Elements Of Mythology And Bella's Journey

When Twilight, the four part novel written by Stephanie Meyer first appeared as a book in 2005, then in film in 2008, similarities between this story and other legends and myths were evoked. One tale that comes to mind is of the young maiden Persephone, kidnapped by Hades and brought to the underworld to be his consort and queen.

The legend has always had the appeal of an epic conflict that proliferates over her abduction. Demeter, her mother, goddess of fertility, is so overcome by emotion, she becomes vengeful, refusing to let anything live or grow. Begrudgingly, Hades agrees to let Persephone go but not before she tastes Pomegranate, the fruit that will forever bind her to the underworld forcing her to return for part of the year, delineating the four seasons.

Another tale describes a king with three beautiful daughters. The most attractive was the youngest, Psyche, who was so dazzling that people began to neglect the worship of Venus, goddess of love and beauty. Venus, a jealous god, asked her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly creature. When he saw her beauty, Eros dropped the arrow meant for her and pricked himself instead, falling in love with her, marking the beginning of her long journey of trust, betrayal, sacrifice, redemption, transcendence and rebirth, told from her perspective.

In Twilight, Bella navigates a path similar to psyche describing her experience of herself as flawed in relation to the world, idolizing Edward in narrative form, wondering why "a perfect god" would be so drawn to her. When he abandons her in New Moon, using a pretty flimsy excuse, she  articulates in vivid detail her feelings of isolation and the depths of profound depression. So severe is her pain that she flirts with disaster to evoke Edwards image, even though she finds it difficult to utter his name, a common reaction by anyone faced with unexpected rejection.  Finally, after finding redemption by offering to sacrifice her life for Edward, traveling underground to face the gods of the undead, the Volturi,  she still experiences severe trials of strength and character as Bella and Edward marry and her transformation into an immortal begins when she discovers she is pregnant. 

Bella's unnaturally rapid pregnancy brings her close to death in the last novel, Breaking Dawn, and Edward is forced to change her after she gives birth to a beautiful, angelic and gifted child they name, Renesemee. A central theme of the last part of her journey, again told in first person narrative, chronicles her rebirth as a vampire who is in total control of her blood lust, contrary to the behavior expected from "newbies," suggesting that the Cullen's, who carry the burden of being "damned" is not true since they have chosen out of free will not to feed on humans. This conscious choice made it possible to produce a child of beauty and warmth, and despite, myth and religious beliefs, redemption is possible even for vampires who exhibit love and compassion and who prove by their choices that they are not without souls.

Breaking Dawn will be presented in cinematic form in two parts and is currently in pre-production. The journey of Kirsten Stewart, the actress who portrays Bella in all five films is how she will emote her narration through her performance so that the audience can identify what it might feel like to be immortal. Rarely in literature is the opportunity presented to covey the evolution of both perspectives from an autobiographical point of view.