Charlie's Response

General Discussion on the Twilight Universe

Moderators: December, bac, Bronze Haired Girl, cullengirl

Forum rules
Click for Forum Rules
break4jake
Wandering Through Town
Posts: 29
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:45 pm
Location: daydreaming she was in la push or forks :)

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by break4jake »

1. HAHA! I knew charlie would find out!!! Some how!!!!!!!!! :D


2. I thought Charlie handled it fairly well, better than I expected. I expected him to turn at least 10 different colors, faint, yell, and maybe have a fit of hysteria. None of that happened. But I guess he just wanted to still have his daughter and be a part of her life, any way he could. I think he knew something was up, and knew that if he didn't go with Jacob then, he knew he wouldn't be able to see Bella for a long time. Cause remember in Eclipse, after getting home from Billy's (after the fight) he was talking to Bella and he says, "I feel like I'm going to lose you soon" or something like that. He intuitively knew that Bella was going to be gone for a looong time, and I think he guessed that if he didn't go with Jake, he wouldn't be able to have Bella in his life at all.
You. Got. Food. In. My. Hair. - Rosalie Hale
Image
jazjade
Wandering Through Town
Posts: 38
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:47 pm
Location: San Francisco

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by jazjade »

I also really liked what Golden Eyes Glory said about Charlie knowing something was up but not wanting that to come between him and his daughter. The whole time I was reading these books, they were showing me more about the different faces of love. Sure, it would be easy for Charlie to let his anger or fear flare up and make everyone feel more isolated. But that's not what he did. He choose to not let prejudices get in the way of loving his daughter, and maintaining connnection with her new family and her friends. As sheriff, he's got a special role in the community, and doesn't want there to be barriers or fissures between different groups in town (how he doesn't like the Quilieutes dislike of the Cullens)

I didn't realize all this when I was first reading BD, it was a slow process to understand how he was reacting.
Image
lydiane
Settled in Forks
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:28 am
Location: Malaysia

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by lydiane »

Agreed. To be honest at first i was like "Okay Charlie, you're a complete moron if you're not freaking out about this" but then again- it's true, he just wants his daughter any way he can have her. I also came to understand his willingness to let the details slide by- he could sense there would be danger in his knowledge of Bella's REAL identity, so he didn't push the subject- he just wanted to keep his daughter even if it meant he had to be and STAY oblivious to her condition.
Right, I didn't think of that. "Stay oblivious". Oblivion is just soo ... Charlie.
genuinesmile
Buying a Better Raincoat
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:51 pm
Location: New York

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by genuinesmile »

personally I felt that Charlie's reaction was a little rushed. I was expecting more than just his 'no question' plan. At least a small freaking out moment would have sufficed. I understand that he would be willing to do anything to remain in Bella's life but still doesn't explain why he didn't freak out when Jacob totally phased in front of him and all...i simply found his reaction abnormal.
Image
tricia
Learning to Love Green
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:13 am
Location: New England

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by tricia »

Charlie is a cop. Not just a cop but good enough to be Chief. That makes him not dumb.

So i knew he was going to suspect something. I had thought maybe he would have suspected all along something with the Cullens and put it all together.. with SOME kind of conclusion.

But to have him not want to know.. that just seems to go against the grain. He is a cop, it's his JOB to know. It's his daughter and grand daughter, he would WANT to know everything.

I was expecting his reaction would be like Bella's in Twilight, he would just need to know.

It just didn't seem to fit right.
"Her existence alone was excuse enough to justify the creation of the entire world."

And, by the way, I adore you... in frightening, dangerous ways.
Alice's Grandma
Settled in Forks
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:29 pm

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by Alice's Grandma »

Charlie's reaction didn't surprise me at all. I completely agree with golden eyes. Maybe I've misread Charlie throughout these books, but I never pictured him as an overreacting/rash kind of person, not even in a parenting situation. The only time he seemed to react like a "over" protective father was at the end of NM and I understood that - not really an over reaction.

Seeing that his daughter was happy, healthy and alive and knowing that his ignorance would keep her that way, or that his questioning would endanger that, I don't see Charlie acting any other way. In this case fatherhood trumped Police Chiefdom.

How Charlie reacted seeing Jacob transform was from Jacob's perspective. He loves to gloss things over and only see the good in a situation. Charlie very well could have freaked out, but Jacob didn't go into that type of detail when telling a bunch of vampires what he did. Him being completely honest in this situation may not have been to his advantage.

Since Charlie technically doesn't know and nobody has actually told him anything about vampires, is that why the Volturi didn't mention it? Or is it that they don't know yet that he kind of knows?
Image
nads
Settled in Forks
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:19 am
Location: Indonesia

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by nads »

i'm just fine with charlie's reaction on the book. but i'm a bit confused here.. or maybe i've just misread this part... i assumed charlie didn't really know that bella had been transformed into vampire, but he intuitively knew that bella was changed into something. did i misinterpret it?
tricia
Learning to Love Green
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:13 am
Location: New England

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by tricia »

nads wrote:i'm just fine with charlie's reaction on the book. but i'm a bit confused here.. or maybe i've just misread this part... i assumed charlie didn't really know that bella had been transformed into vampire, but he intuitively knew that bella was changed into something. did i misinterpret it?

After Jacob phased in front of him and told him that bella had changed a little bit after being sick. So after he saw such a HUGE change in Jacob and knowing that Bella had "changed" i am sure he assumed it was a major change.

Jacob told him that she looked more like Esme now.. and right from Twilight there was always something that set them apart from everyone else. They looked different.

I don't think he intuitively knew that she was changed. I think Jacob informed him. Charlie just didn't want to know to much.
"Her existence alone was excuse enough to justify the creation of the entire world."

And, by the way, I adore you... in frightening, dangerous ways.
coochariffic87
Settled in Forks
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 9:15 am

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by coochariffic87 »

I definitely thought he would freak out a little bit more. I mean, he's finding out that his only daughter isn't just like him, even though she's his daughter. I would think for him it would confirm any thought that he had that Edward just wasn't normal or something, since Charlie did seem to think there was something different about him. I did crack up with how he acted when around Jacob after that though. It was one of the things in the book that really made me laugh.
Lunna-san
Helping Mike to Get a Clue
Posts: 551
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 9:19 pm

Re: Charlie's Response

Post by Lunna-san »

As I wrote on the other forum, Charlie's response was a bit strange at first to me. I think ewverything on this book it's a bit surpriseing. Then I took a minute to think about it. Charlie realized that he didn't had much of choice. Either he took that as much as natural as he could managed, or he would lose his daughter forever.

I'm not a mother, but I believe that if I was on his shoes, I'd have tried at least. I'd do anything to see that my child was alive. That she was happy. I may not agree with her choices. But I would have done the same. It was better than being in the dark like before. Not knowing is far worse. So, i have to give Charlie the credit, because freaking out was the easy choice and he picked the difficult one. His daughter, who wasn't his daughter anymore and he still endured. Well done, Charlie.
Post Reply