Dual Seduction

After reading Twilight it was obvious that the main theme of the book had to do with a young girl who falls desperately in love with a vampire. Normally the vampire is classified as having a seductive lure about them. The thing that might is different about this situation is not only the lure Edward has over Bella but the lure she has over him.

Bella who just moved from Phoenix to Forks was never a "normal" girl. She even admits it throughout the book. From the first time that she sees Edward she is stricken by his jaw dropping looks. She says he is near perfect, if not the embodiment of perfection. I view this as a "first love" ordeal, but in fact it turns into something more. The thing that confuses Bella is how at the beginning of the book he chooses to ignore her, he even gives her some nasty looks in their chemistry class. Eventually Edward comes around and gives into his desires to see Bella.

After Edward saves Bella from a car, which would have crushed her, Bella begins to question how he saved her and what he is. Eventually she finds out what Edward is. The strange thing is how she only is not afraid but rather intrigued. Edward, confused by the fact that he cannot read Bella's mind, often follows her without her noticing. Edward saves Bella from a group of drunk men who had awful intentions according to Edward, afterward he drove her home and the persistent questioning of almost the entire book began. Edward reveals to her that he can read minds but he cannot read her, which constantly irritates him, many times to the point where he asks her what she is thinking. This is part of the lure that she has over him because she is THE ONLY person's mind Edward cannot read.

Edward also reveals that every person has a smell and Bella's smell is his own "brand of heroin," he refers to her smell as "mouthwatering." Throughout the book Edward constantly tells Bella that he is dangerous and that she should stay away. He also reveals how hard it is to be around her because at any moment he could snap and he couldn't live with himself if Bella got hurt because of him. The lure that he has over her prevents her from leaving, she claims that she does not care what he is, the only thing that mattered to her was that she was in love with him. Even when Edward shows himself to her in the sunlight she is struck with utter fascination referring to him "a perfect statue, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal." Edward also tells her that he watches her sleep and that she says his name a lot when she is sleeping. Edward tells her that he cannot sleep but if he could dream at all it would be about Bella.

Edward never wants to leave Bella's side telling her to "bring on the shackles - I'm your prisoner." They seem to be literally obsessed with each other in a good way. The initial seduction that each possessed for each other eventually turned into love. That love which might have started out as a young girls "first love" situation turned out to be true love, which is very hard to find.