Monday, December 6, 2010

Between a rock and a hot place

About three years ago, before the whole hype started, I read the Twilight saga (as it is now commonly called). I have to say, the first book got me hooked, the second made me sad and depressed, the third seemed to come apart at the seams and by the fourth I didn't really want to know how it ended anymore.

On the featurettes of the first Twilight movie, Stephenie Meyer explained how she got the idea for the series. It started with a dream she had and how she woke up before knowing how it ended. Being the writer that she is, she sat down at her desk and wrote an ending to her dream. Thus, Twilight was born.

In my opinion, she should've stopped with the first book, since it was based on a dream and one can only stretch a dream so far until it starts to tear. By the second book, she incorporates werewolves, which isn't all that bad, but still, it makes you wonder where she's planning to take it all to. Surely, by Eclipse, it's become increasingly clear that Meyer can't handle the pressure of juggling all the different characters and storylines anymore. She adds a string of grizzly murders to try and elevate the book from a simple teen love story to an elaborate detective/supernatural horror story. Breaking Dawn takes the cake in overdoing it. If Meyer wanted us to know exactly what the werewolves were thinking, she should've written an entirely new series on them instead of cramming it in between Bella's pregnancy and her giving birth. Personally, I think she's in over her head.

One of the main critiques on her work is the fact that she portrays women as weak and defenseless little girls and the men as predatorial and dominant. Back in the day, Jane Austen portrayed women as being rather silly as well, but at least she had the decency to be sarcastic and ironic about it. Meyer, on the contrary, seems to take pleasure in this hunter-prey situation. And although it is cute and adorable to some extent, at some point, it's time to cut the puppet strings loose and let the characters evolve for themselves, rather than being pushed forwards by the actions of others.

If you ask me, she should've given Bella and Jacob at least a chance. Somewhere in New Moon, she handed Bella all the tools she needed to chose Jacob, even if it was for just a little while. But Bella, poor defenseless and scared Bella, choose to wallow in self-pity and self-imposed isolation rather than try to live her life like a normal seventeen or eighteen year old would. We all drag our asses out of bed some day and we get over it. So I wonder what makes Bella so special, except the fact that she's impervious to the vampire's powers?

If Bella and Jacob had become a couple it would've made for far more interesting storylines than the impending threat of the Volturi or the incessant glooming eyes of Victoria. And on that note, Victoria should've won. She was one of the best characters in the series. At least she had the stones to fight for the one she loved and to avenge him, rather than waking up every night screaming for him. Screaming. Every. Effing. Night. *grunt*

Just this morning, I watched New Moon and I couldn't help but become increasingly annoyed with Bella as the movie progressed. On all accounts, Bella is weak and seemingly unable to handle reality. So desperate to live forever as a vampire for the sake of being together with the one she loves. Unfortunately Bella dear, to live forever, means to actually L I V E forever and if you don't have a life now, what will you do until the end of time?

So Bella, next time you have to choose between a rock (stone-cold Eddie Cullen) and a hot place (Jake's abs of steel and apparant allergy to wearing shirts), stop your bitching for five seconds and go for the hottie. Passion is fire, Bella. You would know that if you had some sort of IQ.

2 comments:

Ezs said...

Right on, brother!

Ager said...

A touching story of a young girl experimenting with necrophilia and bestiality, dohohohoh.

It seems every generation has a book hype (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc.). It a shame Twilight became the saga of the most recent generation.