Midnight Sun: How the world perceives Twilight in the 2020s

With the recent release of the long-abandoned Twilight book, Midnight Sun, we explore how the famed franchise might be viewed today.

Raise your hand if you were among those millions of Twilight fangirls in the mid-2000s.

Admittedly, I was. Though, I didn’t enjoy the ‘human falls in love with a vampire’ gimmick. It felt stale to me. A dozen other stories existed which reaped the same story; remember True Blood? Anyway, the narrative of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen captivated teenage minds the world over and made Harry Potter star Robert Pattinson an even larger star. Well, there’s a Midnight Sun coming…

With the release of the novel, Midnight Sun, I thought I would explore the parts of the franchise and break down whether the universe would perceive the story in the same way today.

Midnight Sun retells the story of Twilight from Edward’s perspective. It allows the reader to look at his life as he attempts to stay away from Bella.

But before we dive into the article, there will be mention of mental illness, so discretion advised.

The Edward v. Jacob Debate

Growing up, I always strived to differ from my peers. I rarely followed trends, and when Twilight became a huge deal, I got on the fangirl train rather late. When the 2008 film dropped, a friend and I promised ourselves we wouldn’t get caught up in the hype. Finally, we caved. The vampires weren’t on my radar; the shape-shifting Quiluete tribe became my jam. They stood out as they were kind, witty and downright loveable, especially Jacob and his fanboy, Seth.

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I never liked the way Edward and most of his family except Emmett, Alice, and Esme, treated Bella. If one tiny incident like the paper cut she suffers in New Moon where Jasper tries to attack her, they would run. What example does this set for the young and impressionable readership?

I remember a group of girls I knew were enamoured by Edward. As a Jacob fangirl, I dreaded them saying I wasn’t a Twi-Hard. Honestly, I had zero time for them. I knew the franchise was a fictional escape. Also, I’ve never bought into those ridiculous fan names and I wasn’t about to start.

If they caught anyone staring at their Edward merchandise, they’d give the dirtiest looks. No one got between them and their boy, Eddie. Honestly, it was scary. What did they see in this fictional guy who wanted to control every aspect part of Bella’s existence?

I often wonder if these girls, now grown women, would reconsider their views if they read the books today. Would they see Edward in the same light if they’ve poured over Midnight Sun from an adult’s perspective? Would they allow their partners to treat them the way Bella was? Let’s hope the answer is heck no.

All Edward did for Bella is put her in danger. He served as the reason James, Victoria, and Laurent started hunting her. They thought it would be fun to place a bounty on her.

Jacob treated Bella like a genuine human. He worshipped her and loved spending time with her. He even introduced her to his shapeshifter friends who came to love her like they did their den mother, Emily.

Deserter Territory

The Cullens ran every time something went wrong. As I mentioned earlier after Jasper nearly murders Bella when she suffers a paper cut in New Moon, the family leave town and Edward dumps his human girlfriend. This causes her mental health to spiral out of control and she takes up cliff jumping as a hobby to just hear her former beau’s voice in her head.

This almost kills her, and Jacob is forced to save her from drowning. Edward leaving did a lot of damage and the longer his absence from her life, the more she spiraled. She took more risks, and the adrenaline caused her to hear things.

Jacob had a ton of reasons to hate Edward. Sure, the shapeshifter and the sparkly beings were natural enemies. But there was so much more going than a feud. For him, he’d had a crush on Bella since childhood and it hadn’t gone away.

With Edward out of her life during most of New Moon, Jacob thought he could be with Bella. When he runs off after being discarded in Eclipse, it made my heart bleed with grief.

Jacob probably wondered what Bella saw in Edward. The wolf boy might’ve made her happy. What woman would go back to a dude who abandoned her because he couldn’t protect her from his brother’s violent urges?

If this were a real situation, family and friends would explain to the brokenhearted person that they’ll always have support. Edward breaking Bella’s heart set off a chain reaction where Jacob vowed to keep fighting for her.

Would The Twilight Be Accepted Today?

The quick answer to whether Twilight, Midnight Sun and the other pieces of media be appropriate in society now would be a strong no. Let’s examine the situation from an outsider’s point of view.

When Bella meets Edward, he wants nothing to do with her given the fact that her scent drove him to want to suck her blood. When they date, she becomes the target of Nomad vampires.

If Jacob had been the one she’d dated, this wouldn’t have happened. The Cullens endangered Bella’s life more than once. She also wouldn’t have been watched by the Volturi who could’ve killed her in Italy.

Also, Bella had an obsession with Edward, which was not healthy. She didn’t want him to leave her, and when he does, she entered a state of depression so deep that it almost consumed her. This would be seen as her being reliant on him, a stereotype of the girl in any story being the damsel in distress.

The reason Jacob steps in to defend Bella from Cullen is because he is the one creating the mess. A lead female character should be able to defend herself and shouldn’t have to endure the cliche ‘man saves woman’ drivel.

When Secrets Become Large

Bella got her wish to become a vampire. During her honeymoon with Edward, they conceive a child. The development of the fetus tears her body apart, breaking her ribs, pelvis, and spine.

Charlie is told Bella is sick but is ‘recuperating’. Now, how would it work if she’d died and her husband hadn’t saved her? How would he be able to break the news to her dad or even her mother? Would this have sparked a war between Jacob’s pack and the Olympic coven?

Jacob could’ve lost the love of his life. and he would’ve blamed Edward for her death. He caved to her need for intimacy and impregnated her with a killer child.

Once Renesmée was born, she had to be kept a secret until Irina saw her and assumed she was an immortal child. When the danger was over, her existence was kept from her partial namesake, her maternal grandmother, Renée.

Sure, it’s understandable why Bella would want to keep her mother in the dark about her daughter and her new life. But what if Renesmée asked questions? How is she supposed to deflect something like that?

Rounding Things Out

To say the story would appease the teenage audience of today would be a mistake. It would be met with steep criticism for not only having the female protagonist being weak-willed but for allowing a male lead to control the central character.

It also presents an unflattering portrayal of a supernatural love triangle. You’ve got the human girl while two guys, a Cold One, and a shape-shifter fight over her. One male wants to drain her blood, while the other is desperate to prove his love, but she chooses the bloodsucker over his good heart which serves as a stale cliche.

Midnight Sun is available now, wherever books are sold. Have you read it yet? What did you think?