Major themes in the Twilight Saga include love, choice, and the battle between good and evil. Bella and Edward share a forbidden love complicated by the fact that Edward is a vampire. His heroic actions, including saving Bella's life on multiple occasions, make him the perfect boyfriend, and his beauty makes him a romantic ideal. He's also what would be considered a "good" vampire, because he and his coven drink animal blood instead of feeding on humans. Edward is pitted against James, the villain of the novel, who openly hunts humans, including Bella. James kidnaps and very nearly kills Bella, but Edward arrives at the last minute to save the day again. In the end, Bella must choose between being human or joining Edward in eternal life.
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DSWAIN001 eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
The themes that you could pull from the book for your paper are endless. This series has so many layers to this story that you could write a wonderful paper on the fist book alone. There's always the old standby of Good v. Evil. You have the Cullens v. the Volturi, Jacob v. Edward, James v. Edward. Who decides what makes someone good and someone else bad? Are there different levels of evil? Then there...
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SLCHANMO1885 eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
I think the most important theme of the Twilight series (especially in the early books) is the ethical choice that the Cullens make. They choose to deny their own nature in order to be moral people. There is also a lot of talk about the soul, and the question of whether vampires have souls (Edward doesn't think so, Carlisle believes they do).
In response to Jlcannad, I agree that the last book is very different from the first three. Part of me was happy that it everyone gets to live happily ever after and be fulfilled, but another part of me doesn't quite believe that everything would get wrapped up so nicely like that. I think there are a lot of conflicting ideas regarding the last book out there, but if Meyer had killed off Bella, think of how many angry fans there would be!
JLCANNAD eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
I agree that the Mormon concept of "agency" or choice is foremost in the first three books. Does Edward choose temptation or protecting Bella. Does Bella choose her vampire or her werewolf? Is it better to have true love or children? An education or immortal life? Freedom or love? There's always choice in the books, which is why the last book is just so odd. Jacob's choice is ripped from him when he imprints on Bella's child. Bella's need to choose is ripped away when she gets the vampire and a child. Her father... well, that thread just weirdly vanishes. I truly don't think the last book has anything to do with the first three.
BMADNICK eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
Based on my reading of the books thus far, interviews of Meyers, and reviews of her series, the most important theme of her books deals with the choices we make in life. In one interview, Meyers says, "It doesn't matter where you're stuck in life or what you think you have to do; you can always choose something else. There's always a different path." This is seen in Edward's willingness to resist the temptation to bite Bella's neck, even though his desire to do so is great. Her characters choose to abstain from wrongdoing and show great self-restraint. It is the moral strength of her characters that draw many people to the books.
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