Bella Swan Cullen

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Auctorita
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by Auctorita »

KaseyHeartEdward wrote: When did she feel surpeior to them?

I remember her saying she didn't relate to people well. but she never thought she was better then them.
Well I guess it depends on how you interpret it. What you may have seen as her not relating to her classmates I viewed it as her feeling superior to them. I would probably think the same thing except that I never really bought the "I don't really relate to people" thing, but that's just me.

As for examples, I saw the superior thing in most of her interactions with her fellow classmates (the exceptions being Angela and sometimes Mike), but to name a few:

I.When she first meets Eric. All he did was try to be welcoming and helpful to the new kid by offering to help find her next class and in response she thinks of him as overly helpful and gives him one word answers to his questions like he was annoying her. At this point, it's the first conversation she's had with any of the other humans so this isn't the 20th time she's been asked questions about how different Phoenix is from Forks. So she is annoyed at his attempt at a conversation as if she can't be bothered with small talk. She continues to act in a abrupt and rude way to others who talk to her for the rest of the day.

II.Her consistent belief that everyone at school is only nice to her for the popularity gained with hanging with the new girl. New Moon proves her wrong ( Several of her friends, including Jessica still hang out and talk to her at school after she completely ditched them all for Edward in Twilight) and she thinks less of them because of it. She thinks all (Angela is the one exception) are quite shallow and boring for being interested in things like dances or for talking about teachers and classes. I got the distinct impression that Bella thinks such things are mundane and boring because she's so mature and reads classic English literature in her spare time.

III.Her judgmental attitude toward her schoolmates. She initially thinks that Jessica is shallow, Eric is annoying and Mike is over eager loyal like a puppy and Lauren is vain and shallow. This is not what I think makes Bella think she's superior because everyone (myself included) has been judgmental of people at some point. It's that she never tries to get past these initial assumptions and actually get to know some of them. Bella apparently can't be bothered to do that and instead devotes all her time to Edward instead. They aren't worth her time.

Geez, this is long.
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holdingoutforjacob
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by holdingoutforjacob »

this may be silly, but i felt like bella should have made angela a part of her wedding.

you know i never thought about how bella treats her human classmates, but you're right, she's very superior.

on the other hand, if one of those people ever asked bella for something, i think she'd do it in a heartbeat. she's a puzzling character. although i wish those faults were acknowledged in the book as faults and not glorified. the only person who's faults ever get talked about is poor jacob.
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WishIWasACullen
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by WishIWasACullen »

O Bella.Our beloved narrator. I always find myself blissfully torn when it comes to Bella. On one hand, when I read I put myself in her shoes, so when Bella is scared I'm scared, when Bella is terrified, I can't stop shaking from terror, when Bella is depressed because Edward leaves her, I'm depressed for, like, 3 weeks straight (crazy? yes probably.) no joke. So on this side, since I feel so much like her as I read her, of course I have to like her. And the way that her voice is written is amazing, seriously one of the best voices ever written--so I like her because of that but then, on the other hand, sometimes her decisions just make me jump out of my Bella-shell, back into myself and say "WHAT THE FRACK ARE YOU DOING?!?" So, all in all, I love Bella but some of her decisions just irk my 'taters.

I'll have more to say later, specifics and whatnot, after I re-read the series again. :D
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*Bloodlust*
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by *Bloodlust* »

WishIWasACullen wrote:On one hand, when I read I put myself in her shoes, so when Bella is scared I'm scared, when Bella is terrified, I can't stop shaking from terror, when Bella is depressed because Edward leaves her, I'm depressed for, like, 3 weeks straight (crazy? yes probably.) no joke.
Quite frankly, that's the truth with Bella. She pulls you in! Of course in New Moon, we're sooooo depressed with her and feel the metaphorical "hole in our chest" whenever we think of Edward, but when you look back on it...you think "Pull yourself together woman! Stop whining!" But all through the book, the pain seems so real that you don't really notice until after Edward returns that Bella' antics were kind of irritating and frustrating. Not to mention how she treats everyone else in the book [Seriously, Charlie has put up with A LOT]. She's a VERY relatable narrator and that's why we love her. There's always come aspect of Bella that everyone can connect with. Of course she's flawed. She wouldn't be a great protagonist without her flaws.
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by KaseyHeartEdward »

Auctorita wrote:
KaseyHeartEdward wrote: When did she feel surpeior to them?

I remember her saying she didn't relate to people well. but she never thought she was better then them.
Well I guess it depends on how you interpret it. What you may have seen as her not relating to her classmates I viewed it as her feeling superior to them. I would probably think the same thing except that I never really bought the "I don't really relate to people" thing, but that's just me.

As for examples, I saw the superior thing in most of her interactions with her fellow classmates (the exceptions being Angela and sometimes Mike), but to name a few:

I.When she first meets Eric. All he did was try to be welcoming and helpful to the new kid by offering to help find her next class and in response she thinks of him as overly helpful and gives him one word answers to his questions like he was annoying her. At this point, it's the first conversation she's had with any of the other humans so this isn't the 20th time she's been asked questions about how different Phoenix is from Forks. So she is annoyed at his attempt at a conversation as if she can't be bothered with small talk. She continues to act in a abrupt and rude way to others who talk to her for the rest of the day.

II.Her consistent belief that everyone at school is only nice to her for the popularity gained with hanging with the new girl. New Moon proves her wrong ( Several of her friends, including Jessica still hang out and talk to her at school after she completely ditched them all for Edward in Twilight) and she thinks less of them because of it. She thinks all (Angela is the one exception) are quite shallow and boring for being interested in things like dances or for talking about teachers and classes. I got the distinct impression that Bella thinks such things are mundane and boring because she's so mature and reads classic English literature in her spare time.

III.Her judgmental attitude toward her schoolmates. She initially thinks that Jessica is shallow, Eric is annoying and Mike is over eager loyal like a puppy and Lauren is vain and shallow. This is not what I think makes Bella think she's superior because everyone (myself included) has been judgmental of people at some point. It's that she never tries to get past these initial assumptions and actually get to know some of them. Bella apparently can't be bothered to do that and instead devotes all her time to Edward instead. They aren't worth her time.

Geez, this is long.

Well if you remember in the begining she admits she has an old soul so she doesn't relate to people her age.

Her personality is very closed off. She doesn't do the gossip thing and dosen't like to go to dances becuase she can't dance. And there are way more things to talk about then teachers, dances and classes. I mean who wants to spen all their time talking about those things. And plus even though she didn't relate to anyone really well dosen't mean she didn't care about them. She tried to do what she could to keep them safe in Eclipse. And plus being human you aren't going to like everyone you meet. it just isn't possible.

And yea she spent all her time with Edward instead of her Human Friends but most girls do that. And that does't make them a bad person.

I actully wonder how you got through Twilight and the other books? Because you don't seem to like Bella at all. So i am just wondering. I don't mean to be rude. And i am sorry if you take this the wrong way. Im curious.
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holdingoutforjacob
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by holdingoutforjacob »

KaseyHeartEdward wrote:
Auctorita wrote:
KaseyHeartEdward wrote: When did she feel surpeior to them?

I remember her saying she didn't relate to people well. but she never thought she was better then them.
Well I guess it depends on how you interpret it. What you may have seen as her not relating to her classmates I viewed it as her feeling superior to them. I would probably think the same thing except that I never really bought the "I don't really relate to people" thing, but that's just me.

As for examples, I saw the superior thing in most of her interactions with her fellow classmates (the exceptions being Angela and sometimes Mike), but to name a few:

I.When she first meets Eric. All he did was try to be welcoming and helpful to the new kid by offering to help find her next class and in response she thinks of him as overly helpful and gives him one word answers to his questions like he was annoying her. At this point, it's the first conversation she's had with any of the other humans so this isn't the 20th time she's been asked questions about how different Phoenix is from Forks. So she is annoyed at his attempt at a conversation as if she can't be bothered with small talk. She continues to act in a abrupt and rude way to others who talk to her for the rest of the day.

II.Her consistent belief that everyone at school is only nice to her for the popularity gained with hanging with the new girl. New Moon proves her wrong ( Several of her friends, including Jessica still hang out and talk to her at school after she completely ditched them all for Edward in Twilight) and she thinks less of them because of it. She thinks all (Angela is the one exception) are quite shallow and boring for being interested in things like dances or for talking about teachers and classes. I got the distinct impression that Bella thinks such things are mundane and boring because she's so mature and reads classic English literature in her spare time.

III.Her judgmental attitude toward her schoolmates. She initially thinks that Jessica is shallow, Eric is annoying and Mike is over eager loyal like a puppy and Lauren is vain and shallow. This is not what I think makes Bella think she's superior because everyone (myself included) has been judgmental of people at some point. It's that she never tries to get past these initial assumptions and actually get to know some of them. Bella apparently can't be bothered to do that and instead devotes all her time to Edward instead. They aren't worth her time.

Geez, this is long.

Well if you remember in the begining she admits she has an old soul so she doesn't relate to people her age.

Her personality is very closed off. She doesn't do the gossip thing and dosen't like to go to dances becuase she can't dance. And there are way more things to talk about then teachers, dances and classes. I mean who wants to spen all their time talking about those things. And plus even though she didn't relate to anyone really well dosen't mean she didn't care about them. She tried to do what she could to keep them safe in Eclipse. And plus being human you aren't going to like everyone you meet. it just isn't possible.

And yea she spent all her time with Edward instead of her Human Friends but most girls do that. And that does't make them a bad person.

I actully wonder how you got through Twilight and the other books? Because you don't seem to like Bella at all. So i am just wondering. I don't mean to be rude. And i am sorry if you take this the wrong way. Im curious.
bella says she has an old soul, yes. that doesn't mean she doesn't feel superior to everyone else.

it's true that you're not going to like everyone. but bella only likes one person. edward. then later the rest of the cullens. also, she wouldn't KNOW that that's all they talk about. she didn't pay enough attention to anything they said, because she had already written them off.

i don't think you can say most girls make their lives revolve around their boyfriends. they don't. because that's not healthy.

even though the last question wasn't directed to me, i'll answer it. bella is not the whole story. bella is not even most of the story. bella is not a strong enough person to be terribly significant. i know that i read it for jacob, edward, their conflict, the pack, so on and so forth. not because i like bella in any way, shape, or form.
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Auctorita
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by Auctorita »

KaseyHeartEdward wrote:
Well if you remember in the begining she admits she has an old soul so she doesn't relate to people her age.

Her personality is very closed off. She doesn't do the gossip thing and dosen't like to go to dances becuase she can't dance. And there are way more things to talk about then teachers, dances and classes. I mean who wants to spen all their time talking about those things. And plus even though she didn't relate to anyone really well dosen't mean she didn't care about them. She tried to do what she could to keep them safe in Eclipse. And plus being human you aren't going to like everyone you meet. it just isn't possible.

And yea she spent all her time with Edward instead of her Human Friends but most girls do that. And that does't make them a bad person.

I actully wonder how you got through Twilight and the other books? Because you don't seem to like Bella at all. So i am just wondering. I don't mean to be rude. And i am sorry if you take this the wrong way. Im curious.
I have found that many times throughout the series what happens in the story contradicts what Bella says ("I am average looking" is one example off the top of my head) so I doubt that what Bella says is law. And the way I saw it, Bella's actions/thoughts throughout the series were contradicting that statement.

Well, they do discuss more than school and dances and they do outdoor activities together(they're trip to the beach, the snowball fight, ect.). Nevertheless, no matter what her friends seem to be doing Bella never seems to show much interest. She may care for their personal safety but she shows little regard for their thoughts or feelings. In Twilight it wasn't that bad since she did try to get Mike and Jessica together, but with each book her interest in her friends decreases.

It's not rude at all. The plot was interesting and I liked Edward and the other Cullens and a lot of the minor characters as well.

Other than that, Holdingoutforjacob beat me to it with all my points and I completely agree with them.
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KaseyHeartEdward
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by KaseyHeartEdward »

Okay I understand I really do.

And thank you for not taking offence to my question. I was just wondering since you agree with the main character that much.

Yes I love the rest of the book besides Bella. But me and her just click. So I see here in a different way then you do because our personalities are different doesn’t mean we are wrong just that we see things differently. And I enjoy discussing Bella with you and Holdingoutforjacob. Even though it doesn’t seem like it lol. You two get me thinking so I thank you.


I also think with Bella that she just doesn’t know how to relate to people. That she has always kept to herself and when being in such a big place like Phoenix it is easy for her to be passed by and not questioned. So when she came to Forks and everyone was talking to her and paying attention to her she didn't know how to handle it. She didn't know how to interact and made judgements. And when it came to Edward he was like her didn't know how to interact with people outside his family. So in a way it was easier to be with just him. And as their love grew. She was able to somewhat interact better. But loved Edward so much she didn't want to leave him. Because she thought he was too good to be real. So in a way I think she was making he was real and that he wanted her. Even though she had no idea why.

With the average looking, Bella says no one payed attention to her in Phoenix I don't think anyone told her she was pretty. And when that happens one will see themselves as average looking. And not everything Bella says is law. The book is about how she sees things. She didn't see herself clearly.

And with the boyfriend thing let’s just say I have met a lot of girls who have done it. I have been and still am the friend that was dumped for the guy and it sucks. And I didn't like that Bella didn't spend time with her friends. But I think it is because she didn't know how.


Wow I wrote a lot. lol
Last edited by KaseyHeartEdward on Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by goddesskde »

but it WAS silly of bella to actually believe that kate would hurt nessie. edward knew she wouldn't. that's why he went along with it. of course it was necessary for bella to believe it could happen AT THE TIME. however anyone else should have realized what was REALLY going on, and bella should have realized that as soon as it was over.holdingoutforjacob

As a mother I have to strongly disagree. Any preceived threat to your child comes with a HUGE reaction. Personally I would have torn her to bits and pieces just at the mention of it. It was a stupid and thoughtless thing to use the safety of her child as a motivation in advancing her powers. In my opinion Kate needs to be smacked upside her head. As a reader you can sit back and say "she wasnt in any real danger" but as a mother, the instinct is to protect and that is the perspective that passage is written from. There is no rational behavior when it comes to protecting your children...
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Re: Bella Swan Cullen

Post by goddesskde »

sorry for the late reply, school has started here and it's been few and far between that I have the time to get online to check this site..Kids take up all of my free time :)
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