So, after I read Twilight the first time I came away hating Bella. I found her way too angsty and all too willing to let herself get lost in her relationship with Edward. These traits are to be expected for teenagers, but I don’t want to read books about them and I resent that teenage girls are looking to Bella as a role model.
Well, upon reading it a second time, I made a discovery. Bella is actually pretty awesome… that is before her relationship with Edward. She definitely has a Daria vibe going for her…she’s smart, likes to read, doesn’t understand other teenagers, and won’t participate in gym volleyball. I mean the girl would prefer to go to a book store in Seattle over going to a school dance, which is obviously a way better thing to do, but I wasn’t cool enough in high school to know that…she is and it comes so naturally to her! She also writes about, “whether Shakespeare’s treatment of the female characters is misogynistic.” Not groundbreaking, but hints at feminism. Basically, she’s not a typical teenager. Jessica, Mike, Angela are all the typical teens who Bella is too indifferent to say “no” to being friends with. They are drawn to her because she’s smart, pretty, and way cooler than all of them. Bella is not a poser (yet) and is way more comfortable with herself than most teens, yet is still growing and trying to decide who she is. THIS IS A GREAT CHARACTER TO BEGIN A NOVEL!
