Love and Lust
Twilight follows 17-year-old Bella Swan as she moves from Phoenix, Arizona to a tiny town in Washington State called Forks to live with her father, Charlie. Though Bella made the move voluntarily, she’s nevertheless upset about living in provincial Forks—that is, until she meets the mysterious and gorgeous Edward Cullen, a fellow junior at Forks High School. The two seem magnetically drawn to each other, and they eventually embark on an intense romance…
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Self-Restraint and Morality
When 17-year-old Bella first meets Edward Cullen in her biology class, she’s shocked—he seems to instantly detest her for no apparent reason. Later, as the two get to know each other and fall in love, Bella learns why. Edward isn’t a normal 17-year-old—he’s actually a 107-year-old vampire, and Bella’s blood smells better to him than that of any other person. This means that whenever Edward is around Bella, he must exercise all his self-control to…
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Good, Evil, and Perspective
Twilight is, in many ways, a classic story of good (the Cullens and Bella) triumphing over evil (James, a vampire who tracks specific humans for sport). But it complicates what’s good and what’s evil in many ways: Bella is portrayed as a good, kind, smart girl, but to Edward she’s also a temptress of sorts and the thing that could destroy his family’s way of life. And though Edward sees himself as…
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Family
Neither Bella nor Edward come from conventional, two-parent families. Bella’s parents are divorced and have been since she was only a few months old. Edward, on the other hand, was orphaned in his human life and now, as a vampire, lives with six other vampires in an entirely chosen family. But despite their unconventional family structures, neither Bella nor Edward want for support or connection: Bella describes Mom as her best friend and cares deeply…
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