Instinct is a Powerful Thing

Thank Your Misty and Stephanie for the boxed set! The gift is greatly appreciated!


I'm not a teenager but I am hooked on the young adult Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer. The story is about the young, turbulent romance of Bella, a young teenage girl, and Edward, a 110 year-old vampire forever trapped in a 17 -year-old body.

Stephanie Meyer has been both praised and criticized, but I'm sure the praise has outweighed the criticism. Her story is sexually charged, suspenseful, and sometimes violent. But in retrospect, the story is very descriptive of the somewhat hostile, and uncertain period that young adulthood is.

I have found a moral to the story that avid readers like myself have probably recognized while reading the books. As I said, the story has a lot of sexual tension. I was pleasantly surprised by the admirable character of Edward. He is in more control of his hormones than what a lot of young men would be at the age of 17. This could be in due part to his 110 year-old reasoning/rational mind. Throughout the story his old-fashioned disposition is constantly battling Bella's contemporary reality.

You discover early on that (as a vampire) Edward indeed has a nearly uncontrollable physical desire to "bite" Bella and end her life. As time progresses, by choice, he is able to control that "urge" and be with Bella and stay with her in her room alone at night without endangering her. There are several times when Bella physically pushes the limit with Edward who, in turn, repeatedly pushes Bella away. Typically, it would be the male character who is portrayed as being unable to control his physical desires, but surprisingly it is Bella who has a hard time saying "no" to her own physical needs.

You begin to understand that Edward has learned self-control from his father (the man who changed him into a vampire) and that his entire family sustains themselves on wild game as opposed to killing humans. I believe Edward knows what self-control is for two reasons: 1) his mind is a very mature 110 years old and, 2) he doesn't want to be the monster he believes he is.

The author doesn't hide the fact that it is a very precarious situation. Both characters are frustrated and constantly at the mercy of their instincts. Bella is unable to fully understand how Edward is able to control himself and not "bite" her or "crush" her skull. As time passes, Bella becomes more adamant about wanting Edward to "change her" (into a vampire). Edward, on the other hand, is content to preserve Bella's humanity/purity and not "take her soul. Bella's anxiety about aging frustrates Edward (as he remains 17 and she turns 18) because what she looks like makes no difference to him-- it's who she is.

Before going any further, if you haven't read the books I think I've said enough. The plot has its twists and turns. Thus far, I've read the first two books. I have no idea what to expect, but I suspect that Meyer will surprise me again.