opulent wrote:Oooh, good one! I have thought about this long and hard, believe it or not! And I came up with my answer after reading MS. No worries, ladies and germs, I will try not to spoil the plot of MS too much for those of you who haven't read it yet.
I initially thought that Edward was being honest, and, as you put it, "the most ridiculously selfless person in the world". However. . .Edward comments that Jacob fights dirtier than he does. Now, if you don't read very much into Edward's actions during this whole book, one might think him innocent, truly a selfless person who will sit back and let Bella do what she wants without a fight.
BUT. Reading deeper into things, I really think Edward is playing dirty. He knows what he is doing, and he is good enough not to let Bella figure it out. Jake figured it out, though, and told Bella, to which she replied that "Edward is not playing any game!" Naive, foolish, gullible Bella. Edward was playing hard and fast.
Edward may not feel he deserves Bella, but he knows to some extent how she views him. One of the most significant concepts that Bella has about Edward is that he is selfless. If Edward went all crazy at Bella over Jake's kiss, he would have shown her that he is definitely not as selfless or innocent as he seems, and that would not help his case. She would have realized that what he had said in the past wasn't completely true - y'know, the part about him being willing to leave if that was the decision she made? And things would have crumbled slightly from there.
But then again, we all know that Edward had to be crazed with jealousy over that kiss. He didn't show it much though. To me, that was in true selfless-Edward form. If he had shown how hurt he was, Bella would be in even more agony knowing how much pain she is causing Edward. Instead, he keeps it bottled up and tries to make her happy again. In true Edward fashion.
Honestly, I like Edward and the concept of him being "the perfect guy," even though he isn't. But this scene - and the idea that he is playing dirty to try and keep Bella - made me like him even more. It humanized him, made him realistic. He was so desperate to keep Bella that he fought dirty over her. . .And even better, he was so good at it, he did it without her knowing. Nice.
Now what I find interesting is that in MS, he promises himself that he would tell Bella the truth whenever possible, because she deserved honesty from him. Obviously, he lies to her several times. So. . .does this mean that he isn't as selfless as he seems, or that it is just a part of him and Jake playing dirty, and is therefore forgivable?
Opulent, is it not true that Edward Lied to Bella in New Moon, that he no longer wanted her?