Well, that was certainly enlightening. I admit that compared to some of you I am still a newborn in the Twilight universe. I was in the middle of another series which is still not complete so I did not read the books until after the first movie came out. After reading the pc from Stephenie I can see that though I may not be winning the race, I'm at least on the same track or going the same direction as the other drivers.
Here's what I got from MS...
"It had been two weeks since our last hunting trip. Not an immensely difficult time span for the rest of us. A little uncomfortable occasionally - if a human walked too close, if the wind blew the wrong way...""I was used to the way that scent made me feel - the dry ache in my throat, the hollow yearning in my stomach, the automatic tightening of my muscles, the excess flow of venom in my mouth...
That was all quite normal, usually easy to ignore."..."Jasper should just accept his limitations and work within them. His former habits were not conducive to our chosen lifestyle; he shouldn't push himself this way."
I can understand that it's not so much being easy for them to be around humans, but more that they've been doing it so long it's second nature. I guess my only real issue is that it seems to be so much more of a struggle for Jasper almost as though he were the last one to slip up. That he tasted human blood last and for them it could have been 15 years ago, much as remembering an incident last week would be for us. Because while it wouldn't necessarily be easy, wouldn't it eventually become less of a struggle for him? Wouldn't his suffering lessen after a while? If it were just at the beginning I guess I could see it more clearly, but he seems to suffer more through the entire saga, at least more than the rest do...maybe I'm still missing something.
I wasn't suggesting that they were attending school strictly to keep suspicions down for us humans. I understand that their resolve is strengthened more by being around the very thing that they should avoid, given the choice they have made. I was simply stating that they
are around a lot of humans every day whereas if it were not able to be done there are alternatives. Except for Esme, none of them stay at home and don't venture out among the humans in the community.
I see this not only as a way to enforce their convictions, but also that after a while, it becomes tolerable and less of a struggle. Carlisle says that it the restraint may be harder for him if he took an extended vacation from the hospital. And Edward tells Bella, after he takes her to the meadow, that it will be more difficult for him tomorrow because he's had the scent of her in his head all day...he's become "desensitized". For Jasper though it seems that he never gets used to this.
We know that Jasper developed a "conscience" without any outside guidance. And we know that he was searching for a different kind of life when he finally found Alice. So I can't sign on that he's a vegetarian only for Alice's sake. I guess that's why it doesn't fit as well, for me, that he doesn't become "desensitized" also, being around humans all day and given the length of time that he's been doing this and that he had essentially made the same choice.