A.R. Showler

An analysis of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

For the bar to be set at Bechdel-Wallace, the bare minimum, Twilight barely passes this test. There are many women characters, each with a name. However, it is the subject matter of their conversations that leaves the quality of their friendships devoid of…well, friendship. For this reason, I need to specify that I only counted conversations containing actual dialogue. I did not count conversations summations (like the one below) as a conversation between two characters:

“I couldn’t remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she prattled about teachers and classes. I didn’t try to keep up.”

Page 19, Twilight

Much of Bella’s conversations either start with the Cullens, specifically Edward, or end with the Cullens. By page 20, Jessica tells Bella about the Cullen family, one of their first dialogue pieces. On page 368, Bella is conversing with Esme, which leads, again, to Edward. How good Bella is for Edward. How she’s so glad he’s found someone after all this time. You know what is lacking here? Bella’s opinion. Bella is passive throughout the book until she’s bullied or threatened, teasingly or not. 

Unfortunately, the reader must wait until the end of the book to finally read a conversation not about a guy or Edward. This is when Bella asks Alice how to become a vampire, which she prefaces: “He’ll [Edward] be extremely angry.” 

Pages	Dialogue with a woman character	Dialogue with a woman character about a man
1-99	5	4
100-199	2	2
200-299	1	1
300-399	4	2
400-498	11	2

Pages	# of Convos about a boy	# of Convos NOT about a boy	# of Convos w. Edward	Times Death is Mentioned
1-99	10	12	8	2
100-199	8	11	2	3
200-299	6	2	8	1
300-399	6	7	6	0
400-498	5	6	7	4

Although Twilight passes the Bechdel-Wallace test, the quality of women’s relationships with each other is lifeless. More often than not, Bella judges her peers based on societal beauty standards. For instance, her description of Rosalie:

“The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back.”

Page 18, Twilight

Her description, which continues to describe their flawless pale skin, emphasizes whiteness and thinness. Bella is telling young girls that Rosalie, with an hourglass figure and long golden hair, is the epitome of beauty. Rosalie is what women should strive for if they want any man’s affection. Likewise, models of handsomeness are portrayed by Jasper, Edward, and Emmett: white, Greco-faced men who have cars and money and do not keep friends. They protect their women at all costs and don’t go to therapy.

These stereotypes, these ideas of hypermasculinity and femininity, do more harm than good to the target reader’s mind. 

The consistent competition and bitterness Bella faces from Jessica and Lauren confirm their internalized misogyny and adherence to gender roles. Are real friends, real women, like this? No. Then, what is the purpose of emphasizing cliques? What is the reasoning behind Bella standing out?

	Pass?
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer	Yes?	No
Bechdel-Wallace Test	X	
The Native Test		X
The POC!Bechdel Test		X
DuVernay Test		X
Mako Mori Test		X
Raleigh Becket Test		X

The Native Test

Yes, Stephenie Meyer wrote about the Quileute tribe in her book. Did she misrepresent them and completely botch their folklore? Yes. Did the Quileute tribe receive compensation from the book and/or movie series? No. Does the Quileute tribe have to deal with the repercussions of Twilight fans congregating en masse on their land? Yes. Does she even play on Indigenous stereotypes by writing, “So do you think we’re a bunch of superstitious natives or what?” (Jacob, page 126). Yes. Does all of this make Stephenie Meyer a stereotypical Karen? Abso-fuckin’-lutely, but we’ll get to that later. 

Does Twilight pass the Native test? At first glance, a reader might think, “Yes, Jacob, of course!” No, just because Indigenous characters are in the book does not mean it passes. Think of the last criteria of the Native Test: 

• Two Indigenous characters must speak with each other 
• They must talk to each other about something other than a white person. 

Within Twilight, the reader sees only Sam Clearwater and Jacob Black (pages 121-127). Although the reader assumes they speak to each other, there is no actual dialogue between Jacob and Sam. The most Jacob says is about the Cullens (white people) and Bella (white). Thus, Twilight does not pass the Native Test. 

The POC! Bechdel Test

I’ll just cut to the chase: apart from the Indigenous characters, there are no people of color. Tyler Crowley, who Gregory Tyree Boyce played in the movie, was never described in the book. He first appears as the car’s driver, who almost hits Bella (page 57) and has little to no physical description until the hospital scene (page 61). However, in the movie, Tyler Crowley is a POC who is threatened by Chief Swan when he attempts to apologize to Bella. Given the history of police brutality against POC, the movie directly exemplifies the ugliness of United States society.  

The DuVernay Test

Again, there are no POC in the book except characters from the Quileute tribe. Twilight fails again. 

The Mako Mori Test

Separate from the Bechdel test, the Mako Mori test focuses on the quality of women’s characters. How do they act with each other? Do the women characters develop separate from their male counterparts? Unfortunately, Twilight does not pass. (Yes, I say unfortunately because this is still a popular book and series for young women).

The first criteria (does the book have at least one woman character?) Twilight passes. Twilight has a multitude of women characters who are flat and one-dimensional. For instance, Lauren is known to be jealous of Tyler’s intentions toward Bella. In Bella’s mind, the reader grows to dislike her and resent her jealousy. 

“How nice.” She didn’t sound like she thought it was nice, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed. “Bella,” she called again, watching my face carefully, “I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullen could come out today. Didn’t anyone think to invite them?” Her expression of concern was unconvincing.

Page 121, Twilight

“Tyler told everyone he’s taking you to prom,” Jessica informed me with suspicious eye… “That’s why Lauren doesn’t like you,”Jessica giggled while we pawed through the clothes.

Why is this problematic? It portrays young women as vapid, boy-obsessed teenagers who need to compete with each other for the attention of men. Bella is represented as the “cool girl,” the girl who does not seek attention from men, the girl who is above competition and is just as bland as the other characters. From the beginning to the end of the book, her ambition is to be with Edward and to protect Edward in her human way. It is only in the Epilogue that she develops a new goal: become a vampire. Lo and behold, she wants to be a vampire so she can stay with Edward. 

Other women characters have similar MOs. Renee, Bella’s mom, is upset because she cannot travel with Phil. When Bella chooses to stay with her father, an act to make her mom happy, her mother has few qualms and begins to travel with Phil. What does this portray other than a bad parent-child relationship? It shows that women should sacrifice not for their child but for their relationship, even if at the expense of the child. It repeats the same narrative of a child coming to the parent with a problem and the parent dismissing it or saying the problem never occurred. This narrative tells children, or in this instance, Bella, that they are second place in their parent’s relationship, and the love they may need will have to be sought elsewhere. 

As a foil to Renee, there is Esme, Edward’s adopted mom, who is only known as a mother figure. Within the book, only her past is explained— the loss of her child and her suicide attempt. She is defined by motherhood. She dotes on Edward and worries he will find no one. Beyond her marriage and children, ‘I could never get over my mothering instincts.’ (page 368), she has no defining features which would make her a real, relatable person. Bella’s conversation with her is defined by her past and the loss of her child, followed by:

“That’s why I’m so happy that he’s found you, dear.” The endearment sounded very natural on her lips. “He’s been the odd man out for far too long; it’s hurt me to see him alone.”

Page 368, Twilight

In every regard, Esme is defined by her children and what she can do for them. Alice only works to help Edward, whereas Rosalie is another jealous character. Again, the same behavior is repeated within women characters: the coveted and the coveter. The book depicts women’s friendships as shallow, vapid puddles that are easily broken once a man enters the picture. 

The last criterion of the Mako Mori test is: Does Bella’s story develop independently from Edward’s? Answer: No. Of course, one can argue: It’s a romance novel. What romance novels have independent character development? Quite a few, actually, but that’s not the topic at hand. Twilight does not pass because any character development Bella shows is in relation to Edward. Any ambition or wants she holds is concerning Edward. The defining characteristic of Bella in Twilight is her attraction, bordering on unhealthy obsession, to Edward. 

“About three things, I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him— and I didn’t know how potent that part might be —that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.”

Page 195, Twilight

The Raleigh Becket Test 

The Raleigh Becket test is the counterpart to the Mako Mori test. Twilight fails miserably. Each young man in the book is defined mostly by their attraction to Bella. Beyond their attraction to her, they are relatively undeveloped characters following stereotypes regarding sports and cars. The idea of men competing for the attention and affection of women is repeated; however, this competition extends outwards into scholastic accomplishments in society. 

Each of Meyer’s men-characters represents a stereotype: there’s the “Golden Boy”, dubbed as a “Chad” by incels, portrayed by Mike Newton. Naturally athletic and well-liked, he pursues Bella almost relentlessly and gives his unsolicited opinions on her relationship with Edward; then, Eric, the “overly-helpful,” a “boy with skin problems and hair black as an oil slick” (page 16) and Jacob, friendly and engaging and fetishized in New Moon (both the movie and the book). Edward is the older man who has money, a car, and mysteriously perfect hair. He represents the “ideal” male, and embodies man’s ideas of female gaze. The judgments and stereotypes blatantly written in Twilight harm men just as much as the stereotypes about women. They are untrue and lead to fragile ideas of masculinity and what it means to be masculine. 

Throughout the book, the characters approach Bella with courtship in mind. To Edward’s delight, Bella is approached time and time again as the “casually” pretty girl. Overall, none of the men-characters have ambition beyond attaining Bella Swan. They lack drive except for day-to-day ambition and often speak to Bella with the same privilege and disdain that many white men do in everyday society. In other words, they are Ken before and during patriarchy. 

Piling on: Toxicity, Racism and Sexism

Racism:

1. Playing into a stereotype Indigenous peoples and other peoples of color are trying to dispel: 

“So do you think we’re a bunch of superstitious natives or what?” He asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry.

Page 126, Twilight

2. Bella and Rosalie both seen as the epitome beauty in different ways. Both are thin, white women. 
3. Emphasis on the White Canon, a group of literary texts considered “classics.” Bella is considered smart and mature for her age. She consistently reads or refers to Jane Austen books, or others “classical” authors. However, white authors’ works are dubbed “classics.” Their writing fits the “standard” dictated by those in power. The term ignores writers of color who are equally, if not more, prolific writers and better storytellers. 
4. Using Quileute origins but twisting them to something unrecognizable and disrespectful. 
5. Fetishizing Jacob and Indigenous peoples— this is most common in Book 2: New Moon, but here’s a glimpse: 

He…had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones..)

Page 119, Twilight

Toxicity:

1. After 10 conversations with Edward, Bella thinks she’s in love with him (page 195, Twilight)
2. After 18 conversations with Edward, Bella is asking about marriage (page 309, Twilight). 
3. Edward consistently gaslighting Bella. 

4. Bella’s mood and anxiety levels dependent on Edward’s presence in her life. 

‘“I didn’t like it. Not seeing you. It makes me anxious, too.” I blushed to be saying this out loud.

Page 190, Twilight

“Let me deal with this,” I suggested. Edward’s black glare made me anxious.

Page 349, Twilight

5. Edward is completely fine with taking advantage of Bella’s physical weakness, and asking his siblings to do it for him. 

Sexism:

• Charlie perfectly content not cooking his dinner

“He seemed to feel awkward stand in in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. We were both more comfortable that way. I made salad while the steaks looked, and set the table.

page 35, Twilight

• Charlie assuming nurses are women and/or automatically attracted to Dr. Cullen

“You should see the doctor,” Charlie said, laughing. “It’s a good thing he’s happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around.”

page 37, Twilight

• Jessica equating womanhood to having children

“I guess so,” Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn’t like the doctor and his wife for some reason… “I think that Mrs. Cullen can’t have any kids though,” she added, as if that lessened their kindness.

Page 21, Twilight

• I guess Bella has never been hangry before, but women can be just as cranky

“Your eyes. I told you I had a theory. I’ve noticed that people — men in particular — are crabbier when they’re hungry.”

Page 188, Twilight

• Promoting the boys will be boys narrative – Edward never thought to ask his sisters if they found an appealing scent?

“I spoke to my brothers about it”…”Emmett has been on nthe wagon longer, so to speak, and he understood what I mean. He says twice, for him, once stronger than the other.”

Page 286, Twilight