Chapter 26 - Ethics

[-Jasper]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?
I think she is saying that she is so deeply in love that she could never love someone else because she needs Edward. I think she is wrong, and that she should have tried life without him before making such a huge commitment. She may be in love, but she hasn't considered her options at all.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?
I think he is right. She was so depressed when Edward left, that it was unhealthy.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?
I think that she loves Edward so much because he is magical. If he were human, they may have never even noticed each other. The idea of 2 worlds is a little confusing, but I think it is how she is comparing reality and myths.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?
Yes, he is right when he says that he was the natural path her life would have taken. It would have been healthier for her.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?
I think he is feeling different because the battle has been lost, and he has matured a bit now, he wants her to be happy.

[golden x sunshine]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?
-I think Bella meant that once she fell for Edward, it was all over, she would never ever love someone as much as she loves him. He's her everything and even though she can make a choice to be with someone else, she doesn't want too, because as long as she has Edward she doesn't need anything else.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?
-No, Jake just wants Bella to love him like she loves Edward, and hes mad that she doesn't.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?
-Yeah, I think its just Bella's way fo trying to understand why she loves both Edward and Jacob.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?
-Maybe. Only IF Bella had never Edward.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?
-Jake knows now that no matter what he does or says he can't change Bellas mind about turning into a vampire and Edward.

[natterss707]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?
She knows what her life is like without him and her love for him is irrevocable. Therefore, she really doesn't have a choice because now that she fell in love with him, she will never be 100% happy unless he's in her life. Yeah, she might have been happy with Jacob or whatever and yes she does love him but it is nowhere near the strength of her love for Edward, it's inexplainable. Why go through life having a part of yourself that's miserable when you have what you want right in front of you?

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?
In a sense he is right, but I think her emotions are healthy. If she doesn't have him though its like she's never going to be fully herself. It kind of pisses me off that he refers to Edward as a drug now that I think about it because he is her whole life and he is good for her.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?
Bella has obviously never had these kinds of feelings for anyone before so first and foremost she didn't know what it was like to be in love. For a person her age it's very rare that someone comes along and they fall in love and are soulmates. When you love someone and you have such strong feelings for them, really you're never going to stop loving about them. You never forget your first love and I think that's also a huge part of it. I could probably go on forever about this but I'll keep it semi-short.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?
It might have been, but who knows with her luck she still could have had problems. But she did meet Edward so, that's out of the picture.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?
I think he finally just realizes what exactly he's going to lose. Also, now that he knows that she loves him too, to some degree, I feel like that has changed his mind that there could be hope.

[stellar87]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?
I absolutely think Bella falling for Edward was like imprinting. It was fate that brought her to him. He needs her as much as she needs him. Bella won't let herself deny her love for Edward because it is entirely too strong. It doesn't matter that she's in love with Jacob as well, Edward is her heart and sould. Her everything and vice versa. You can't walk away from something like that.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?
Yes and no. I do think that Edward is something that Bella cannot live without but I don't think that it's in a completely unhealthy way.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?
I think Bella feels so strongly for Edward that there is no other way to explain it for her. I think her love for Edward is something she's never witnessed, therefore making it something that couldn't exist for her in a rational world. And I do believe that Bella's explanation of two worlds, even though I agree with her, is a way of maybe justifing loving two people at once to herself.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?
I think the lives are entirely too different to know which would be better for Bella. If she had never met Edward I think there might have still been a part of her that knew she was missing something, even though she'd be completely in love with Jacob and happy.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?
I think Jake finally realized that Bella was Bella, no matter what form she would be in. His love for her is so strong for him that he finally accepted the fact that he'd love her not matter what. And when the fight for her was over he realized that he wasn't ready to lose her completely, as he had once said.

[Sydflower]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?
I think she means that it just happened. She didn't mean to fall in love. It was an unconsious decision on her part. She just realized one day what happened and the rest is history.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?
No. He is wrong. Bella loves Edward a lot. She isn't addicted to him. She just needs him to love her back. Its kind of confusing to write lol.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?
Yes it is. She is stuck in two different worlds. I totally understand it.. And her love for Edward is so much more because since Edward can feel so much more.. she feels it too.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?
No. Bella wouldn't have been as happy with Jake.. she wouldn't have felt as much. They wouldve been normal..

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?
Because he has had time to ponder things and he knows he overreacted.

[pennybug84]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this? I think it's a combination of it being irrevocable and that the love is so deep in her that there's no choice for her here. Edward is her soul mate, the belong together.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion? I don't think its an addiction. It's just one of those deep kind of love that nothing else matters.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once? I guess so I never really thought of that. The love she has for Edward is different than a "normal" human love.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right? No. Her love for Edward is so different and deep than she could feel for anyone else. It would have been more normal w/Jacob.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now? Because he realizes (finally) that no matter what he says or does Bella is going to marry and be w/Edward forever and he doesn't want to loose what he has with her.

[ForJazz926]

Good questions! These are actually harder to answer.

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?

I think she just meant that once she was in, it was irrevocable. The way it was for Edward. A permanent change to who she was - he was now a part of her, and she could never be whole again without him.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?

You could make an easy case for Jake being right, here. The way she withers away to nothing when he's gone - the way she cannot stand to be without him, and the pained look that often crosses Edward's face. But I also think that their love is beautiful. And in a fairytale world like Twilight - this cannot possibly be unhealthy. The pain and agony of it all only makes it stronger and more beautiful - they have become a single entity. But since Jake is human, and looking at this from a human perspective where people who are in love smile and laugh and kiss with unbridled passion, it certainly looks like more of an addiction.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?

I think she's just admitting that in a sane world, the world she lived in before she encountered vampires and werewolves, she'd probably agree 100% with Jacob, and he's right that they probably would've been together and been happy. Before she entered this mythical world, she too believe that love should be carefree, easy, and that people shouldn't get married at 18. She's explaining that in this case, there is a whole different set of circumstances that even she didn't expect. She's explaining to him that it is beyond anything she knew before, and anything Jacob knows now.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?

I can definitely see his point. Her family and friends could have happily coexisted with her and Jacob. She wouldn't have had to change a thing or leave anyone, she wouldn't be going against the predator/prey rules of nature, and there wouldn't be any "will you kill me today" drama. But I think that her life with Edward is right. They defied any rules of nature, and the way that they love each other is 100% right. They make each other better, and that's the most important thing in a healthy relationship. The rest becomes irrelevant.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?

I think he's seen how "human" vampires can be. I think he has faith that he won't lose her. Maybe he's realized that Edward wouldn't be willing to change her if she weren't still going to be herself, so Bella will still exist. Plus, it's inevitable that knowing she loves him back has only made his love for her stronger. He fights to the very end - it's in his nature. And he's realized from interacting with the Cullens that her changing won't be the end.

[akire]

Hard questions for a hard chapter to read!! These are so thought-provoking.

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?

I think it's probably a combination... even if Bella didn't WANT to love Edward anymore, she wouldn't really have a choice (like imprinting). At the same time, I don't think she would ever want to not be in love with him. Absolutely I think she's right. Even if Edward hadn't come back at the end of NM (shudder), Bella never would have been 100% happy. As much as I love Jacob, I don't doubt that she never could have been 100% whole without Edward.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?

Hmm... tough one! I guess, based on my contention that she couldn't be 100% whole without him, I think she probably is addicted to him. Whether or not that addiction is healthy is a separate question altogether. Because I'm true to myself... I looked up "addiction" on dictionary.com:

the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

What caught my eye most here is " to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma." Um, New Moon, anyone??

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?

I have a hard time thinking Bella would make an excuse like that. Perhaps that's due to my own belief that, as a real person, you can be in love with two people at the same time (it's all about choice). I'm also not sure that Bella really believes that. After all, she is not yet fully a member of the mythical world yet -- she is fully aware of her human limitation. Would Bella love Edward less if he were human (I know, I know, he would be dead etc but just put that aside for a moment)? I doubt it. Maybe it would have been different -- but Edward would still be Edward, maybe just a little less.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?

At this point in the saga, I really did. How could giving up her family and her life be good for her? I mean... eventually I came around. But I couldn't see how sacrificing so much (even for Edward) was the best option in all of this. Especially after the second Jacob kiss... *swoon*

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?

I think he has a MUCH different perspective about Bella dying and about vampires. He's opened his mind to realize that he can actually be around vampires without wanting to kill them. He's also realized that he couldn't stand to lose her totally, so he will take whatever amount of Bella he can get.

[Dovrebanen]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?
I think that her love for Edward was irrevocable. From the very first time she realized that she loved him in Twilight, there was no going back. There would never be anyone else for her. Edward came around and filled her entire world like no one else could. And they have fought so hard to be together. She never stopped loving him through the dark time when he was gone. So there has never been the option of having someone else in her life. She can't live without Edward.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?
These questions really got me thinking..Good job making these.
I think that Bella is addicted to Edward, in the sense that she can't stand to be without him. But I don't think it is unhealthy. She is in love, and Edward is the best thing that could have happened to her.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?
I don't think that she is referring to Edward being a mythical creature. I think she means that her love for Edward is something that she can't describe. So I just think she means that the love that they share is really like it's from another world, since it is so powerful. It has nothing to with Edward being a vampire. She is trying to make Jacob see how she feels, and why there can never be the two of them. I believe that you can love two people at the same time, but not in the same way. One person will always have a larger part of your heart. And in Bella's heart, you would always find Edward.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?
I do think that life with Jacob would have been a happy life for Bella (is she had never met Edward of course). She would have had her family and an easy life. Jacob is a good match for her, and he would have taken care of her and loved her. But I still think that she belongs with Edward. She could never have shared a love like that with Jacob. Bella and Edward was meant to be, and I think that they fulfil eachother in every possible way.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?
Because he finally understands that he has lost. That Bella will become a vampire. And he would rather have her as a vampire than not at all. And he needs to keep a little hope that he might get her some day. He will still be fighting for her. Hoping that Edward makes a mistake and then Jacob will be waiting.

[sazykid]

1. What does Bella mean when she tells Jake “I never had a choice”? Is she saying she had no choice about falling in love with Edward -- it was a kind of compulsion like imprinting? Or that her love for him is irrevocable: once she fell in love, she could never love someone else instead? Or does she just mean that given the depth of her passion for Edward there is no real choice to be made here? Do you think she is right about this?
I think Bella meant a combination of all of that. Edward and Bella seem to be meant for eachother, like they were specifically made to be with one another, so it is like they imprinted on each other. Her love for Edward is also irrevocable, even in New Moon after Edward leaves we see that Bella can't really move on from him. Even after he hurt her so bad, she still loved him so much it nearly killed her. These things combine with the passion she feels for him would take away any other choice to be with someone else. I do think she is right in saying she never had a choice. She and Edward were meant to be and made to be together, even Jacob couldn't make her feel the way Edward does.

2. Jake tells Bella that Edward was like a drug for her. Do you think he’s right? Is her love for Edward more like an addiction than a healthy emotion?
I do belive Edward and Bella are meant to be togehter. But, to a certain degree, Jacob is right about Edward being an addiction. Bella is always so worried that he will vanish that she can't be without him for any length of time. If it were just a healthy emotion, Bella would realize Edward will always come back to her no matter what.

3. What is Bella getting at when she tells Jake that her love for him was overshadowed by something so strong it couldn’t exist in the rational world? Does she think her love for Edward is unnatural, something you could only feel for a mythical creature? Is the idea of two worlds -- the sane one humans think they live in and the mythical one of monsters and magic -- her way of explaining how she can love two people at once?
I don't think she thinks the love she and Edward share isn't natural. I think irrational or abnormal would be better words to describe how they feel about eachother. The feelings they have for eachother are perfectly natural, the intensity of their feelings is a little abnormal. Bella knows her love for Edward is a little crazy, but she can't help the way she feels. Yes, I think she is saying the love Edward and Bella share can't exist in the rational world because Edward is a mythical creature. Jake is also a mythical creature, but most of the time he is human and his love isn't as powerful as Edwards.

The two worlds aren't her way of saying she can't love two people at once because she does love two people at once. I think the idea of two worlds is her way of explaining that she loves them differently. In the human world, Bella loves Jake and they would probably be happy together. But, the mythical world is so different and intense that it overshadows any feelings she could have in the human world. The love she and Edward have is so much bigger than anything she and Jake could have that they never would have even had a chance.

4. Jake acknowledges that it is too late now for Bella to be happy without Edward. But he insists that the human life she and he could have had together if she’d never met Edward would have been better for her than the life she will now have. Do you think he’s right?
He is right only in the sense that Bella wouldn't have to pick between her family and friends and the one she loves. With Jake, Bella would have been able to live a normal human life and she probably would have been happy. But, while she loves Jake, she never would have gotten to experience the crazy, intense love she has with Edward.

5. Jake tells Bella that he’ll always be there waiting for her if she changes her mind -- even when she’s a vampire. Only a few weeks ago (Chapter 8), he told her that he’d rather see her dead than a vampire. Why do you think he feels differently now?
He was being stubborn a few weeks before. Jake was trying so hard to get Bella to recognize what she could have and how she felt that he was just being pig headed. I think he got frustrated and said things he didn't mean. Once Bella figured out that she really did love Jake, he would do anything to keep her around. Jake knows Bella has made her choice, but I think he is still hoping she'll change her mind, even once it is too late.