I’m currently watching the 1992 adaptation of Wuthering Heights. I must have seen this movie about a billion times but even then, it never gets old. The proof that this story never gets old for me is that every time I revisit this story I still find myself getting emotionally involved. I get worked up every time I see Catherine deny Heathcliff despite the fact that he loves her with such a passion that it literally drives him mad. These feelings began to make me think about two other stories in particular that make me feel the same way: Twilight and the Hunger Games. Before I begin I want to say that I am a huge fan of Emily Bronte, and her story Wuthering Heights. I am also A HUGE fan of the Hunger Games and even of the Twilight series. However, I will be criticizing all the books mentioned. The theme I’ll be concentrating on is; main characters that do not appreciate the ones who deeply love them. The stories I have an easier time reading are the ones where the main character- who doesn’t realize a good thing when its right in front of them eventually comes to their senses, and falls in love with the under appreciated character. In the movie “A Walk to Remember” Shane West’s character is rude and under appreciative to Mandy Moore’s character but by the end they fall in love and get married… and that’s an example of a main character coming to their senses. Being that as it may, the thing that Wuthering Heights, Hunger Games, and Twilight all have in common is that the “falling in love” with the under appreciated character …never happens. I am so passionate about these stories that yes, I do literally get upset haha. Kind of crazy I know but this has been a theme that has bugged me for years. I need to get it all out of my system, and vent. Hopefully I can just come to peace with this haha. The Links to the specific book reviews are here: Hunger Games Twilight Series Wuthering Heights
The theme is; main characters that do not appreciate the ones who deeply love them. What, Wuthering Heights, Hunger Games, and Twilight all have in common is that the whole falling in love and staying together with the under appreciated character …never happens. (Links to other two stories below)
TWILIGHT SERIES: OVERVIEW JACOB
Bella lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend-Phil. After a while Bella decides that her mother should have time alone to live with Phil, it is then that Bella moves Forks, Washington to live with her father. According to the book series Bella and Jacob briefly knew each other as children and briefly become reacquainted with each other in the book Twilight. Jacob does not have that strong of a presence in the first book it’s mostly concentrated on her development with Edward. However, Bella does seem to be at least somewhat aware of Jacob’s interest in her. It wasn’t until book two: New Moon, that Jacob’s character begins to evolve.
In the beginning of New Moon, Edward decides to end his relationship with Bella and leaves Forks, hoping that it will give Bella will the chance to live the life he feels she deserves. Meanwhile, Bella sinks into a grave depression unable to fill the emptiness Edward has left her with. When her depression worsens she decides that she should try to move on and socialize with friends. Bella’s connection with her friends at school was never really that strong so she makes an arrangement to spend time with Jacob and finds that she enjoys spending time with him. She says, “I’d forgotten how much I really liked Jacob Black… I was enjoying myself-how strange.” After Bella realizes that she begins to feel better with Jacob she starts to increase the time they spend together, and slowly grows an attachment to him. She didn’t enjoy being away from him because she would worry about her feelings of depression returning in his absence. “I waited for the memory to hit-to open the gaping hole. But, as it so often did, Jacob’s presence kept me whole.”
Why doesn’t it work out?
Although Jacob was helping Bella feel somewhat recovered she was still very much in love with Edward. No matter how much time Jacob and Bella spent together she knew it would never fully be enough to change how she feels.
There were times when she considered giving Jacob a chance but when Bella discovers Edward’s suicide plan she goes to Edward side to save him, and goes back to being in a relationship with Edward.
Why does she piss me off?
FIRST OF ALL out of all the books I like BUT have problems with the main character, Bella is right there on TOP. This is simply just one small aspect of how she upsets me. I could write a full essay on why she’s a bad character to lead a series of books that are so popular. But I’m just focusing on this one topic… for now. Anyways…
Bella is basically a jerk that straight up just uses Jacob, “He thought time and patience would change me, and, though I knew he was dead wrong, I also knew that I would let him try.”… “It was so wrong to encourage Jacob. Pure selfishness. It didn’t matter that I’d tried to make my position clear. If he felt any hope at all that this could turn into something other than friendship, then I hadn’t been clear enough.”
Honestly, I just think it’s awful in real life when people use people like that. I’ve seen it first hand and have personally experienced it. It’s hard for me to have ANY sympathy for a person who’s a user… and this is THE MAIN CHARACTER. I basically disliked her through out all the books.
Could it be that she loved him but wasn’t IN love with him? : I think the obvious answer to say is she loved him but wasn’t in love. She herself even says this, “He was my best friend. I would always love him, and it would never, ever be enough.”
Overall I would at least say it could be up for interpretation. I will say that some of her had to be IN love with him, obviously not all of her probably not even half of her but still… It seemed that she had almost decided to just try to give Jacob a chance, “Would it be so wrong to try to make Jacob happy? Even if the love I felt for him was no more than a weak echo of what I was capable of, even if my heart was far away, wandering and grieving after my fickle Romeo, would it be so very wrong?”
Not to mention in Eclipse she talks about kissing him and getting an image of her future with him and kids…. Mmm I don’t know about you but I don’t get those types of thoughts with people who are my friends.
Could it have worked out? : I’m going to say it’s a big MAYBE. I mean she had really started to get attach to Jacob and admiring his physical beauty and what not. I know she acts like a huge baby and people don’t like to believe it but time DOES heal all wounds. I know people don’t like to initially hear that because its not encouraging and usually you’re too caught up in feeling depressed that you can’t imagine feeling better. Maybe it takes a longer time for others but you’ll get over it, I am willing to say that maybe depending on the situation you’ll heal 90% but there’s 10% that will kind of always be there. BUT Jacob was after all; able to help her progress even in few months they spent together. I don’t think she would have ever loved him as much as he loves her so who knows if it could have worked out.
I don’t like Bella she could have stayed depressed for all I care… Holler!
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