Welcome back! I am still enjoying my first read of Twilight and I hope you have been having fun reading along with me! This week we will cover chapter 13 through chapter 17, so let’s dive in.
Chapter 13: Confessions
Last week, I had so many emotions over the fact that the chapter ended right as Edward was stepping out into the sun for Bella to see how he sparkles so I was thrilled to keep reading about it in this chapter.
We learn a lot about vampires in this Twilight universe here: to them, some humans smell (taste?) different than others in a way that becomes more pronounced with time; they sparkle; they are extremely strong and fast, which we have evidence for when Edward runs around the meadow and breaks off some tree limbs. In other vampire books that I have read, the vampires are often able to drink the blood from people without killing the, but Edward talks as if the only option he has is to kill her. Is that right in this universe or did I miss something? Maybe we will find out more later on in the story.
We also learned a little bit more about the Cullen family dynamic when Edward described their reactions to his situation with Bella, they were divided. I hope we get to learn more about the other Cullens—they have been mentioned in passing and have been side characters so far, but I am curious about each of them and the family backstory.
The most interesting bit of this chapter, to me, is Edwards statement, “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb...” I know this is a popular and often-quoted part of Twilight in the fandom and I’m wondering what your thoughts are about this. To me, it falls right in line with all of the other biblical references that are strung throughout this book. From the very first page with a quote from Genesis, to the repeated visual of the apple (forbidden fruit), to this lion and lamb metaphor, we are seeing the biblical representation of opposites: good vs. evil, strong vs. weak (or meek, in the sense of the lamb), perfect and beautiful Edward vs. stupid and clumsy Bella.
This is taking me back to the preface, which was very confusing to me at the time I read it, but is now beginning to make some sense. We are heading in the direction of a sacrificial death, a lamb to slaughter, a hunter stalking his prey. I would say that things are not looking great for Bella, but she seems to be happy and having the time of her life.
Chapter 14: Mind Over Matter
Oh my gosh—so Edward is 104 years old at this point in the story?! It’s very fun to get the back story of the Cullen family and how they all came to be vampires and now live together as a family. It’s also very telling and interesting that they are all paired up, except Edward. We have Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, Esme and Carlisle, Edward and…Bella?
What do you think about some of the special gifts some vampires seem to have? Edward can read (most) minds and Alice can see visions of the future. How has this played into what we know about the story now and what might happen in the rest of the book?
Once we get through some of this background info on the Cullens, I am not sure how I feel about the remainder of the chapter. I do not at all like how Edward watches Bella sleep EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!! That is wild and an invasion of privacy. I get that he is obsessed with her…but…I don’t like it. What do you think about this? Do you think it’s cute and romantic or a little bit creepy?
Chapter 15: The Cullens
Okay, the first thing about this chapter that I want to talk about is that Edward is very clearly and intentionally not saying that he loves Bella. She has told him several times, very directly, that she loves him and he has not said it back. He said, “You are my life now” and that is not the same as, “I love you”. Do you think he will ever say this to her or is the extent of their relationship and his feelings the obsession and overprotection?
It was really fun to read about the Cullen household and have some interactions between Bella and the vampire family. I am curious and interested to find out what happens with the mysterious visitors that are coming and also what Alice’s vision is all about. I hope we find out soon!
Chapter 16: Carlisle
I have so much appreciation for the character of Carlisle after reading this chapter! Did you like to read about his backstory and his life’s journey and work? First of all, it seems like Carlisle has a fantastic home office/library and I am always appreciative of that. Bella describes it as having more books than she’s ever seen outside of a library.
Second, learning about Carlisle’s history and journey to become the vampire doctor that he is today, was kind of inspiring. He was alone in the world and had to make his own way to survive while also intentionally trying to not bring harm to humans. This compassion that drives his life and purpose is a stark contrast to the narrative that Edward has been telling to Bella—that they are dangerous killers who have little to no self-control.
Third, the concept that Edward, in his teenage-vampire rebellion, would use his ability to read minds to hunt down and kill only evil people, is interesting. What do you think of this concept? Do you think that he is justified to pursue this method? (Who has seen the show or read the book series Dexter? That’s what I thought of here—a serial killer who only kills other serial killers).
Chapter 17: The Game
Jacob is back for a scene in this chapter! It’s nice to see him and I wish we had more of him in this book because I want to figure out if I am Team Jacob or Team Edward. Someone told me that I probably need to read further in the series to really decide that, so I might have to keep going after I finish this one!
Edward FINALLY tells Bella that he loves her. It took him long enough considering all they have been through already!
The baseball scenes are hilarious. I don’t even know what to think. It’s so ridiculous that they have to wait for a thunderstorm to play baseball, but it also makes perfect sense. I am not very interested in sports, personally, but I wouldn’t mind watching a vampire baseball game!
This chapter is the final one for this week, and it really ended on a cliffhanger! I have been wondering what Alice’s visions meant and who she saw and it seems like we are really close to finding out! Are they other vampires? Werewolves? Some other supernatural creature? I guess I need to keep reading to find out!
Thank you for reading this far into my Twilight journey and I look forward to chatting with you in the comments!
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