3 Reasons Why You’ll Be Reading Twilight Until Twilight

By Florence Lin

You may have heard some negative comments about Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I for one, often hear it described as “trashy,” or “poorly-written.” However, there are many people that disagree with these belittling comments. Twilight tells the story of a teen romance between the new girl in town, Bella Swan, and a vampire, Edward Cullen. It may sound like it has a low potential, but there are many aspects of this novel to like. I decided to read this book after not one, but two of my classmates recommended it to me. After reading this book, I have to say, I have come to understand why this iconic fantasy-romance is part of a multi-million dollar franchise. Here are three reasons why you should read this book too:

1. Depiction of the supernatural. Put in simplest terms, Twilight is a love story about a human and a vampire. The way an author chooses to frame a fantastical creature such as a vampire is a huge deal in the case of this book, and Meyer does it perfectly. When Bella first catches a glimpse of the vampires in town she observes that “their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular. [...] [she] stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. [...] It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful” (Meyer 19). By illustrating Edward and his friends as abnormally flawless, the author helps the reader understand Bella’s attraction to him. These portrayals also contribute to the mystery of the characters and the fantastical environment of the story.

2. Location. This book is mainly set in a very small, little known town of Forks, Washington, where Bella’s mother lived prior to moving to Phoenix, Arizona. Although the setting of an insignificant town may seem basic, it brings a lot to the story. It intensifies the eerie, isolated feel of the book and enhances the reader’s experience. Bella introduces the place to readers by saying: “a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped” (3). The way Bella exaggerates the amount of rain the town gets shows that it rains so much, it sparks annoyance. It makes the town seem gray. Furthermore, the way Bella describes her mother's moving away as an escape reinforces the idea of living in Forks as undesirable and downbeat. The description is strong, but the way Bella contrasts it with her old home, the widely known and large Phoenix, Arizona, strengthens the strange and desolate setting of Forks. When contrasting the schools of the two different places, Bella notes that “Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven students,” and that “there were more than seven hundred people in [her] junior class alone back home” (9). All of these components are brought together to make for vivid imagery of the environment, and it is easy to picture the setting as the plot of the story plays out. Reading Twilight is an experience, and as a reader, it feels like you are living in the story.

3. Narration. Twilight is written in the first person, told with Bella’s point of view, and is done so quite well. Throughout the story, many of Bella’s actions are motivated by her attraction to Edward. There are many things about Bella the reader would not know if they were unable to see her thought process. An example of this is when Bella takes another boy, Jacob, aside at a party. To others, it may seem that Bella is interested in Jacob, but as readers, we see that Bella is only talking to him to find out more about the vampires. After she finishes coaxing Jacob’s story about the vampires out of him, she tells him “‘You should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime” (127). Although seemingly flirtatious on the surface, Bella thinks to herself “I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that I’d used him” (127). Having the ability to see Bella’s reflections on her actions and the events happening around her makes reading much more interesting.

I hope that you walk away today with inspiration to give Twilight by Stephenie Meyer a well-deserved chance. Thank you for reading my listicle!