Life is pretty dull for seventeen-year-old Isabella ‘Bella’ Swan, until she moves to “the rainiest place in continental U.S.”—Forks, Washington. There she meets Edward Cullen and his family. At first, the Cullens do not seem that odd, but that changes as Bella gets closer to Edward. His “mood swings that give [Bella] whiplash” are indeed weird. He starts with uncomfortable glares and coldness, and shifts to friendly conversations about the weather and oh-so-charming grins. As the story goes on, Bella uncovers the truth about the Cullens—they’re vampires. But they “refer to [themselves] as vegetarians,” since they only drink animal blood. With the story unfolding, Bella and Edward use a phrase to define their relationship: “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.” When the Cullens leave after an incident during Bella’s birthday party, she is left alone and feels as if “a huge hole has been punched through [her] chest.” Then Jacob Black comes along. He becomes Bella’s best friend, with her calling him “[her] personal sun.” With careful planning, all of the characters develop wonderfully throughout the story, making it polished and intricate. This has millions of fans hooked all over the world.
These fans have stuck with their love and dedication to the Twilight saga through thick and thin. The saga has received much negative criticism: from the psychological and physical characteristics of the characters to the setting of the story and the probability factor of many of the events. Despite all the negativity, the fans are drawn to this story because it speaks of love that is timeless and eternal, and of true family values and life virtues.
One of the main misconceptions about the Twilight saga is that is only for girls. The majority believes so because the story is told from Bella’s perception point, thinking she is overexaggerating and twisting around everything that happens, lost in her own world. Actually, Bella has thoughts and feelings much more mature than her age; having a somewhat careless mother taught her to look after herself and the ones she loves. Moreover, the author of the saga, Stephenie Meyer, is planning to publish more books, but from Edward’s point of view. A preview of the fifth book Midnight Sun, gives readers a glimpse of what Edward’s thoughts are like, and they are even more densely intertwined with love than Bella’s. And love everybody can understand.
Many men argue that after reading the Twilight saga their girlfriends totally changed their idea of a relationship, claiming that their boyfriends will never be Edward, thus ending the relationship. The answer to this issue lies within the psyche of the said women. All books at the beginning have written something like this: “The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.” This clearly states that Edward is a fictional character and that there is no man exactly like him. Understanding this and accepting that there is no perfect man is the key to resolving the problem.
Some people think that the Twilight saga is quite simple and flat; au contraire, the ideas represented in the books are quite hard to grasp. There is much more than it meets the eye. So many decisions are very complex and take a while to understand. The way the last book, Breaking Dawn, is written makes the ending very interesting, but also makes the reader work a little to fully get the meaning behind the whole story. The language that is used in the books is also quite sophisticated. Not just everyone can read them. Some words are SAT or even college level. Edward, for an example, calls some of his siblings “ostentatious” or “omniscient.” Not in the vocabulary of the average high schooler.
There are issues with the physical appearance of some of the characters. The vampires in particular: their eyes change color, making them sometimes liquid topaz and hard onyx at other times, and they sparkle in the sun. This is slightly idiotic for some people, but they must remember that beauty is relative; what they perceive as wonderful might be repulsive for someone else. Also, no story is flawless; some things may be improved, but the overall narration and description is excellent.
All throughout the story, the importance of friendship is noted. Jacob helps Bella get through her rough period, for which he is thanked by Edward. And even though Bella eventually becomes a vampire, and Jacob is a werewolf, a rival creature, they stay best friends. Because the bond they share is stronger than nature itself. They protect and care for each other, even when they are not on the best of terms, because that is what best friends do. Even though Bella alienates her human friends at times, Angela is always there for her, to comfort Bella with her kindness, and put a smile on her face.
The significance of family bonds is great in the Twilight saga. Bella’s parents, even though divorced, are still friends and do not let their separation hurt their daughter. The fact that Bella is a child of divorced parents gives the story a slightly realistic twist, which is unexpected for a story with so many fantastic factors. The Quileute wolf pack, to which Jacob belongs, feels like a family in a way, like they are all brothers. Though not always loyal, they never completely abandon each other. And with a pack of over ten, that is hard to accomplish at times, with so many different temperaments. But the bonds of the Cullen family are like nothing seen before; there are other vampire covens, some of which are also “vegetarians,” but none are so harmonious. The relationship based on mutual respect and trust no words can describe. When Bella is accepted into the family, she, too, is speechless, but develops the same kind of love towards every member of the family, even Rosalie, who is a little bit hostile at the beginning, but helps Bella a lot in the end. Just like Alice Cullen predicts, she gets another sister and loves her with all her heart. That love is very difficult to come by, especially in today’s world.
In a world full of hatred, the love exhibited in the Twilight saga is just what is needed. Love which cannot be broken and lasts forever. Love between families and friends. Love that will get through everything and never lose its meaning. Nowadays, with wars and massive carnage, the love in Twilight should be a guiding light.
Numerous awards and praises mark the popularity of the Twilight saga. With the movie installments coming out every year, the success cannot be more evident: fans start camping out in front of movie theaters all around the world a week before the premieres. Even though the spotlight is on Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner (who portray Bella, Edward, and Jacob, respectively), many new young actors have been removed from obscurity for being part of the movies’ Quileute wolf pack, for an example. The music, graphics, and visual effects get better with each film, involving the newest technologies, whose products are for the fans to enjoy.
It is evident that the Twilight saga has made its mark on pop culture. Fans love it for many different reasons; I, on the other hand, like it because I can relate to most of the things Bella feels, thinks and does. I like the sincere love between the characters and the excellent example of good values in life. I believe that most fans agree with me, and that they will keep sighing and gasping when they reread the books and watch the movies time and time again, just like I do.