his open arms all the time… Edward is 110 but still 17 when it comes to love… just a thought 🙂
All of us were 17 once. We know how that age can be. First love means so much you would rather die than be left by that someone. That age , most of us were not able to escape with flying colours, my self included. It is a very hard stage where everything seems only revolving you and that special person and nothing else matters. My answer to this is no, she cant be trusted to decide on her own, period
No. I don't think it is right she needs to choose one or the other not both. I like your analogy about it being the boyfriend and the model, Bella can't keep going to Jacob because she already has a boyfriend and the more she hangs out with Jacob the more Jacob thinks there might be a chance that Bella would choose him over Edward. It hurts Edward every time she leaves to hang out with Jacob. Even though Edward think it might be safer for Bella to be with Jacob.
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134 Responses
bella’s a whore and edward’s a man whore.when u read breaking dawn, u will find out y…
Like many others, I’ve been in Bella’s shoes- with my current boyfriend, a definite Edward, and my ex-fiance, a Jacob. She sees Jacob as a friend that she doesn’t want to hurt to let go, and he’s a bit of a safety net for her- if Edward ever leaves again, she has someone who will step in. But she truly loves and wants to be with Edward, as we’ve seen. So, she tries to be friends with everyone and make everyone happy- which she can’t do without hurting someone.
Ironically, this is the book that made me go, “WAIT A MINUTE” and have a stark realization about my own little triangle. Now, my “Edward” and I are still happily together, and I told my “Jacob” that we didn’t seem to be ready for friendship, and I was sorry to say good bye, but he couldn’t give me a platonic relationship, and I couldn’t give him a romantic one. So, I think Eclipse saved my relationship- hopefully Bella will come to the same realization that I did.
heyyyyy! whats up? bella completely fell in my eyes in this book, although it is my favorite in the series. bella always compares herself to catherine in wuthering heights and that is a start. atleast she feels bad, but she was like the stupidest person ever and i really hated her in this book and breaking dawn, but not for the same reason…
great post, i wish u could read more than a chapter…
Whoops! And to answer your question, it is most certainly not right. No matter who she chose in the end, it hurt that person a lot. They both love her so much, they’d do anything for her. I’m pretty sure that she knows, somewhere in the back of her hard head, that she’s leading Jacob on. If I were her, I’d probably tell him that if he wanted to see me so badly, to drive his lazy butt up to my house himself. Haha 🙂
Ahh!!! And one more thing. I love both Jacob and Edward!!! I just want to clear my name so no one hates me or anything. Tehe jk 😉
E- um no, I didn’t want an “everybody dies” ending. I was trying not spoil it for people that haven’t gotten through with all the books.
What I mean is, this was a major conflict of the series, and I don’t like the way it was “resolved”, if you even want to call it that.
Same. We’re actually very similar ^_^ It irks me that Bella can go with Jacob and she knows it hurts Edward. This is really what annoys me most about Eclipse, and why it is my least favorite book to me in the series. Stephenie did say that it is one of Edward’s major flaws: How he watched Bella Jacob get closer, and not do anything about it. It does make me angry. Sometimes I just think, “why doesn’t he do anything?!” It KILLS me that he doesn’t do anything. I really can’t help but pity him because of Bella.
I think Bella does know what she’s doing, but she can’t help it. She and Jacob have grown quite close in New Moon. My answer?
NO, IT IS NOT alright that Bella leads on Jacob and Edward. How can it be alright? In New Moon, Edward didn’t try to find a replacement for Bella or crutch, did he? Maybe every damn thing in Eclipse was alright if Edward did the same. Breaking Dawn didn’t even balance anything.
I was really really annoyed at Bella, but hey, you can learn to get over it. Breaking Dawn really does help. ^_^
I suppose it’s not really okay for Bella to lead Jacob on, but she doesn’t know what she’s doing, sooooo…
Also, although Edward is obviously not going to be happy that she’s hanging out with Jacob, there is of course a reason that he accepts it. He loves her! So he’s putting up with everything, because he doesn’t want to hurt her.
bella is selfish
I think that Bella is kind of a selfish dink. She really is Kathy from Wuthering Heights.
I also think the reason why Edward lets her stay friends with Jacob is to constantly allow Bella an out. I think Edward is amazing with his kindness.
I also think that Jacob is a dink.
Bell’s in denial about Jacob and how much she cares about him. She refuses to believe that her feelings for him are inappropriate and so she doesn’t see how much she’s in the wrong. She’s only eighteen and inexperienced so give her a break people. She’s not doing it on purpose, but Jacob certainly didn’t help matters.
I don’t hate Jacob, he’s only a boy and immature, but still he acts selfishly in Eclipse and he treats Edward abominably. Though it probably seems worse because of the contrast between his treatment of Edward and Edwards treatment of him.
Edward loves Bella so much that he wants her to be happy first and foremost. Not being able to read her mind he doesn’t have an insight into her thoughts and feelings like we do. He doesn’t know the depth of her feelings for him. When you look at their relationship Bella holds the power. Edward is always proclaiming his love and making sure Bella has no doubts about his devotion to her. Bella, on the other hand, isn’t near as vocal or as open with her own feelings leaving Edward feeling much less sure of her feelings for him. Sure, he knows she’s strongly attracted to him physically, but to him that might just be the vampire effect. And he knows human emotions are fickle. He is left constantly doubting her feelings. He needs reassurance, but Bella does the opposite; running after Jacob only proves to him she could leave him at any moment without a second thought. And he hates himself and loves Bella enough that part of him wants that b/c he thinks that would be better for her no matter how much it hurts him. As a vampire his emotions are not fickle or subject to change. He can never fall out of love with Bella. And still he lets her know that she’s free to do whatever makes her happy. Edward is amazing in his self-sacrifice and generosity. As long as she wants him he’s there for her and, lucky him, he get’s to be happy too. But if she treats him like a he’s a toy or completely ignores his feelings he’ll just take that too and still think he’s lucky.
If only Edward could love himself more and believe that he’s not a soulless monster. But he needs Bella to show him he is worth loving, something she fails at miserably throughout eclipse. Bella should think of Edward more. He deserves it.
Well… I haven’t read all the posts so I’m not sure if I’m repeating anything but…
Jacob: He’s a teenage boy who’s been giving a ton to deal with. Tradition, the supernatural, being a werewolf, all this and still going through high school… He’s young. Not to mention the girl he loves is in love with a guy he views as a “leech” and a “monster” and wants to turn her into a monster leech too. He’s right now doing everything in his power to keep her alive (as in, nothing but human.) I don’t really see too much fault in Jake. He’s trying to do everything he can to postpone the vampirization date, to have her love him back and save her from being the one creature he is forced by nature to loathe, fight, and kill.
Edward: He’s lived over a century alone, and the one person that he loves unconditionally is Bella, who happens to be a danger magnet and has a werewolf for a best friend. Edward is EXTREMELY conflicted because he feels he owes Bella something because he left (I left so you can keep the werewolf best friend you made while I was gone, because he patched you up after I hurt you) He feels remorseful for leaving in the first place– he knows he hurt Bella. (And Jacob had a little bit too much fun reminding him) He also can’t live without her and she keeps throwing herself at said guy (ok, throwing is a strong word…) who is dangerous because he could kill her in a flash. But at some point, not only does he trust Bella, I think he comes to trust that Jacob loves her enough not to hurt her either (that’s where this chapter comes in.) Does that mean he doesn’t want to mess with Jacob still? HALE NO! That’s why the whole hair and scent thing is in the chapter. Edward can’t read Bella’s mind, and not knowing the extent of what is happening must be very unnerving as well. Basically, Edward is being weighed down with so much stress over Bella (being conflicted, remorseful, worried, jealous, etc. etc.) that he’s trying to hide his pain, his annoyance FOR Bella. Because despite all the stress she causes him, he loves her more than anything in the universe.
Bella: Bella is 18. Bella is human. Bella is a danger magnet who is madly in love with a vampire and has a werewolf for a best friend. Obviously, she has a few issues compared to most humans. Bella is madly and unconditionally in love with Edward, except in Twilight (in the first chapter, mind you) she tells us that she has a hard time showing her emotions. (This must bother Edward to death [lol vampire pun :D] because he can’t read her mind and doesn’t know what she’s really feeling… and we do.) Bella is naive, and I think that a corner of her mind accepts what Jacob is doing, but also craves the freedom and the friendship he gives her. Now everybody, I am Team Edward except get real: Jacob is like her escape, where being with the Cullens and Edward lately is a little more tense considering they’re all concerned with Seattle and Victoria and… you know what I mean. Jacob is fun, and they really bonded when she was a zombie. She can’t just erase that now that Edward is back… Do I think she is being fair? No way. I think that she is so sure of her love for him, and so sure that he is sure, (especially because she kinda can’t live without him) that she doesn’t even consider how all of the Jacob stuff affects Edward. She always considers herself as the one who is more obsessed, more in love with the other. So Edward being jealous of Jacob? It doesn’t even cross her mind until Angela suggests it. I don’t think that she really considers Jacob’s affect on Edward because she knows that she won’t take her relationship with Jacob any further, and she knows that she’s madly in love with Edward. It’s almost as if she believes Edward can read her mind or something, and know that she is so invested in him that Jacob really can’t do anything to her love for Edward. But he doesn’t know—and that’s where a lot of the pain, jealousy, and problems emerge in the story. This love triangle thing between Edward, Jacob, and Bella has so many problems because it seems Bella is indecisive, in love, and unable to really tell these boys how in the world she truly feels about anyone or anything. Maybe if she made her emotions and true feelings a little clearer, she would have saved them all the problems.
Just my thoughts, my two cents, on what’s happening/ going through the heads of the characters 😀
Anna
Bella: She loves Jacob, and not as a best friend. Some part of her heart loves Jacob, can’t be without him, can’t just stay away from him, even though the rest of her heart is in denial over this. Bella truely does love two men deeply at this point, and doesn’t want to choose. So she spends time with both and avoids really thinking about why she can’t stay away from jacob.
Edward: he understands that Bella loves Jacob, even if she doesn’t see it, and he respects and loves her far too much to force her anymore to do what he wants instead of what she wants. He would let her see Jacob because she WANTS to see Jacob, and that’s the entire reason. Seeing Jacob makes her happy, he will no longer get in the way of her happiness, even if it hurts him. Of course he’s jealous, of course he’s upset, but he won’t show it, he won’t tell her, because he wants her to ultimately choose him freely, without pursuasion from him. He won’t force her to do anything anymore against her will. This is very decent actually, and a big part of why I respect Edward, though really I wish he would trust her enough to say how he’s feeling, and let her decide after that, though he probably knows she would decide to do what makes him happy, and sacrifice herself, which he doesn’t want. Really this whole problem could have been avoided if they weren’t so self-sacrificing. 😉
Jacob: He has an annoying tendancy in this book of telling Bella what she is feeling even when she disagrees. He shows a distinctive lack of trust in her insight and judgement, which deserved or not, shows a lack of respect for her as a person. It’s demeaning. While Edward figured out that Bella should be allowed to think and feel and act of her own volition for her to be truly happy, Jacob still tries to control her, forcing her into situations she is uncomfortable with, telling her she should like it. It’s scary sometimes.
And that’s my take on our love locked trio. 🙂
About Bella and Jacob, she has made it clear that she is not interested in him like that. And Edward knows that he helped her when he was gone. He also just wants Bella happy, and im sure that whatever Bella wanted, she would get. Even if she wanted something outrageous like a pet dragon. Well, then again, i guess we could say ALMOST anything she wants. And thats your hint XD
But think of it as, Edward has thousands of girls he could run to who are dying to date him, (Tanya) but do you see him avoiding them for any reason?? And they make Bella jealous. But he still has the right to be with them just like Bella can be with Edward.
I dont think she is leading jacob on at this point, or any point. While you make a good point, because i was just in a situation where my boyfriend would go to a certain female about everything, its a complete double standard. Everyone can say what they want, but thats just how life works. Even when jacob crosses the line Bella never meant for their relationship to be that way. She loves him, and she needs him, just not the same way she needs edward. Edward understands this, and thats why he eased up. As much as he didnt want to, he also didnt want to keep causing her pain.
Well, thats sort of a bad comparison, because Edward knows full well that Bella loves him more than she could ever love Jacob. Also, when Bella and Edward fight, their usually more like ongoing heated debates. and bella doesn’t go to jake every time they fight.
Yeah, Bella is a tad bit selfish and Edward is a tad bit passive.
I just started reading your blog the other day, nothing has made me laugh as heartily as that nice little chagrin action. Thanks for that. Brilliant.
After rereading “Eclipse,” I surprised some friends by admitting that it wasn’t Edward or Jacob I disliked, but Bella. No, I don’t think she’s leading Jacob on intentionally, but she’s got to know it can’t be easy for him when she goes to LaPush and holds hands with him as they stroll the beach. As Edward is able to read Jacob’s mind, he knows that’s going on, too. It would tick me off if I were in either of their shoes.
your so funny!
If that album is ever made, I want it! I hardly ever *lol* when finding funny things online, but you somehow got me to do it twice on this post. Go Team Kaleb!
As to the running off to a model thing…
A little backstory, first. I have been betrayed by most of my female friends, in some very painful ways. I have also learned that there are a lot of hateful, spiteful, back-stabbing girls out there as well. So I tend to have more males as my close friends, rather than female.
How does this relate? I have been in the relationship where the guy was super controlling, especially when it came to my male friends (he went so far as to delete them from my myspace and address book once). Flipping out to that degree tends to push people away more.
But with this story, Edward has to remind himself that 1.) he left her, which shattered them both. 2.) In spite of that, she risked her life for his, because of the amount of love she held for him. 3.) She is very much in love with him, and only wants to keep her friend in the process.
But yes, I’m sure if it was switched, and he was running off to Tanya for friendship and guidance, Bella would become very much jealous/controlling as well.
what happened to jacob's hand
I was angry with Bella throughout this entire book. I thought she was being completely selfish. She wanted everything and she continually hurt both Jacob and Edward in the process.
i freaking hate everything about Jacob! Some People feel bad for him, but i have no sympathy for him. He never thinks about his actions, before actually acting them. Edward ROCKS! (: I think Bella is being a little selfish, and she is so caught up in wanting Jacob and Edward to be friends, to “have” both, etc. that she is kind of forgetting her impact on others.
(love the song) It's wrong to lead 2people on at the same time but at times its uncontrollable because of the other person. Bella had always made it clear to Jacob that she wanted them to be friends because she was afraid to lose him ect… it pretty much is Jacobs fault for being in his position because he just never gave up (even when it was pretty clear that she wasn't going to choose him over Edward). Most of the time i don't think Bella really knows what she is doing to Jacob except for the pain that she is causing him but i can feel why she does it. She was a wreck when Edward left her and the person who brought light back into her life was Jacob. SO how can she just stop all the feeling she gathered for Jacob cold turkey just because Edward is suddenly back in her life?!!!
–Bella actually can be trusted somewhat with her own safety (as long as this doesn’t involve cars, motorcycles, cliffs, water, tennis, needles, knives, mace spray, axes, shotguns, the pavement, the woods, climbing trees, airplanes, volleyball or a potted prickly cactus, which only through supernatural means made it from Arizona to Forks without sticking her in the eye).—
That is hilarious!!!
I can't stop laughing at this post… but seriously, we have all gotta remember that Bella is very naive about things… well, relationship things that is… she really doesn't know she is delving into matters so much… Edward is trying very hard to make her happy and protect her at the same time… he doesn't like it, but perhaps he is not truly sure about the proper balance in this situation. Like, maybe he could be supportive without letting her romp off into his open arms all the time… Edward is 110 but still 17 when it comes to love… just a thought 🙂
–Bella actually can be trusted somewhat with her own safety (as long as this doesn’t involve cars, motorcycles, cliffs, water, tennis, needles, knives, mace spray, axes, shotguns, the pavement, the woods, climbing trees, airplanes, volleyball or a potted prickly cactus, which only through supernatural means made it from Arizona to Forks without sticking her in the eye).—
That is hilarious!!!
I can't stop laughing at this post… but seriously, we have all gotta remember that Bella is very naive about things… well, relationship things that is… she really doesn't know she is delving into matters so much… Edward is trying very hard to make her happy and protect her at the same time… he doesn't like it, but perhaps he is not truly sure about the proper balance in this situation. Like, maybe he could be supportive without letting her romp off into his open arms all the time… Edward is 110 but still 17 when it comes to love… just a thought 🙂
All of us were 17 once. We know how that age can be. First love means so much you would rather die than be left by that someone. That age , most of us were not able to escape with flying colours, my self included. It is a very hard stage where everything seems only revolving you and that special person and nothing else matters. My answer to this is no, she cant be trusted to decide on her own, period
No. I don't think it is right she needs to choose one or the other not both. I like your analogy about it being the boyfriend and the model, Bella can't keep going to Jacob because she already has a boyfriend and the more she hangs out with Jacob the more Jacob thinks there might be a chance that Bella would choose him over Edward. It hurts Edward every time she leaves to hang out with Jacob. Even though Edward think it might be safer for Bella to be with Jacob.
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