Rosalind Wiseman

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

I just finished reading Twilight, the teen vampire romance novel by Stephanie Meyer. I’m a little behind the times, I admit – the novel first published in 2005 and has since been followed by three others in the series as well as a hit movie which just came out on DVD.

But I had been reluctant to jump on the bandwagon, not wanting to read it just because everyone else was. Also, I felt, well, a little silly reading a book for and about high schoolers. But when I heard Maureen Corrigan, a former English professor of mine at Georgetown, declare herself to “have joined the legions of the bitten and smitten” in her review of Twilight on NPR, I figured that maybe it would be okay to give into the temptation.

Several chapters into the novel, as the main characters’ – Bella and Edward – relationship begins to take shape, I found myself shocked by my visceral reaction to Meyer’s writing. Twilight so put me in the place of its heroine that I could physically feel the adrenaline rush when Edward brushes her cheek with his hand, or the longing of having to wait a whole day not to see him again. As Bella and Edward were falling in love, so was I…or at least it felt like it.

The following scene, in which Bella and Edward’s Biology teacher shows a movie in class, is just one of many such examples:

Mr. Banner shoved the tape into the reluctant VCR and walked to the wall to turn off the lights.

And then, as the room went black, I was suddenly hyperaware that Edward was sitting less than an inch from me. I was stunned by the unexpected electricity that flowed through me, amazed that it was possible to be more aware of him than I already was. A crazy impulse to reach over and touch him, to stroke his perfect face just once in the darkness, nearly overwhelmed me. I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, my hands balling into fists. I was losing my mind. (p. 218-219)

It occurred to me as I was reading Twilight that it is a great way for adults to reconnect with the adolescent experience. After all, one reason adults sometimes have a hard time taking teens’ romantic feelings seriously is that we don’t actually remember what it is like to have a crush at 17 (or 15, or 12 for that matter); so we dismiss it as “puppy love.” It’s all too easy to assume that since most adolescent relationships don’t last very long, the emotions associated with them are fleeting and therefore not as significant as adults’. But I can tell you from having re-read journal entries I wrote in middle school and high school, they certainly do not feel that way at the time. I was sure that each of my crushes was THE ONE, though logically (statistically, even) I knew that couldn’t be the case – but how else could I explain the intensity of my feelings? Similarly, my middle school heart felt quite breakable.

Unless you’re very lucky, you’re not likely to get your teen to open up about his or her romantic feelings any time soon – even now I’d be too embarrassed to have my parents read anything I’d written in those journals—and so reading a book like Twilight is useful to put yourself in that place again.

Even if you don’t read the book (you can always rent the movie, but I can assure you the book is ten times better), a useful exercise would be to sit and reflect on your first crush: Who was that person? What did they look like? How did it make you feel to be around them? Were your feelings reciprocated or not and how did that make you feel? (Educators using the Owning Up Curriculum may recognize this as an adaptation of an activity from Session 5.)

Asking yourself these questions may help give you a new perspective with which to think about teens’ relationships, and might even prevent a “You just don’t understand!” moment. Of course you’re entitled to your personal opinions, but if you’re able to respect young people’s feelings, no matter how realistic or unrealistic you think they are, it will enable you to engage with them on a deeper level and offer advice if they need it.

How to use Twilight as a teaching tool…

Ed. Note: Most educational reviews of Twilight recommend the book for grades 9 and up. The movie is rated PG-13. As with all media, bear in mind the age and maturity level of your child to determine if it is appropriate.

Parents, you could jumpstart a conversation by asking the following questions:

• Did you read the book or see the movie? Why or why not? Did your friends? How did their choice impact your own?
• Do you think the depiction of Bella and Edward’s relationship is realistic? Why or why not?
• What do you think are the characteristics of a healthy relationship?
• What do you think are the characteristics of an unhealthy relationship?

Educators, you could use Twilight as part of a media analysis (particularly Owning Up sessions on relationships and Boy/Girl interaction) by asking students the following:

• Where do the characters fit into the culture of Boy World or Girl World? Does that affect your opinion of them? How?
• How do the male characters act around the people they like (romantically)? Is it realistic?
• How do the female characters act around the people they like (romantically)? Is it realistic?
• How do the male and female characters communicate?
• How are people rejected?
• Does Bella and Edward’s relationship exhibit any of the signs of a healthy or unhealthy relationship? Explain.