A guy reads Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2009-2011)

Reading Eclipse: Chapter 24 (Snap Decision)

The song for this chapter is Mr. Brightside by The Killers

[audio:https://twilightguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/mrbrightside.mp3]

Thanks to my new video yesterday, I’ve had quite a few chuckles at some of the outrageous guesses as to what epic things I have in The Box. I’ve had even more fun with the comments on the video page, such as those resembling:

“OME I HOPE IT’S RPATTZ’S HAIR, SO I CAN EAT IT!!!1!”

rob-hair-help

Poor Rob. It must feel odd waking up in the morning, knowing that somewhere in the world, there is a fangirl who desires nothing more than something growing on the top of your head.

Anyhow, I had a feeling that Jacob was simply trying to manipulate Bella again in the previous chapter; it didn’t take Edward’s mind-reading and quick analysis to tell me that either. There’s desperation at work here. Jacob’s ready to do anything possible to convince Bella that he’s worth keeping: either as a lover or as a friend. I’m sure he prefers the former, but he would rather have one than neither. At least it gives him a certain amount of hope.

Edward is one of eternal patience: perhaps foolhardy, in that aspect. He just watched his girlfriend kiss another guy, who could very easily be his archenemy if not for her intervention. What even prompts him to remain so composed? I speak often of Bella hurting herself by keeping Jacob around, but one could very easily point to Edward: he keeps taking Bella back with no regard whatsoever to how she is treating him. Love is blind, they say. But perhaps Edward’s isn’t such a blind love, but rather he believes that it is his just punishment for leaving Bella:

“But…when I left you, Bella, I left you bleeding. Jacob was the one to stitch you back up again […] I may gain forgiveness, but that doesn’t let me escape the consequences.”

People have written to me before, saying that this is the reason Edward allows Bella to spend so much time with Jacob, despite the fact that it must pain him to see them together. Edward blames himself for it, since Jacob was the one to pick Bella back up after Edward left in New Moon. And it is true — Edward was the one who left, and Jacob simply stepped in, expecting to finally have his chance now that Edward was gone. It might even be considered harsh for Edward to even think that he could leave Bella and then return, expecting for things to be mended back as they once were. But how long will his punishment continue? When will he come to accept that the wounds perhaps are healed, and he has paid his due?

For Bella, keeping Jacob is almost like leaving a cast on your arm long after the broken bones have healed: perhaps you would have come to lean on its support, but while it is still there, you will never be able to fully recover. It leaves me to wonder which stage Bella is really in. Is she still hurt, and needs Jacob to keep her together while her heart heals itself; or has she already healed, but does not want to remove him for fear she will fall apart again?

I just love it how Edward can see the action from so far away, channeled through the minds of the werewolves back to him like some sort of television feed. It’s amazing how they planned it out, so that he could be far away with Bella and yet still see and hear what is going on through the minds and eyes of the others who are actually there fighting. I can imagine it so well as a scene in the film, flashing back and forth from the epic vampire and werewolf battle nearby.

One of the most curious and most-easily-taken-out-of-context lines in the entire book was this:

“Only a few yards away from that fight, Edward and Victoria were dancing”

dance-battle

I know Edward is quite the fellow, but dancing in the middle of a war…with the woman who wants to kill your future wife? Tsk, tsk.

And then, there is the battle. The glorious, amazing battle in the clearing near the rocks and what’s left of the tent. I reveled in this vampire battle: silently mouthing to myself ‘Finally, finally!’ as all the paragraphs and paragraphs of how perfect Emmett and Edward are; and the chapters upon chapters of Jacob trying to win back Bella; and the pages and pages of description of the scintillating muscles on Edward smooth arms…finally became worth it for any male readers of Eclipse. June 30, 2010, will be marked upon my calendar, as the day I finally get to see this epic scene in the theater 😀

I will also now admit to a mistake in my last post. In error, I had said that Chapter 23 might be my favorite from Eclipse. Unfortunately for Chapter 23, it has now been replaced by the great, glorious, and vampire-battle-filled Chapter 24.

Question for the comments: Do you think (at this point in the book) that Bella is still hurting from Edward leaving her, and needs Jacob to keep her together; or has she already healed, but does not want to remove him for fear she will fall apart again? Both?

——NOTES——

– Only 3 more chapters in Eclipse: this means the customary PICK THE SONG FOR ECLIPSE poll will be happening very soon! Start thinking about which songs you’ll nominate because the selection process starts TOMORROW!

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121 Responses

  1. Melissa,

    Hmmm. I did finish my sentence. I actually said I can certainly understand why it is that Jake does what he does.

    Seriously annoyed,

    You’ve seriously annoyed me. First off, only people that have read the Epilogue know WTF we’re talking about. I am very careful not to be spoilery, and this is days after the original post, and Kaleb doesn’t usually keep checking back days in. Also, if you’re pretty sure that we won’t know what naaring is, then don’t mention it in context to us. It’s highly offensive.

  2. I belive, that Bella is distracted from her hurt because,of her ‘oh so lovely Edward’. It pains her when he leaves, surely evidence?
    Her feelings for Jacob are (I belive) are friendship. Only she’s childishly confused because, she has never had a friendship so strong (to add to her distration he’s a bloke, and aparently fit).
    Oh and girls like myself enjoy the fight scene. The book needed some action.
    He he, hope all goes well with your ‘research’
    🙂 maz

  3. Well, first of all, it is so confusing to have someone having the same name as you at times. >.<. Anyways, I love both Jake & Edward. But, out of the options you listed, I think that Bella is healed. What I think is that after the pain of loosing Edward, bella might feel that Jacob will be hurt too. & Jake just might be desperate. I can’t say anymore for anyone who isn’t finished, like I am.

  4. I think Bella is healed from Edward leaving in New Moon. She knows she loves Edward and belongs with him but she’s so scared to hurt Jacob. He has a special place in her heart and always will and she’s prolonging that pain by continuing to lead him on. She doesn’t want to hurt either one of them, but she also is afraid to hurt herself and actually feel her heart break by saying goodbye to Jacob. She can’t keep him as a friend or love interest. Jacob is already too far over his head, and I think he loves her in a selfish way.

  5. I love the fight scene,the book need a scene like this. and Kaleb, girls like fights scenes too.

    Bella is healed from edward’s mistake but in every time that edward have to stay away from her, the wound just cut open again( but in a smaller form), and for her just think in a ideia of losing edward forever and the rest of the family Cullen, not help them, that hurt her behind everthing(except the pain of losing Edward, obviously). Now,in jacob’s matter i think that is not love… is friendship but is more like he became a piece of Bella, like Edward is a piece( ok, a big piece) of Bella, Jacob now is too. Of course bella doesn´t send Jacob away because will hurt her, but is also becase she doesn’t want to hurt Jacob feelings.
    I think that Bella is so focus in Jacob pain that she don’t see Edward’s pain.

    that all.

    kiss

    love the post like always.

    ( And I am sorry for my written mistakes, my english is not the best)

  6. Just one more thing, I don’t hate Jacob, but i read a comment left here and I wanna say, that Edward don’t manipulate Bella, He is true when he said that he want the best for her. No one is manipulate anyone in this book.

    I just wish that this thing, this Hate between team jacob and team Edward stop. Please, is a wonderfull story, but is already written and it won’t change, Can we just enjoy the story without the drama and the fight between the two teams. Lets put things in this way, my opinion is my, your opinion is yours. it is diferent but is also precious..

  7. they are not dancing… he is fighting with victoria,but saiyng that he was “dancing” with her is just because of their moves…they seemedd to be dancing

  8. Where’s your next chapter! I can’t wait. I just finished reading all your posts on Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. Now it is hard to wait, lol.

    I enjoy your writing. Keep up the good work!

  9. Also, my sister HATES Jacob, and she HATES Bella for loving Jacob. Those harsh feelings ruin the story. I try not to talk about the book to her anymore.

    I think if you love the book, you need to love all of the book. All of those things makes the characters who they are. It makes the story what it is.

  10. I think that Bella knows that (despite how much he promises that he won’t)Edward halfway wants ro leave her again, and she wants someone to fall back on. She knows that Jacob will always love her, and now she knows that she loves him, too. As Edward always tries to convince her, she is too good. She wants everyone to be happy, and in this situation, it’s making her unhappy. She knows that she has to leave one of them, because it hurts them, too. It hurts Edward to know that she loves Jacob, and it hurts Jacob to know that she will never be able to love only him.

  11. . Love is blind, they say. But perhaps Edward’s isn’t such a blind love, but rather he believes that it is his just punishment for leaving Bella – I am so glad you point htis out. He really takes on too much as his burden. And he can never hold it against Bella because it’s his fault. That is just beyond sad. One thing I’ve always thought was how unfair it is that Bella seems to disregard Edward as capable of having feelings because he seems so perfect to her. She forgets that even in mythology, Greek gods were passionate beings with faults and tempers who felt jealous, made mistake, fell in love… So while she is always concerned about hurting Jacob and everyone else, she never stops to think about Edward.

  12. ok so i know this is COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC but thanks for using the Renoir girl in the battle pic…it reminded me of the episode in Gilmore girls when they had the night of the living pictures…

    it just made me really happy for some extremely weird reason that has NOTHING to do with Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse/Breaking Dawn.

    PS Keep up the awesome chapter summaries–they’re hilarious!

  13. Yay! Another Killers song!

    I’ve always thought that Bella really did need Jacob at one point; he was her “sun”. But when Edward came back she didn’t quite know how to make the transition back to Edward and away from Jacob. She was used to having Jake as a friend and for the longest time didn’t know how to deal with the relationship with him and her relationship with Edward. Jacob was her crutch that she wasn’t quite ready to stop leaning on and Jacob was all too willing to keep standing there to let her lean on him, thus making the situation even more confusing. I think that Bella did use Jacob and Edward but in her defense that’s a hard place to be! And I think everything works out all right in the end.

  14. Bella was hurting so much when Edward left and Jacob pretty much fixed “everything” but despite everything….. Bella still thought of Edward. She never was over Edward, she put herself in danger so she can have Edwards image appear and try to stop her… so i think Jacob really didn't heal Bella as much as she thought he did. I think she just really got attached to Jacob & the attention he gave her when she really needed it, so I just think that she wanted to keep Jacob around because she still was living in the fear of losing Edward and she wanted to keep jacob and not loose him either. which i dont think is fair because shes hurting a lot of people besides Jacob.

  15. Ha, when I read your last post I knew you would change your mind… This is definitely a guy-friendly chapter… I like this too… mostly because Bella is once again being saved by Edward… Jacob will never truly be able to grasp how much Edward and Bella have been through… I don't think that Bella needs Jake to be around because she is scared of falling apart, I just think that she does love him, but like she said… its not enough to do anything but cause more pain… its the lesser love, but like she said in New Moon, there was a small part of herself that was left after Edward hurt her… thats Jakes part… Edward gets all the rest, she can't help it… their love is just like that…

  16. Ha, when I read your last post I knew you would change your mind… This is definitely a guy-friendly chapter… I like this too… mostly because Bella is once again being saved by Edward… Jacob will never truly be able to grasp how much Edward and Bella have been through… I don't think that Bella needs Jake to be around because she is scared of falling apart, I just think that she does love him, but like she said… its not enough to do anything but cause more pain… its the lesser love, but like she said in New Moon, there was a small part of herself that was left after Edward hurt her… thats Jakes part… Edward gets all the rest, she can't help it… their love is just like that…

  17. She has completely healed but has no heart to put down her best friend feelings. She cant find the words and the courage to seal the deal that Edward is the one and not him. He wants Jacob to have that clear head for the fight for the fear of getting hurt badly if she didnt kiss him. He is that important to her at this point she doesnt know why yet that pull is so strong, she cant pin point what it means but all will be answered in BD.

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