Edward Cullen #5

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Dovrebanen
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by Dovrebanen »

Mrs.Edward_Cullen<3 wrote:Alright, new question.

What does Edward have trouble most with in his life?
When Edward was turned by Carlisle, it was not something he was prepared for. He went from being a normal 17 year old one day, to a thirsty vampire the next. And I think he was a genuinely good person, who would always want to do the right thing. That became very difficult once he was a vampire. So his biggest problem is the fact that he sees himself as a monster. That he's sees something inherently evil in himself. He can't see beyond that, and see how good he is in fact doing. Even in his rebellious years, he only took the bad guys. And he ended up returning to Carlisle because he wanted to do the right thing. He didn't want to kill humans.
I agree with navarre, in that his idea of himself as a monster probably showed itself more when Bella came into his life. He hadn't come so close to taking a human life in decades. And at the same time, he had never wanted to keep a human alive like that before either. He saw himself as a monster for even thinking about hurting Bella, and this drives him to the other extreme, where he ends up doing things all wrong in order to protect her. He can't see the good in himself, and how he has changed her life in a postive way, and that he is actually the one making her happy. In his mind, he is the reason for all the trouble in her life, while she sees him as her lifesaver.

Before Bella I would say that his biggest problem was loneliness. This may not be something that he was consciously aware of. He even said that he didn't know he was looking before he found Bella. But still, he spent decades alone, not connecting with anyone special. He spent his time in a house with three happy couples. So he must have felt lonely on some level.
Bella came around and altered his life in every way possible. He discovered new emotions, and new ways of looking at himself. And in the end he was finally free of his concerns and worries, and able to accept that someone actually loved him unconditionally.
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diane771
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by diane771 »

Dovrebanen wrote:
Mrs.Edward_Cullen<3 wrote:Alright, new question.

What does Edward have trouble most with in his life?
When Edward was turned by Carlisle, it was not something he was prepared for. He went from being a normal 17 year old one day, to a thirsty vampire the next. And I think he was a genuinely good person, who would always want to do the right thing. That became very difficult once he was a vampire. So his biggest problem is the fact that he sees himself as a monster. That he's sees something inherently evil in himself. He can't see beyond that, and see how good he is in fact doing. Even in his rebellious years, he only took the bad guys. And he ended up returning to Carlisle because he wanted to do the right thing. He didn't want to kill humans.
I agree with navarre, in that his idea of himself as a monster probably showed itself more when Bella came into his life. He hadn't come so close to taking a human life in decades. And at the same time, he had never wanted to keep a human alive like that before either. He saw himself as a monster for even thinking about hurting Bella, and this drives him to the other extreme, where he ends up doing things all wrong in order to protect her. He can't see the good in himself, and how he has changed her life in a postive way, and that he is actually the one making her happy. In his mind, he is the reason for all the trouble in her life, while she sees him as her lifesaver.

Before Bella I would say that his biggest problem was loneliness. This may not be something that he was consciously aware of. He even said that he didn't know he was looking before he found Bella. But still, he spent decades alone, not connecting with anyone special. He spent his time in a house with three happy couples. So he must have felt lonely on some level.
Bella came around and altered his life in every way possible. He discovered new emotions, and new ways of looking at himself. And in the end he was finally free of his concerns and worries, and able to accept that someone actually loved him unconditionally.
I think you are saying basically most of what I just said.
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Dovrebanen
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by Dovrebanen »

^Yeah, well like I said on the pm, I just wrote my post without actually reading all the other posts since it's late here. I read navarre's mostly, and made a reference to hers. And I really wanted to put in my reply. I'm like that sometimes. I just can't resist the urge to answer a question even if most of the points have already been made. So sorry if it came off like I was just repeating your words. And now that I have read your full post, I will just say that I agree with it, and I see that mine is similar.
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Lunna-san
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by Lunna-san »

Mrs.Edward_Cullen<3 wrote:Alright, new question.

What does Edward have trouble most with in his life?
Well, being a vampire is certainly something that despleases him. I don't think I can blame him. He sees himself like a threat. He despises the fact that part of his nature wants to kill humans, which is completely against his values and principles. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. So, it's understandable his dispair when he met Bella.

But I think that resisting Bella's blood and falling in love with her, brought back his human side.
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by Lunna-san »

Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to double post, but my PC isn't much cooperative today. :oops:
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by amethyst »

Lunna-san wrote:
Mrs.Edward_Cullen<3 wrote:Alright, new question.

What does Edward have trouble most with in his life?
Well, being a vampire is certainly something that despleases him. I don't think I can blame him. He sees himself like a threat. He despises the fact that part of his nature wants to kill humans, which is completely against his values and principles. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. So, it's understandable his dispair when he met Bella.

But I think that resisting Bella's blood and falling in love with her, brought back his human side.
I absolutely agree!!! I couldn't have summed it up myself in such a concise manner.

I found this very interesting quote. Stephenie Meyer explaining why he thinks he lost his soul and why he does (vegetarianism) what he does.
Stephenie Meyer wrote:Edward’s definition of a "soul" is something different from the intelligence that controls the body and allows one to think. He sees it more as the immortal soul that progresses after this life toward something better. He believes that vampires have made a trade on that–they’ve given up their immortal souls in exchange for a kind of immortality in this life. No death, no corruption of the body (plus the super qualities), but nothing after that semi-immortality comes to an end. Sort of a Faustian compromise: good stuff now, but losing better stuff later. Instant gratification vs. delayed gratification.
Of course, Edward didn’t choose to be a vampire, so he didn’t make this deal willingly. But he can’t go back. There is no way to regain mortality. He gets all the benefits of being a vampire; therefore he must be bound by the same compromise that the willing vampires chose.
What does he base this belief on? The fact that vampires are quite clearly monsters, and that common belief from time immemorable condemns them to damnation. It makes sense–monsters are evil by definition. Just because the Cullens don’t follow the definition, does it mean they’re not monsters anymore? They still salivate at the smell of human blood (well, it’s not precisely saliva, but you get my point). They still live only through the death of others (they’ve just gone with lesser animals).
So why does Edward bother being good? Because he doesn’t like causing suffering. Even living on the death of the very evilest of humans, eventually all the killing makes him feel purely monstrous, and he hates feeling that way. He wants to feel like himself. He wants to feel the higher human emotions (love for his family particularly) that get lost when you live for the hunt and the bloodlust.
He doesn’t think being good will earn him anything, but he still does it, because he still thinks good is better than bad, whether it gives him something in return or not. I don’t know if that’s coming out right. I’m trying to think of an analogy. Maybe…someone who paints the most beautiful pictures, putting all his effort into it, though he is surrounded by blind people. There’s no return for his work, but he thinks it’s worth doing anyway.
I think it’s almost a higher form of goodness–to do good for its own sake, expecting nothing in return....... Edward does not think that he is the only soulless member of his family. He reveres Carlisle in an almost religious way, but he doesn’t think that Carlisle is going to heaven, or any of the others. Of course, this world view shifts a bit during New Moon. Before NM, he is hopeless about the afterlife. At the end NM, he is just beginning to hope.
It's pretty fascinating. I really love it when an author extrapolates in the way Stephenie had done above
"I never would have banished him from her society as long as she desired his. . . . . But, till then--if you don't believe me, you don't know me--till then, I would have died by inches before I touched a single hair of his head!"
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by Jazz Girl »

Stephenie Meyer wrote: He doesn’t think being good will earn him anything, but he still does it, because he still thinks good is better than bad, whether it gives him something in return or not. I don’t know if that’s coming out right. I’m trying to think of an analogy. Maybe…someone who paints the most beautiful pictures, putting all his effort into it, though he is surrounded by blind people. There’s no return for his work, but he thinks it’s worth doing anyway.
Amethyst~ Thank you for posting SM's words. I do so love reading over her deeper thoughts about the world Cullen, especially where Edward is concerned.

The above is one of my favorite comments she has ever made on Edward's personality and motivations. I loved and admired Edward as a character well before I read this. But, after, it was just impossible not to fall in love with him. I honestly wish I had thought to post this during the previous discussion of the real reason women everywhere love Edward so much. If there was ever a better reason to love someone, I haven't ever come across it. As Bella says, he is just a genuinely good person.
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diane771
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by diane771 »

Thanks for giving us Edward's view on a being a vampire from Stephenie, Amethyst. It just shows the complexities of Edward and how we only have a glimpse of that in the Twilight Saga. Just another reason to write Midnight Sun, Edwards is so fascinating and engaging to us, and to see him as Stephenie brings him to life on paper and possible screen is worth the wait.
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HarriannCullen
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by HarriannCullen »

I love the insight, it's fantastic. This is why I am waiting for the finished version of MS to be published.
Then I will know that SM will be happy with the Edward she is portraying!
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Dovrebanen
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Re: Edward Cullen #5

Post by Dovrebanen »

I hadn't read that. Thanks for posting amethyst. How can you not fall for a guy like that? He sees it as it won't help him at all if he's good, but he chooses to be. To me that shows that he has risen above what he inherently is, and chosen a path that is right for him regardless of whether it benefits himself. He wants to be good just for the sake of being good.
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