Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

condone that type of behavior in myself…”) and is doing those actions in some way for Edward (…but
tomorrow would be complicated enough without me being loopy from sleep deprivation (252)) then that
gives her permission to go ahead and do what she wants.
This type of behavior would not usually be considered appropriate for anyone, but that does not
take into account the idea that she is doing these things for love, which means she gets a free pass. What
constitutes the level of appropriateness in any girl‟s actions depend largely on the culture that she comes out
of. In this case the Twilight series was born of a discourse largely dominated by what has come to be known
as the Abstinence Movement, which is an ideology dominated by traditional gender roles and denial.
Therefore, Bella is supposed to be learning to manipulate and lie to get what she wants, but as long as she is
doing it for the sake of Edward and their relationship then the knowledge she gains goes to a higher
purpose.
The most crucial lesson Bella must learn on her journey to womanhood is how to balance between
being sexy and maintaining her virtue, which is translated as „safety‟ within the pages of the series. In the
books this balancing act becomes increasingly difficult for Bella because in Phoenix she was never pursued
by the opposite sex, but in Forks she is suddenly the object of many males‟ desires. Her peers do not pose a
threat to her because of their own immaturity so she finds it relatively easy to deny their advances.
However, when another vampire, James, enters the picture he poses a different kind of threat to
Bella because of his level of „experience‟ as a hunter. He is the dangers of male sexuality personified: a
hunter of innocent victims seeking to penetrate their flesh and drain their livelihood. He lures her back to
her hometown using her family‟s safety as the hook. He then brings her back to her childhood ballerina
studio where he then tries to destroy her. Faced with such an overt offense, Bella does not have the
resources to respond correctly. Instead, she is paralyzed: “I wanted so badly to rub, but I was frozen. I
couldn‟t even flinch away” (448). Her inaction is a manifestation of her ignorance about the male/female
relations. But throughout the series, as Bella becomes more comfortable expressing her sexuality with
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