I finished "Breaking Dawn" last night. I just had to. I couldn't go to sleep knowing that I would wake up to read more Twilight. I just couldn't.
As much as I rib Twilight, though, It wasn't an altogether un-enjoyable week. The story is simple and the writing style is just so easy to read that I felt like I was flying through the books, even though it took eight days to read them. Really, though, I averaged about 85 pages an hour, so if you're wanting to impress everyone by how much you read, the Twilight saga is the way to go.
I think by the end of it, though, I was just so sick of the love. Obviously it was a fantasy novel, so there's not point in going into a "that kind of love would never happen" diatribe, but the thought occurred to me nonetheless. I don't think I would have thought that much about it except that so many girls are expecting that it will happen to them now. Let's face it, every girl in the world can identify with Bella. Not even the most popular, peppy girl thinks that she's completely in the "in" crowd or that she is not an outcast in some way or another. Bella finding this perfect man/vampire who did not love her in spite of her quirky-ness, but rather because of it gives us all a little hope that it will happen for us.
It's really no different from the Disney movie fantasies that I subjected myself to when I was younger. It's the happily-ever-after plot all over again.
The funny thing to me, though, is that I so enjoy growing into a new person every day that I don't think I could ever live with someone like Edward. He is "perfect," to be sure, but probably too much so. I need someone to challenge me. To upset my status quo at least once a week. As it stands, Bella will just keep being ungracious about receiving gifts (a personality trait that is, really, not appealing), and awkward about any kind of compliments (a personality trait that I share with her, but am working on improving!). She will never grow into what she might be. Because no one is pushing any kind of better-ness on her.
Now, I know that this is fiction, but I'm just speculating here. If girls really though about it... would they really want a man that literally thought that every move you made was holy? I've decided that the girls that have sense, the girls that know that life is a transformational journey, well, those girls are probably team Jacob. Not that I'm on a team. I'm not joining your stinkin' teams.
Days: 31
Books to Read: 94
I know what you mean. In college I made a choice between two men: one was perfect on paper and one was terrible on paper. The first one wants white picket fences, is always asking a girl what she wants, and goes out of his way to provide what it is that she wants and more. The other enjoys his title of misogynist, earned or not, and is always restless and seeking the absolute truth in everything he does.
ReplyDeleteI chose the second guy, because where I am complacent, he challenges me to think through my viewpoints and not just accept them because I "should." And where he is restless, I help him love and accept life a little more. If I had gone with the first guy, life would have been so comfortable and nice, but so boring.