Jasper Hale

[Destani]

Jasper is such a great character. He is so complex. I can actually relate to him him some ways. I can feel and am really affected by other people's emotions. This turned me into a sort of peacekeeper or moderator in my family. When someone is angry, stressed or upset, I feel stressed so I work to calm that person. If people are arguing, it stresses me so I try to help them compromise and come to terms. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for Jasper to feel everyone's emotions so much more clearly than I do. At least he has the ability to change them.

I think the impression he made on J. Jenks is very interesting. It's the only time in the books where we find out he uses his power to do something other than calm people. I mean, I knew that he could use his power for things like that, but to picture him causing fear in somebody when it is unnecessary, purely for intimidation, it opens up another side of his character that I'd love to explore more deeply.

He's also the only vampire Bella meets that isn't "beautiful." Of course with her human vision, she thought he was just as gorgeous as the other vampires, but after her transformation, she doesn't describe him in a very pleasant way. I think that's a shame really because scars can be very manly and appealing.

I also hate that we don't really get to know Jasper because he keeps his distance from Bella. I understand why he does it, as a precaution when she's human and then because her change upset him when she became a vampire, but I wish he could have played a bigger role in the books.

I think, despite his difficulty keeping to the vegetarian diet and his past involvement in the vampire wars, Jasper has always had a very good heart. That's why he was able to walk away from the only vampire lifestyle he knew and search for a new life. That's why Alice fell in love with him. His first meeting with Alice is as good as any Bella/Edward moment for me.

[HalleyBrooke]

how come jasper in the fanfic stories is always so funny yet in the real books he's so stand-offish even when bella's a vampire?

[Amivera]

^Because fanfiction writers have skills.

I wonder why Jasper puts himself through school. Why can't the Cullens just be homeschooled? Or Jasper, at least? Why can't they say he's taking a year off college? Why can't he just be a dropout?

If Jasper lunges when Bella gets a papercut, what if someone cuts themselves at school? I get papercuts all the time, people are tripping, getting nosebleeds, running into doors, etc.

It doesn't make much sense to me.

[waiting tobe dazzled]

Maybe they don't home school because they don't want to draw attention to themselves. It seems like in a such a small town that if Jasper was homeschooled or dropped out that it would make way for more gossip and suspicion then normal. Or maybe they are hoping he will become more controlled like the others if he is around the temptation more.
Although I agree with Amivera it is really dangerous because accidents do happen. Then again, maybe they are relying on Alice.

[Amivera]

Then again, maybe they are relying on Alice.

Yeah, I thought about this one, but Alice said her visions are based on choices and decisions.
Bella makes a decision to jump off a cliff, then Alice sees it.

If you make a spontaneous decision, Alice won't see it.
Paper can't decide to cut you, and you don't decide or choose to run your finger along it in such a way that it is cut.

So Alice wouldn't be able to see someone getting a papercut or falling over unless someone or something was planning on doing it to them. That's probably why she didn't see Jasper attacking Bella, because Bella did not choose to cut her finger on the wrapping paper.

Which kills that theory.

Or maybe they are hoping he will become more controlled like the others if he is around the temptation more.

If this is the case, the Cullens are being awfully presumptuous. Putting human lives at risk to control Jasper's thirst? Not worth it.

Also, a little off topic, but if there were so many problems with keeping low tabs in a small town, why not move to a big city where they would just blend in?
Forks, Washington is not the only cloudy, rainy place in the world. Truthfully, it's not even close to as dreary and rainy as SMeyer pretends it is.

Why would the Cullens put themselves through more trouble to blend in, in a small town, AND have to create a treaty with a pack of werewolves? Why not just move somewhere else?

[pubesy]

Bella's Blood was extremely potent. More so than normal. It was even incredibly appealing to Alice. (it would not be as strong to jasper as it is to edward, though.)

I think it was more the situation of WHERE and WHEN the paper cut happened. Bella was in the vampire's home, where their guard was down, and they were not "restricting" or pretending to be human. They were being themselves. They felt (relatively) relaxed around bella. Hence Jasper's guard would have been down, and thats why he slipped so easily into vampiredom.

However at school, The Cullens were "acting" all the time, pretending to be human. Their guards would be completely up. they never really interacted on a close friendship level with other humans. How do we know that (because vampires move so quickly) a similar event had occured, but alice was able to remove Jasper from the event ever so quickly. I think jasper was pretty "new" to the school thing too.

but then, how is it that only cinderella's foot fit into the Glass slipper? Surely if Prince charming searched the WHOLE village, at least one other maiden's foot would have been the same size?

It doesn't matter what story you look at, if you look too close, you are going to find flaws. Sometimes, (so you dont destroy the magic of the story for yourself or others) you just have to look the other way, or explain it away with a bit of "fantasy-logic".

[Landiana]

i think that the Cullens are acting in school, so that they can try to get jasper more used to it. though they ditch when there is blood typing, and thats only a bit of blood then what is it like when someone falls and trashes thier knees?

[Amivera]

Aah, but flaws can be carefully dusted over, if you supply the correct information. Of course we can't change this, but in case Ms. Meyer comes to visit, I think a little writing suggestion wouldn't hurt:

Taking out one line of description about Edward and dropping a line that might effectively cover up one of the many plot holes is all it takes.

i think that the Cullens are acting in school, so that they can try to get jasper more used to it. though they ditch when there is blood typing, and thats only a bit of blood then what is it like when someone falls and trashes thier knees?

Yes. That might have to do with the fact that they can't participate, too. They don't have blood and they can't pierce their skin.

But in Midnight Sun that wasn't the big deal— in Midnight Sun it made a big deal about how there would be blood everywhere. You make a good point.

Yes, I don't particularly like Cinderella, or any of those other fairytales where the prince kisses a DEAD GIRL (why would anyone kiss a dead girl lying in a coffin?!) and she comes to life.
True love's kiss my backside: he doesn't even know her. >.> (I still enjoy watching the Disney movies, however)

But they're not novels. This is a modern-day novel. The vampires are meant to be believable. The vampires are based off science, SMeyer says. So I think we can move aside the carelessly thrown leaves and gaze down into the plot hole.

[Amethyst1]

But they're not novels. This is a modern-day novel. The vampires are meant to be believable. The vampires are based off science, SMeyer says. So I think we can move aside the carelessly thrown leaves and gaze down into the plot hole.

the vampires in stephenie's world physicalogically break all the laws of science. to the best of my knowledge if Stephenie were following the laws of science, these vampires wouldn't be the same. but then again, what are the odds? it's a fantasy world where you create you own rules in any way you want. and i think SM did that greatly.

and it's really a plot hole, er...your questions are a little off.
if you're applying it to Jasper, then why don't you apply the question to all the cullens? why does edward go to school, emmett, alice, rose? when they pretty much know everything.
The cullens want to be part of the human world, they want to interact as much as they are allowed and they want to seem normal. Their human desires and instincts lie beneath their vampirism qualities and persona's. They want to seem normal and make the best of their fates they were given. They are pretending to be an adopted family, in a small town in forks. being homeschooled isn't really the best option and like it's been said it will attract attention.

[Amivera]

it's a fantasy world where you create you own rules in any way you want. and i think SM did that greatly.

Fantasy and Fiction do not mean you can throw unicorns in with flying dinosaurs and have them mate to create a large gorilla that climbs the Eiffel tower and plays dominoes with the large buildings.

You can't just throw anything in there. You need to make sense, but this is off topic, and if you want to discuss SMeyer's science, I posted a large post in the Science of Twilight (Quench Your Thirst subforum).

Fine. Let's apply it to all the Cullens. Why do any of them go to highschool and then why does Edward go on and on about how boring it is, how vain the humans are, blah blah blah, if they've:
A) Already learned it all
and
B) Are putting human lives at risk by being there?

Jasper doesn't *have* to go to school, because it's too big a risk. Homeschooling would not draw attention to them. A lot of people are homeschooled and it's not because they're hiding some sort of deep, dark secret, but because they'd rather get an education from home— it has a lot of benefits.

And the Cullens most certainly do not feel the need to interact with the humans any more than is necessary.