In roughly 250 words...
Here's the essay I talked about earlier:
I would be quick to agree that the Twilight saga, a wildly popular book series among teenage girls, does not represent a great literary work. The books focus on a female protagonist, Bella, and her two love interests: Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf. This supernatural love triangle causes much dispute among readers, who normally support Bella with one of the two men. Although I despise the Twilight franchise as a whole, I secretly love the bond between Bella and Jacob.
The books portray Bella and Edward’s relationship as “true love”, and reiterate that the two are destined to be together forever. I find this version of “true love” almost unbearable to read about, as Bella and Edward’s love is primarily physical. When they actually converse, the characters’ lack of personality prevents much substance beyond declaration of their devotion. Edward displays a controlling temperament on numerous occasions, and Bella suffers from an inferiority complex. I cringe whenever I hear young girls describe the Twilight books as “so romantic”, imagining how their adoration of Bella and Edward might affect their future relationships.
The saving feature of the Twilight books lies in Bella’s best friend, Jacob. The two first met in childhood and their friendship grows during the series. The two eventually fall in love, and Bella must choose between Edward and Jacob. Bella’s relationship with Jacob serves as a healthy contrast to her blood-sucking boyfriend. She and Jacob get to know each other over an extended period of time, help each other through difficult situations, and love to laugh together. Their time spent together is alternately humorous and poignant, and remains the only portion of the series I enjoy.
Although I have no problem expressing my negative opinions of the Twilight series, I rarely praise its good qualities. I find it too troublesome to explain that I only approve of one facet of the books. Because Bella ultimately chooses to stay with Edward, other readers seldom share my pairing preference. To not appear a hypocrite, I continue to criticize the Twilight series, all the while searching for someone with my viewpoint.