A-ha!

So I've been trying to put my finger on what exactly I don't like about the Twilight series and I've figured it out. I knew going in that they were written by a Mormon housewife, but I tried not to let that influence my opinion of them or make me biased in some way against them. But seriously, that could easily explain my main issue with these books (besides the admittedly cheesy writing). And that is that they are incredibly steeped in very rigid gender roles (Mormonism is unabashedly patriarchal for those who are unaware). Edward holds enormous sway over Bella and very often goes so far as to tell her what to do (or, more often, what not to do). He's her protector and she's the klutzy, delicate female who constantly needs saving. Stephanie Meyer doesn't even try to make Bella the strong one in the relationship at any point since, even if it seems like Bella gets her way at times, Edward always wins out in the end. I'm only 200 pages into the third book right now and so far it's been completely filled with Edward telling Bella that she can't go visit her best friend just because he happens to be a werewolf. The fact that he is telling her what to do under the guise of trying to keep her out of harm's way doesn't make it any better. There's also a subplot involving two secondary characters who are in a relationship--a male werewolf and a female human--that seems to me to imply that women shouldn't leave their men even if they're abusive towards them.

Another way in which I think the whole Mormon thing influences these books: there's no sex. I guess that's to be expected in any books that are targeted to adolescents and that aim to sell millions (I mean, there wasn't any sex in the Harry Potter series, but I would never have even thought of that as an issue). However, the way Meyer approaches the sex thing seems to me like an allegory of abstinence until marriage. Edward and Bella can't do the deed because he's a vampire and she's a delicate human (Meyer uses the word delicate to describe Bella which is why I keep using it), and he could lose control in the heat of the moment and crush her skull. What's implied, mostly because the books all seem to be leading up this particular event, is that they can do it once Bella is changed into a vampire. So, to me, transforming into a vampire equals getting married. I might be reading too much into a series of books meant for tweenagers, but try reading them and not seeing this, too, now that I've pointed it out.

I don't know if I would go so far as to suggest that the Twilight series is cleverly-disguised Mormon propaganda, but I definitely think that Meyer's beliefs and values have understandably made their mark on the books. However, none of this is going to stop me from continuing to read them. I do enjoy them for the most part...