Revision #1, open prompt #4

1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.

                  In Stephanie Meyers’ The Twilight Saga, we are introduced to an entire different world. One filled with immortal creatures living within the same city lines as normal human beings. Bella Swan, the main character, is torn between two choices that could either end her life permanently, or end her mortal life for a split second, until she comes back to life as a vampire. Bella has to choose between staying with the love of her life, Edward Cullen, or living the rest of her life out normally for the sake of her family and friends. The decision of joining the immortal world is showed throughout the whole saga, it changes Bella and everyone around her, and it shows great impact for the novel, for without the conflict there wouldn’t be a novel at all.

                  When Bella Swan moves back to Forks she reconnects with Jacob the werewolf. Jacob has an unrequited love for Bella, but she is head over heels in love with the vampire. We all know that vampires are not living, they are dead and their souls are no longer there. Edward is in love with Bella, and he has to make the choice on whether or not he should change her into a vampire so that they can be together forever, or if he should have her save her life and let her grow old and die while he is still right there by her side. Bella doesn’t want this however; she is worried about her own happiness. By being faced with such a big decision, Bella has to question her entire life within a couple weeks almost. She has to leave her family behind without telling them anything, is that what she really should do? She clearly isn’t mature enough to make the right choices, but making the wrong choice is what gets the novel going.

                  Bella is a dynamic character; the biggest change being her mortality. In book one she was an awkward teenager, and by the end of the series she was a grown and mature vampire. She has to make life decisions that none of us could even imagine. She is forced to tell her dad that she died, and she tells her mom the same thing. Every one of her old friends thinks she dies, and the only people that know her secret are the vampire world and the werewolf pack. She will always live with the decision of not having closure with her other loved ones, and she seems perfectly happy with that decision. She is forced to put her real life to an end, and let her fake life begin. Though she is happy in the end because she is with her soul mate forever, she had to make life-altering decisions to get there (literally). She gives up the responsibility of being a grown woman, a woman who lives the average life we all dream of. All of that gets thrown away for one man: her love.

                  Without this decision, there would be no series at all. Bella would never be a vampire, and there would be no battles over her love and the reality of her child. There would be no Vulturi to almost kill the Cullen family, and Bella Swan would be living her life with Jacob, unhappy. Giving this big of a decision to an eighteen year old in high school was a very smart play on Meyers’ part. She makes Bella seem vulnerable, and selfish by doing only what she wants, and not thinking about her friends and family. Without all of these problems, there would be no series. These novels greatly show the conflict that Bella is faced with and all of the ways in which it affects her life and her moral decision, and all of that is what contributes to the significance of the story.