last thoughts on Breaking Dawn
So… it’s been a while since I blogged. This is probably mostly because I joined facebook. However, I’ve decided to leave facebook, so I may as well go back to blogging here when I have something I want to share. Before any of that, though, I wanted to post the last entry on Breaking Dawn that I’d mentioned… oh, three or so years ago in my last Twilight post. And now the movies are coming out in a while, and I’m greatly looking forward to them, so I guess it’s as good a time as any.
To note a couple things: when I wrote this, I was not reading much, so the speed with which I read the Twilight series was surprising. Now, not so much. I average more than a book a week these days. Still, at the time, it meant something. Also, since the book’s been out for a while, I wonder how much people are still complaining about the things I address here. It’s probably all a moot point, but oh well. I don’t really care if I’m late to the party. Okay, onto the years-old post:
**
I just finished reading the last book in the Twilight series. I started the first book not too long ago, and immediately became so engrossed that I read each book in about a week. That, for me, is a very rare thing. I’m a slow reader and often will take six months or more to finish one novel. But with these, as with the Harry Potter books before them, I just got so sucked in that the pages flew by with none of the effort or practically even awareness that is usual for me with most books. I had waited until I had all four books sitting on my shelf to begin, which meant that I didn’t wait and build anticipation for the last book as many people did, and as I did for Deathly Hallows. While, when I began Twilight, I knew next to nothing about the stories, I couldn’t hold off my curiosity long enough even to read at the pace I was going, so I (both intentionally and inadvertently) spoiled myself for major plot points along the way, especially in regards to the last book. By the time I started reading Breaking Dawn, I knew, in mostly a rough, basic way, every major thing that happens, including how it ended. This did not negatively affect my enjoyment of the novel in the slightest. I had also heard many, many negative things about this book and the fan reaction to it. I’d even read a thread somewhere where people were planning to return their copies en masse because they thought it was so horrible. So, my expectations were low. Perhaps that helped. I can’t say.
The fact of the matter is that this is far and away my favorite book of the series (or, I should say, of the four published novels; I’ve read the online draft of Midnight Sun and it looks very promising, so my mind may change if that is ever finished). I laughed, I cried, I turned the pages eagerly, staying up into the late hours of the morning to read. When I got to the end, I felt more satisfied than I have with a completed story (book, show, or film) than I have for a long time. So it is with something close to astonishment that I look again and see the crashing wave of negativity that surrounds this book.
This is not a defense of Stephenie Meyer. Not that I have anything against her (although I do wish she’d get back to Midnight Sun), but I just know that she’s not exactly the most brilliant author in the world. She’s no Shakespeare. For that matter, she’s no Tolkien, or even Rowling. The series has some serious logical flaws, both internal and general, the dialogue is at times gag-inducing, the story structure is often wildly irregular, and I’ve caught more spelling and grammar mistakes than in pretty much any other book I’ve ever read. The Twilight series is far from great literature.
But I didn’t expect it to be. I didn’t read Twilight because I wanted great literature and I didn’t keep reading because I expected it to become so. I read it for enjoyment, pure and simple. And I did enjoy this series, and especially this book, immensely. I had fun reading it and at the end I was left with a warm, contented glow and a lingering fondness for the characters and world of the story, which is really the most I ask from such a series.
Since I enjoyed it so much, I feel a bit defensive when I read the various criticisms people have of Breaking Dawn, especially since it seems to me that many of those criticisms are entirely unfounded and based on a misunderstanding of the text. So I would like to address some of the concerns and issues that people have raised in opposition to this novel.
(From here on, there will be major spoilers for Breaking Dawn.)
Complaint #1: “This book is sexist/racist.”
I’m gonna start off with this one because it’s an issue that I have with a common criticism of pretty much anything. It drives me nuts when people think that a single portrayal of a character who fits into a certain gender/race/religion/whatever is meant to somehow stereotype that entire group of people. No. A character is not primarily a representative of their demographic. A character is an individual, with individual traits, strengths, weaknesses, and values. Some of the reviews I saw on Amazon.com made such accusations as, “Jacob drops out of high school. What does that say about Native Americans?” It says absolutely nothing. They may as well ask what it says about shape-shifters. Or maybe it does say something. Maybe it says, “If you’re Native American, and you can turn into a wolf, and you don’t age, and you find yourself imprinted on the half-vampire infant daughter of your best friend, then it’s okay to drop out of high school to stay with her as she grows up at twice normal speed.”
That same review claimed that the portrayal of the non-white vampires that we see is racist, citing the description of the Amazons as being wild-looking. The person who said that conveniently ignored the fact that the Amazons are also portrayed as being powerful, loyal, intelligent, kind, and of vital importance to the defense of their group. This reviewer also ignored the character of Benjamin, an Egyptian vampire who is not only one of the most powerful among them, but is a friendly, confident, pleasant person whom Edward describes as having “a very clear sense of right and wrong” and steadfastly stands beside the Cullens in their conflict with the Volturi.
Another review said, “this portrays women as weak and wanting nothing more than sex.” No, it portrays Bella as a young woman who trusts her husband enough to want to have sex with him on their honeymoon, despite the fact that he’s physically strong enough to crush her to death in the process. Honestly, is it really such an abnormal thing for a person to want to have sex on their honeymoon with the love of their life? I can’t speak from experience, but I really don’t think it is.
Complaint #2: “Stephenie Meyer is shoving her religion down our throats.”
Really? Did she tie you to a chair and force you to read her book? Authors often come at a story from their own moral viewpoints. C.S. Lewis did it, J.R.R. Tolkien did it, and Phillip Pullman did it. It’s not the mark of a bad or unimaginative writer. No matter what the author’s worldview, it’s almost guaranteed that it will somehow show through in their writing. Because stories come from the deepest part of who we are, and who we are is often shaped by our beliefs on such important topics as God, the afterlife, souls, etc. And for those to whom their beliefs are especially important to them, why on earth would they want to write something that would seem to endorse something to which they’re morally opposed? The fact that Meyer is religious does not mean that her own morality is somehow less valid from a writing standpoint than someone who is an atheist. The default setting of characters should not be “atheist” any more than it should be “white” or “male”, with a good reason always needed for any deviation from that standard. People have certain morals, certain beliefs, and a heck of a lot of people belong to one religion or another. There’s absolutely no reason why fictional characters should not have just as much freedom to believe one thing or another. Some people seem to think that the only reason a character should have religious faith is if they are a priest or nun. Most people of faith are just normal, everyday people in all walks of life. Thinking that a religious character has to be a priest/monk/nun is like thinking that a character who likes to read has to be a librarian or English teacher, or that a character who likes sports has to be a professional athlete, or that a person who takes care of people must be a doctor. The world doesn’t work like that. If anything, it seemed to me as if she was largely tip-toeing around the subject of religion and faith. I was a bit shocked that she even went so far as to have Carlisle claim a faith in God, even a vague, undefined one, especially as she was sure to note that all the other characters seemed just as unresolved on the issue (with the possible exception of Charlie, who once mentioned something about Jacob “taking the Lord’s name in vain”). Religious people should not have to justify incorporating their beliefs into their art, just as atheists are not shy about doing the same thing.
Complaint #3: “Bella doesn’t sacrifice anything.”
I disagree. The fact that in the end she gets to keep her vampire family, Jacob and the pack, and even Charlie, doesn’t negate the fact that she was willing to give Jacob and Charlie up, and that she had in fact made the decision to do so. The important thing here is that she chose Edward and life as a vampire with the belief that she would be giving up the people in her human life. She had the strength of will to make that decision, regardless of the outcome. Just because you don’t end up having to give something up doesn’t mean it’s not important that you were willing to. Besides, she does give some things up. Or rather, people. She gives up her human friends (notably Angela), and more than that, she gives up her mother. I’m curious how that worked out, but it seemed clear that they weren’t going to let Renee in on the secret because she couldn’t have handled it, which means that Bella would have had to cut her out of her life completely before too long.
I have to say that, as far as Charlie goes, I’m very glad that he stayed in her life. Not for her sake, but for his. Charlie didn’t deserve to lose her. Charlie didn’t deserve to watch his only child go off on her honeymoon, hear she’d contracted a fatal disease, and believe she died before she hit twenty. And Charlie deserved to know his granddaughter. Besides, things might have progressed with Sue regardless, in which case he’d have found out about the wolves anyway, and it’s only a short hop from there to the vampires.
Complaint #4: “Meyer is going against established canon; vampires can’t have babies.”
Granted, I haven’t read every single interview with her or anything, but I did see one where she said that she was very careful not to say that male vampires can’t impregnate human females. Of course it’s true that her vampires can’t get pregnant, but Edward wasn’t the one that got pregnant. Nothing I read in any of the previous books said that vampires can’t have children—nothing that was a fact and not just hearsay, anyway.
Complaint #5: “The characters acted out of character.”
I’m not completely sure what people are getting at with this one, but there are a few characters in particular that I’ve noticed people commenting on, or where I noticed a shift in the book.
Renee – Some people complain that Renee has been against marriage this whole time and then suddenly she’s supporting Bella’s decision to get married. But we’ve never actually heard her speak out against it. All we’ve gotten are Bella’s assurances that her mother hates marriage, and Bella’s as surprised as anyone that Renee is okay with it. This is one of those instances of not being able to take everything the narrator says as fact, as sometimes she’s mistaken.
Jacob – There is certainly a shift in Jacob’s character after he imprints on Renesmee. I see it as a shift back to pre-wolf Jacob, back to the more fun, lighthearted character. He’s older and has gone through a lot since then, so he’s still different from the first Jacob we saw, but mainly he seems to be missing the angst and bitterness that this whole fiasco with Bella brought on. Not to mention that, now that he’s imprinted on a half-vampire, his prejudice against vampires (at least “vegetarian” ones) all but entirely disappears. It’s a change I like. I kinda stopped liking Jacob after he wolfed out and got all angsty and bitter, so it’s nice to see him happy and cooperative again. He’s much more pleasant to be around.
Bella – It’s quite true that there’s a noticeable shift in Bella’s character after she becomes a vampire, although I think it’s actually due more to her becoming a mother, but it happens at more or less the same time, so it’s hard to say. Frankly, I like her better this way. I didn’t really like Bella at all until half-way through Breaking Dawn.
There are, of course, some problems with this book that I’d like to point out.
- It really seems unlikely that seven vampires with who knows how many medical degrees between them (Midnight Sun says Edward has two, Carlisle probably has several, and some of the others may have as well) couldn’t figure out that the half-vampire baby wanted blood. That’s one of those logic slips.
- While on that excursion to J. Jenks, Bella hears the other side of a phone conversation. This is exactly as it should be. However, it only serves to highlight the already-existing logical flaw in Twilight, where Bella was talking to James on the phone and Alice couldn’t hear what he said. Which is, of course, a problem with that book, not this one.
- Bella believes that the Volturi tracker can’t track her because of her mental block power. Methinks she’s forgotten the entire climax of the first book. Unless we’re to presume that James had in reality been tracking Alice and Jasper. Did I miss something?
- I don’t buy this explanation that Jasper’s power works on Bella because emotions aren’t mental. That’s kind of a load of crap. If emotions were nothing more than blood pressure and other physical symptoms, then his power wouldn’t work on vampires. This stinks of a failed attempt at retconning.
**
So, that’s it. I really need to go back and reread the series. After watching the first three movies more than once, I’ve gotten the books pushed out of my head for the most part, and I don’t like that. As for this blog, maybe I’ll keep posting stuff. A lot has changed since my last post, and I don’t really mean to catch up. I guess we’ll just see what happens.
Oh yes, I also want to add that since I finished the Twilight series (and I refuse to call it a saga, because that’s just silly) I also read Meyer’s Bree Tanner novella (which I enjoyed; I hope we see more of Fred at some point) and her ‘sci-fi’ (even though there’s no actual science or pseudoscience involved; just because it has aliens doesn’t make it sci-fi) novel The Host, which I absolutely loved. Seriously, like five out of five stars. Largely because I adored Doc like I adored Carlisle, but also because it’s a great, fresh take on an old sci-fi trope. That woman sure does have some imagination. I look forward to anything she decides to write in the future (fingers crossed for a book about Renesmee and Jacob, because how cute is that?).
