A guy reads Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2009-2011)

Reading Breaking Dawn: Chapter 22 (Promised)

The song for this chapter is Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

It is easy to forget that Bella hasn’t been given much chance to hold her own child, because her thirst seems to have consumed the past two chapters so much that it’s almost like she didn’t even have a daughter at all. Usually one would at least expect Bella to demand to see her baby for a little more than the few seconds she had, especially considering the devotion she showed to the baby all through the pregnancy. This whole thirst for blood thing is far too distracting.

I don’t even know what I would do if my child’s preferred diet consisted entirely of blood. I mean, this is somewhat understandable if the only baby food available was something like

baby-food

but when you change this to

vampire-baby-food

I’m not exactly sure how well the general public would react. Especially if Renee decides to babysit for an hour or two, and little Renesmee gets hungry.

I want to let out a great sigh of ‘FINALLY” when Bella realizes that her relationship with Jacob has changed. Before this moment, it was obvious she loved him. It was impossible for her to let him go, even to let him out of her sight. Even after she married Edward there was a piece of her that was still with Jacob, this little part of her that meant she could never fully be Edward’s because she still had feelings for someone else. If she loved Jacob, then fine: go with Jacob – but don’t keep both of them hanging on to you. Now, however, things are suddenly how they should be:

“…I noticed that the strange need I’d felt for him before I’d changed was completely gone. He was just my friend, the way it was supposed to be.”

It reminds me of the earliest times she had with Jacob, in New Moon: those times where they were just having fun as friends, even though it was obvious that Jacob had always wanted more than that. Now, it is such a sudden change of heart that the conspiracy theorist within me wonders of Jacob is actually sincere in how he is acting. He has flipped over like a card on a windy day. We have Edward standing there, hold Bella right in front of him, and he doesn’t so much as react in the slightest, besides laugh a bit. It’s all almost too good to be true, how things between Bella and Jacob might actually, finally, be working out. It’s like he really just wants to be friends now. If this goes on, even I wouldn’t have a problem with Jacob sticking around Bella.

I like it that Renesmee has this power of communication, as odd as it may be for a baby to actually have these powers. It’s very different than usual, because vampires’ powers were supposed to be a glorification of some ability they had before they transformed. If Renesmee was born half-vampire, her powers aren’t really something from who she was before, because she never was someone before. It’s really impossible then to know what to expect from her, because she is essentially one of the first (if not the first) of her kind.

A lot of people made comments on my post for Chapter 18 which went something along the lines of:

“KALEB YOU IDIOT. HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE END OF THIS CHAPTER. IT IS SO OBVIOUS.”

lolcat

To which I replied:

“SHEESH I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. BUT I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW BECAUSE I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN SPOILERED!”

saupload_calvinhobbscalmdown

even though it is oh-so-obvious what happened then, especially considering all the talk of ‘imprinting’ and Jacob’s sudden and unexpected change of heart at the end of that chapter. Now, it’s even more obvious, because suddenly JACOB of all people is trying to protect little Renesmee, when not so long ago he wanted nothing more than to kill the baby so that Bella wouldn’t hurt anymore. What happened?!?!

imprinting-happened

Yes, I know.

I don’t know exactly how to react to this news, and I quite honestly haven’t known what I would write when this chapter finally came. I’ve known for quite a while that Jacob imprints on Bella’s daughter (how can I not know, it’s on every forum and chatroom I visit). So I will give my commentary in the following format by displaying my play-by-play reaction to Bella and Jacob’s confrontation:

“You didn’t,” I snarled at him. OH NO YOU DIDN’T, JACOB BLACK!

“You know it’s not something I can control.” UH-HUH.

“You stupid mutt! How could you? My baby!” PUNCH HIM BELLA! DO IT!

“It wasn’t my idea, Bella!” UH-HUH, RIGHT IT WASN’T.

“How dare you imprint on my baby? Have you lost your mind?” A WELL DESERVED QUESTION, JACOB.

“It was involuntary!” … SAVE IT FOR THE JUDGE.

And that was my reaction. Both of them have reasonable points (Bella’s obviously more reasonable than Jacob’s). I don’t really know what to say, honestly. I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of a teenager who loved Bella to change suddenly into loving her toddler daughter. It just seems icky – but this is when the situation is given only a cursory glance. The ickyness is made less with Jacob’s point: would Edward have let him live that long if he had anything other than safe and good intentions? Edward can read all of his thoughts, so despite what any other human or vampire there thinks, Edward would really know what Jacob is thinking. I know that this is an understandably large dividing point in the Twilight fandom, but if we can accept that Edward is a vampire, and accept that Jacob is a werewolf, and that Renesmee is half vampire, can we not also accept the fact that Jacob imprinted on a baby?

Still, I obviously don’t blame Bella at all for lunging at Jacob’s throat at the end of this chapter. Oh I do hope he doesn’t get hurt too badly!

Question For The Comments: Do you think it was alright for Jacob to imprint on Renesmee?

–NOTES–

– The ReelzChannel Twicon Fan Corrospondant contest is in its FINAL week! There are five amazing finalists who are up for a chance to go to Twicon (July 30 – August 2), and YOU can vote on who you think should go! They’re all so talented it’s hard to pick, but Dominique Alexis is a long-time TwilightGuy reader who mentioned she would love your vote 😉  Click here to watch their videos and vote!

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75 Responses

  1. hm… i really like this song..i was falling asleep each to this song when i read the books.
    and i like the lyrics too and her voice is great, but the lyrics didn't really fit the melody and what i feel behind it.
    so they're both great but not together…
    btw the song in new moon:Edward leaving Bella in the woods.Bella wondering..shouting after him…things like that…Bella alone…Sam finding her…
    all these like flashes while we hear the song…(kind of like let me sign in twilight…i mean the flashing pics and things)

    does this make sense?

  2. these lyrics are perfect for new moon, but they're almost too perfect. i really do love this song, though. i remember for twilight when i had looked up bellas lullaby and this is what came up for it. i think this song would be perfect when bellas going through those months after edwards leaves.

  3. omg, she took a beautiful song, and ruined it.
    the original version should be in the soundtrack!!!!

  4. ok ill b brief cuz some comments have been wayy too loong…..like the lyrics but the combination of the way sang and the rithm of the piano didnt feel like it fit….and according to the new moon woundtrack ..idk….maybe just the piano when showing bella's depression u know like when showing the passing of timee and the piano as bakcgorung cuz everything else is moree…mmm…faster??? u know the werewoolves alice and then volterraa…the perfect song for when edwar lefts bella us what hurts the most…

  5. it wasn't completely terrible.. the vocals were really good, but i don't think the song really matched up with river flows in you, so maybe different original music behind it would be better.

  6. wow,i actully thought it was good till the ben and jerry part.but i like it.
    some parts could use sum work.but at least she tried.and o love the lyrics and the song bt they dont really fit togetherr.

  7. Voice = great. It blends with the overall mood of the tune. But I guess the lyrics can be better. Good job, though.

  8. @ d A n i

    Ugh, I wish they won't use this kind of song for the part inwhich Bella is runing (stumbling…)to save Edward's life ! It would sound wrong. But I'd like to hear it when they're on their way back to Forks, on the plane, that would be perfect, with a close-up on Bella's mixed tormented and moved face. Well, if ever they include that scene in the movie, which I really doubt.

    Anyway, this piano song wasn't intended to be singing over, and the singing doesn't really match the piano part, in my mind. Though, the singing itself is quite pretty.

    But the Ben&Jerry “melting”, uh oh… I thought of a fat child in front of cartoons. Oups.

  9. It's pretty, it really is. but i kinda wish the lyrics were different. it doesn't really make sense.

    I personally just think at some point the movies should incorporate the River Flows in You (the original). In fact, it should be like the twilight theme song. really. I can play it on the piano too, and i LOVE it

  10. i completely agree. river flows in you doesn't need anything additional… it became too much to listen to and at points sounded cluttered.

  11. I think a voice should not be put to such beautiful music, it spoils it. Not being nasty but it does. It’s stunning just like that. I understood in an interview that Bella’s Lullaby only comes on New moon. Hope that they surprise everyone and use River Flows in you. It’s to perfect, exactly the way Edward makes it sound in the so so so unfortunate unfinished Midnight sun. ;-(

  12. River Flows in You SHOULD have been Bella's Lullaby. it has so much more depth than the one on the Twilight Soundtrack. i really wish her lyrics were good, but they're not, at least in my opinion…and they don't really flow with the piano. it sounds strange to me. but adore River Flows in You, i want to cry every time i hear it, hahah, it's THAT good.

  13. Her voice is beautiful and the lyrics fit New Moon perfectly. I do like this song better than what ended up as Bella's lullaby, and I definately think it should be on the New Moon soundtrack

  14. I agree songs in movies are supposed to enhance it not copy it. They're not supposed to fit the movie in every line.

    BUT I don't like the song. I'm IN LOVE with Yiruma on its own but the lyrics seem forced and don't really fit. Especially the Ben and Jerry's line although I think Anne Manda is going to change it… But I dunno, the lyrics would fit better to another song. River Flows In You is perfect on its own xD

    xXx

  15. WHERE DID YOU FIND IT???!!!!

    Is it like a video of Robert Pattinson actually playing it, a musical sheet or someone else playing it?

    Ever since I heard about it on Twilight Tuesday, I had been full on counting down the days until I could hear it but then they replaced the song with Carter Burwell's version. : (

    Please answer back!

    Amy
    xXx

  16. I don't know what all you people are talking about. The singing and the lyrics enhance this gorgeous piece so much. I love it! The singing is absolutely stunning.

  17. No such thing as right or wrong, in this story…Imprinting just happens when you see with your own two eyes the subject of your imprinting and it works both ways. The Imprintee accepts the destiny laid out for them, So in this case Jacob ha sno choice and it explains everything and anything that happened to him at the very beginning why he was so attached to Bella and the pull to be near her no matter what is because Bella was the instrumental being that would give him his destiny.

  18. sigh. i hoped this would have been so much more melodramatic…guess not. by the way – there's this series on sparknotes blogging twilight by dan bergstein. it is amazing. he's much more funny than you, but less rational and doesn't think carefully about why the characters act the way they do – he's fairly emotional. but it makes for a damn good read. Still you do a good job of trying to understand why Twilight has been so successful…even though it doesn't preach all the right messages…

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