The Important Question-Team Edward or Team Jacob?

My friends are making their “Twilight Saga-Eclipse” plans. A few are headed to the midnight show, some have purchased tickets for several showings so that they can have an entire “Twilight” weekend and one friend is flying out so that she can spend the weekend with fans as excited as she is. I have other plans for this weekend, but full disclosure—I will see the movie at some point because I, too, am a fan.


Why are we fans? It’s a complicated question. Worse, it’s almost impossible to explain. It’s like the Pepsi versus Coke debate, you know which one you prefer but you can’t explain why you prefer it. I’ve read a few blogs where fans try to explain why they love “Twilight” but they never make much sense—especially when it comes to converting the skeptics. That’s because you can’t explain why a book or a movie or a song sticks with you. “Twilight” sticks with a lot of people. The proof is in the frenzy. And, even though it’s a fools errand, I’m going to try to come up with a few reasons why we are fans—not that I expect anyone but another fan to understand.

When I was sixteen, I read “Gone with the Wind” and I cried when I finished reading it because I couldn’t live in Scarlett’s world any longer. I wanted to know what she was going to do next. She was such a vibrant character that, during the hours of reading, we had become friends and I didn’t want her to leave me. “Twilight” does something similar. It draws you in slowly until you feel like you live in Bella’s community of Forks and, once you live there, you have a stake in everything that happens. That’s why there are fans who relate to the vampires and others who like the werewolves more—it just depends which neighbors you prefer. And, because we don’t want to move out of Forks, fans want Stephenie Meyer to write about Forks forever.

“Twilight” is a love story at its center, but there are tons of great love stories out there so why does this one resonate? It’s because “Twilight” is all about the act of falling completely, crashingly into love. It’s the kind of fall where Edward is the ocean and Bella dives into him like she’s rain—they are forever changed. For the passionate—this kind of love story is exhilarating and satisfying. But then you get the double whammy—a second love story. Edward leaves Bella and she turns to Jacob. This is a love story of a different sort. It’s the kind of fall where Jacob is her knight, her protector, but he lets Bella ride her own horse as long as she rides next to him. Jacob empowers Bella, giving her strength and understanding. His love builds her into her own capable woman. For the feminist—this is a dream come true. This is the setup for the love triangle—and what a setup! You have men who appeal to different types of women who have inexplicably fallen for the same girl. This leads to the heated debate—Team Jacob or Team Edward? It’s un-win-able, but it’s a passionate debate that can keep a dinner conversation going indefinitely—I’ve seen it.

So, while I’m enjoying the movies I can also understand why critics don’t really like the movies. Two hours just isn’t enough to fall into “Twilight.” You have to snuggle up to the heavy novels and, when you emerge weeks later, you wake up dazed because you have been swept away in the magic of Forks.