Vampires that Don't Suck

By Ali

I'm a sucker for a good vampire story. Also, I have scummed to many a pop culture phenomenon (meaning that I am dying to go to the Harry Potter theme park. For real.). But I cannot understand the obsession with the Twilight Series.


First of all, Bella seems to me the most pathetic, weak willed, dull female character in recent literature. She pines for her vampire boyfriend and cooks dinner for her father. Thats literally it. When her boyfriend leaves her there are BLANK PAGES in the book. Bring back the days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, an independent and passionate young woman who risked life and limb on a daily basis to save the world, while living one of televisions best tragic love stories.



Moreover, Edward as a love interest, sounds more like the manipulative, controlling, and borederline abusive boyfriend of a Lifetime Movie. He constantly tells her how easy it would be to hurt her, how dependent on him she is for her own safety. He tells Bella that he has trouble controlling himself around her, while perpetually attempting to control her every move. The only time Bella feels that she has any control over her situation or Edward is when she is putting herself in extremely risky scenarios just so that she can imagine his (controlling) response.



Compare that to True Blood's Sookie Stackhouse. When Sookie and Bill break up (as they so often seem to), she continues to live, breathe, and function pretty much normally. Sure she might cry over him, but she goes to work, she talks to her friends, she even dates other people. Which brings me to another issue:


Why doesn't Bella have any friends? The only people in her life are ones that want to have sex with her. Or maybe not sex—since Edward is an abstinence vampire, I guess we can assume that the boys are her school and the werewolf dude, Jacob, are just interested in holding hands, too—but the women in her life are annoyances that she can barely tolerate even for one night at the movies.

I guess it makes sense that Bella would be idolized by generations of women. Who wouldn't want to be an average looking, plain and normal girl who happens to posses some quality that makes every man (vampire and werewolf) fall down at your feet? It's like an abusive relationship fairytale. In all seriousness though: I don't want the next generation of girls growing up and looking for a boyfriend who is isolating, significantly older, threatening, and goes as far as to damage her car to prevent her from seeing her friend.

Bill from True Blood does have his jealous and controlling moments, but because Sookie is a fully developed character with her own set of needs and desires, she does not get lost in what Bill wants. Angel was less controlling, but when he grew concerned about Buffy's safety he left to protect her and to give her a chance at a normal life. That is love: caring so much for another person that you would sacrifice your own happiness to keep them safe.

And hey. I know its just a stupid young adult novel but with readership in the millions, I have to be concerned.