Edward Cullen bringing sexy back since 1901 -- Team Edward#3

[marielle]

Not to mention that Bella's has to keep up the Cullen life style to not stand out and make others question them.
Would she drie in a truck while the others drive in exclusive cars, she would stand out...

[Jazz Girl]

Not to mention that Bella's has to keep up the Cullen life style to not stand out and make others question them.
Would she drie in a truck while the others drive in exclusive cars, she would stand out...

I don't know, Marielle. I never really thought of Bella as one to do something just because it was what was expected. I don't think driving her truck would make her stand out in a bad way, just make her that much more unique. I always thought that that was one reason Bella kind of loved that old monster, because it was different. As much as she hated attention, she also liked being her own person. And that truck was certainly one on it's own.

[marielle]

Not to mention that Bella's has to keep up the Cullen life style to not stand out and make others question them.
Would she drie in a truck while the others drive in exclusive cars, she would stand out...

I don't know, Marielle. I never really thought of Bella as one to do something just because it was what was expected. I don't think driving her truck would make her stand out in a bad way, just make her that much more unique. I always thought that that was one reason Bella kind of loved that old monster, because it was different. As much as she hated attention, she also liked being her own person. And that truck was certainly one on it's own.

But Bella didn't want that car, Edward bought it... he probably knows pretty well that Bella would never like it but I can see him being all calculated and think about how Bella would stand out with the ugly old truck. it would draw attention. If Edward ever voiced that opinion Bella would probably shoot it down immediately with some semi-logical explanation why the truck is so much better than the ferrari...

[corona]

It's funny, but no one seems to think Bella is going to take to that car.

Personally, I think Edward should ask Rosalie to rebuild Bella's truck. They can completely gut it and drop in a new motor and transmission for better speed, and then give it a nice paint job, not too flashy. Bella would love it, it's a part of her past she can hold on to, and who doesn't need a truck now and then?

Frankly, Rosalie should do that on her own. I've always had my suspicions about her and that truck. I'm not letting Edward off the hook, even as I don't think he did it himself. However, the circumstances were too suspicious and Edward went so far overboard with the cars that everyone must have known that he really wanted that truck out of the way. Rosalie probably saw it as her wedding gift to Edward.

P.S. Beyond that truck somehow fitting Bella's personality perfectly, it also has great sentimental value to her. The first day she used it is the day she met Edward, and she drove both of them to the meadow in it.

I had a feeling that Edward didn't like it, believing it represented Bella's self-image of being plain and ordinary. He thinks of her more as a Ferrari. He has a point, but I think Bella had a different attachment to it. I know I did. When BD starts off with its demise, I felt the loss too.

[Tornado]

I think the truck suited her pre-vampire life perfectly but I honestly think even she would have considered it too slow once she had vampire speed. As Edward said, "I could walk quick than that truck moves." I think she would have been frustrated by its limitations before long. Even when she was coming back from Seattle in the volvo she turned the lights off and floored it. The truck couldn't even do that.

I do agree, though, that Edward and Rosalie deliberately crippled the truck.

[pennybug84]

Wow I never thought my question would spark such a good discussion. I like it.

Now I don't know much about cars but I would think he could have found a fast car that wasn't a fancy Ferrari. Even after she's changed she prefers to drive Edward's Volvo then her Ferrari. I just think he could have found something more like Bella's personality.

I like the idea of rebuilding her truck. It's more like Bella and I think she would like to have it for the sentimental value. She does try to remember her human memories so she doesn't loose them and having the truck would help w/that.

[Jazz Girl]

Well, not to throw a monkey in the wrench here... well, yeah that's exactly what I want to do. Remember, a big part of her connection to the truck was that little connection to the mongrel. Once she was turned and free of the dog-Ness pull, she was more than fine letting that connection to her past go. As for the choice of her "after" car, I think we forget that she would continue to change, adjust and find that her new body and new senses allowed her to enjoy things that she hadn't before. She seemed more than willing to change her variety of dress once she got comfortable with her new body (an example is what she wears to meet with Jenks) Sometimes, I think people forget that Edward did have a century of dealing with the change, of watching it happen to others, of seeing how their tastes and understandings and perceptions changed as they adjusted to their second life. Sure, maybe he rushed it a bit. But, can you honestly blame the man for wanting to remove one more tie between his mate/wife and the boy who wanted him dead?

[Tornado]

Jazz Girl - the books do say that they don't change very much, though. That's one of SM's biggest points: the lack of change in a person's behaviour once they become a vampire, so I'm not sure that Bella will change or adjust very much from here on in.

However, I don't think her refusal to drive the ferrari to Seattle says anything about how she feels about the car. She just knows it will stand out more than the volvo where she is going. I'm sure she will drive it, and probably has up to that point, but it just wasn't important enough to the story to show it happening.

[Jazz Girl]

Tornado~ Absolutely. I suppose it depends on how you view how deeply ingrained her vehicular preferences are in her personality. Their personality traits, those things that define them as people, ie belief systems, world views and the like are cemented, locked in stone. However, I think they would have to adjust somewhat to things like changing social norms, types of music, personal style, those things that are transitive by nature. Also, I think experience is one of the world's best teachers. Any living creature must adapt to their environment based upon their experiences. It is how we continue to grow, to evolve as beings. I don't think that she was so locked in upon her change that she couldn't learn to appreciate new things once she was able to truly experience them. Not to mention, she had the greatest experience of understanding something different once she experienced and understood it just before her change. Up until a month of so before her change, she didn't think she ever wanted to marry. She changed her mind about that once she experienced it, didn't she? I think there's a big difference between continuing to learn and adapt vs a person's essential make-up changing.

[Tornado]

True.