Rosalind Wiseman

As readers of this blog know, I’m a confirmed Twi-Hard. But whether you love or abhor the teen vampire flicks (and their corresponding books), there’s an important lesson in the latest installment, New Moon, that shouldn’t be ignored.

For all the crazy fan obsession over the film and its hot young stars, you may be surprised to learn that for nearly the entire length of New Moon Edward and Bella aren’t together. In one of the first few scenes Edward breaks up with  Bella out of fear that her continued presence around him and his vampire family is too dangerous. Hoping that an out-of-sight out-of-mind approach will temper her pain and allow her to move on he tells her, “This is the last time you’ll ever see me.”

It doesn’t work.

Bella plunges into a deep, months-long depression. In the book, author Stephanie Meyer personifies Bella’s coma-like state with blank page after blank page. When Bella finally resurfaces, she’s anything but whole. Bella frequently refers to the absence of Edward as a huge, gaping hole in her chest, and begins to take on the habit of sitting with her knees curled up, arms wrapped around her chest—a futile attempt to hold the pain in.

Then, out of nowhere, Edward’s back … but not really. Bella realizes that any time she does something reckless, an apparition of Edward flashes in her mind, begging her not to do the crazy thing she’s planning.

“If a rush of danger is what it takes to see him then that’s what I’ll find.” —Bella

She enlists the help of her best friend Jacob to teach her to ride a motorcycle, spurring on more Edward illusions. Incidentally, Bella’s friendship with Jacob is integral to her beginning to heal her emotional wound. He’s the only one she feels truly comfortable with, and doesn’t feel the need mask her sadness from.

But when the motorcycle rides begin to lose their adrenaline-inducing effect, Bella decides needs a bigger brush with death – in the climax of the film Bella jumps from a cliff into the ocean, a feat she’s seen Jacobs friends attempt in the past. She jumps, but can’t compete with the current and nearly drowns. (No spoiler here, as there are two more movies in the series.)

The reason why I appreciate New Moon (the book, and to a lesser degree the film) is that I, and millions of others around the globe, can walk this painful journey hand-in-hand with Bella. You know that weirdly invigorating feeling you get when listening to a sad love song on full blast in your car –maybe even one that reminds you of a past love who broke your heart? That’s what I get from New Moon.

You very well may think it’s cheesy or trite (if I hear the phrase “teen angst” in relation to the Twilight saga one more time I may scream!), but Bella’s depression in New Moon is not to be taken lightly. And her solution of self-inflicted pain is comparable to taking drugs, cutting, and other risky behavior that many people go to in these types of situations. This is very heavy information for kids to process without a meaningful discussion, which, sadly, I doubt is happening in most cases. So don’t miss this excellent opportunity to talk to teens about what to do with your feelings when it feels like you’re heart will never work again, because we’ve been through it and we know it will.

Outside Resources:

Check out guest blogger and author Rachel Simmons’ take on New Moon madness, including a guide for educators

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Kids Health

Listen to Rosalind’s Recent BBC Interview About the Twilight Phenomenon:

New Moon BBC Interview, Long Version, November 11, 2009