Bella falls in love with Jacob in New Moon. Next, Bella does not fall in love with Jacob in Eclipse. The bottom line is that you have to choose who you are going to commit to-that’s the foundation of true love, not a lack of other options. Another part is that, if you’re lucky, you learn to love better with practice. In part, this is true because you never love two people the same way. I don’t think you lose your ability-or right-to have true love by loving more than one person. A lucky person loves hundreds of people in their lives, all in different ways, family love, friendship love, romantic love, all in so many shades and depths. But I also deeply believe in the complexity, variety, and downright insanity of love. What’s the deal with Bella just falling in love with Jacob in the eleventh hour of Eclipse? Don’t you believe in true love anymore? What happened to blacken your soul, woman?įirst of all, let me say that I do believe in true love. (In the end, it’s truly healthier for her to be aware of this as she goes forward with unalterable decisions.) Those who are upset by some of his tactics should consider his youth and the fact that he is, after all, right. Does he do everything right? Heck, no! But he’s sixteen and he’s making it up as he goes along.
Jacob couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t give saving Bella his best effort-he knows it’s going to hurt when he loses, but he knows it would hurt worse if he didn’t try. If he could do it over again, he’d do the same thing. His hope is that he’ll win her heart in the process. What if Jacob is better for her? What if Bella could have a more complete life with him? Should Edward really insist that Bella give everything up for vampire life? Or would it be better to let her make a fully informed choice? Can you see his dilemma? Part of Edward wants Bella to choose Jacob (and life). Of course, he has other issues that make forcing this issue problematic.
He could have chosen a middle ground-maybe admitted to his jealousy and asked Bella to choose him, rather than watching her get in deeper with Jacob. When he sees the error of his ways, he goes too far in the other direction. In the beginning of Eclipse, he’s too overprotective. He’s a very all-or-nothing kind of person, and it makes him unreasonable. It’s in his nature to be too extreme (see: New Moon). Sometimes that happens when you try to do the right thing.Įdward’s big mistake is overreaction. If Bella had understood herself better, she could have saved everyone a lot of heartbreak. You don’t give up your friends when you fall in love however, you do give up your other romantic interests. What are the characters’ biggest mistakes in Eclipse, their tragic flaws?īella’s is a lack of self-knowledge she never would have pursued her friendship with Jacob if she had realized how much more than friendship it really was. Every aspect of the novel revolves around this point, every back story, every relationship, every moment of action. In Eclipse, Bella fully comprehends that price. In both Twilight and New Moon, Bella commits to becoming a vampire without once really examining what price she’ll pay. What is the most pivotal plot development that happens in Eclipse? He was (to phrase it delicately) quite well fed before he went to Forks. Also, Victoria prepared him very carefully for the foray. If he’d been as strong as the younger newborns in the clearing, Seth might not have won that fight. He is not a totally wild newborn-he’s past his first year and better able to keep his perspective. Who was in Bella’s house-the scent no one recognized? (When he’s staring at her on the bottom of page 173 in Eclipse, he’s trying to make himself imprint on her. Pretty much, he would have given her anything in the world she wanted. If he’d imprinted on Bella in that moment (and it happens the first time you see the person after you’ve phased), he would have answered all her questions. And this is how you can be sure: in New Moon, after the first time Jacob becomes his wolf phase, he is mean to Bella.