Eclipse

★★★☆☆ —1) Twilight
★☆☆☆☆ —2) New Moon
★☆☆☆☆ —3) Eclipse
★★★★☆ —4) Breaking Dawn


Edward and Jacob accusing the other of being controlling and possessive.

I must be as naive as Edward thinks Bella is because I thought New Moon would be the worst of it. For a romance series everyone sure is miserable all the time.

Edward is back! His departure almost killed Bella which almost killed him, but that's all water under the bridge. Bella wants to turn into a vampire ASAP, which Edward doesn't want, and Edward wants to get married ASAP, which Bella doesn't want. Bella also wants to see her best friend Jacob, but Edward, charmer that he is, forbids it. He has his psychic (but not really, if you ask me) sister monitor her plans and hold her hostage while he goes hunting. He breaks her truck to stop her from driving to La Push, but he always holds doors open for her, so let's call it a wash. Bella finds herself defending Edward's actions to Charlie and Jacob, despite objecting to them herself.

Meanwhile Jacob has turned arrogant and callous, hardly reminiscent of the easygoing boy next door we came to know. He insists Edward denies Bella agency, but also insists he is the better option for her, whether or not she realizes it. Jacob sells himself as a chance for Bella to have more freedom, a healthier bond with someone who values her perspective instead of just ordering her around. Yet he brushes her off when she expresses concern for the pack's wellbeing, when she tells him she doesn't love him like he does her, and when she punches him so hard she breaks her hand after he forcibly kisses her. Sooner or later she'll admit he's right (worst of all, she does).

Meyer also introduces the concept of imprinting, a thing that happens to werewolves where they forge an unbreakable, lifelong soulmate attachment to someone, starting the moment they first see them, regardless of age. This is why Sam got with his high school sweetheart's cousin. The cousin resisted at first, but after Sam tore her body to shreds on accident he felt so guilty about it that she acquiesced. And what is love if not that? It's not like Leah deserved Sam anyway; look what a bitter spiteful hag she became after he left her!

As far as racism, Twilight's pale vampires are cast as inhuman, whereas the indigenous werewolves are more subhuman. Carlisle has a family, but the wolves are a pack. The vampires are calculating, thoughtful. The wolves are young, scrappy, brash. They think they're invincible. They're rough around the edges, guffawing, shoving, using threats of brute force to intimidate. The vampires are well-educated, having graduated high school and college dozens of times. The wolves never seem to be in school, from ages as young as 13. Sam opted to lead the pack rather than go to college.

Jacob's understanding of consent is...lacking, to say the least, as is his remorse after overpowering Bella physically. But boys will be boys. And Jacob is a boy (or, if you ask Edward, a mongrel), while Edward is a man. Edward is wise beyond his years quite literally, whereas Jacob can only resume aging after he manages to control his mood swings enough not to turn into a wolf for an extended length of time. Eclipse ends with Jacob considering staying in wolf form forever after receiving Edward and Bella's wedding invitation. Jacob's emotions lessen his humanity. Edward's emotions do the opposite.

The more I think about it, masculinity as Meyer depicts it (i.e., bad, badly) is in tandem with her depiction of femininity. The foundational issue here is conceiving of women and femininity as childlike. We see this most obviously in Bella, but it's present in everyone from Alice to Renée. The women are sensitive, small, soft. They're not always able to see themselves and what's best for them clearly. They underestimate or fail to spot clear danger in their midst. They're vulnerable targets. They need looked after and taken care of. They need protected. They can be more emotional than practical, but they should be comforted and soothed, even when their reactions are overblown and silly. And it's better not to tell children every harsh truth. Why scare and upset them when you're taking care of things? Why involve them in every choice, as long as they're happy and safe?

By keeping women girls, Meyer struggles to create masculinities that aren't dominated by excessive anger and strength. She has to overcompensate so Bella has a shot at making it through the day without crying or tripping herself to death. After all, it's natural to want to defend people you care about. And if women are that fragile, how can the men who love them keep them out of harm's way without seeming overbearing?

Edward and Jacob sporadically call each other out about how the other is too controlling, but neither are exactly credible sources. The stalker tells the sexual assailant to back off. Who would win in a fight, the guy who forces kisses or the guy who forces marriage? In conclusion, everyone is stifled by patriarchal gender norms as we define ourselves in opposition to one another and assume that to fit together we must be devoid of attributes others are born with. Everyone suffers under patriarchy, including men. But I suffer the most, because I am rereading these books.