Coding by Twilight...?

My wife recently read a series by an LDS author named Stephenie Meyer. The series is called Twilight. I soon found myself reading the series and getting as caught up with it (probably more) as my wife is. I don't feel like boring anyone with the details as a simple wikipedia look up would deliver a far better synopsis than I would be able to. I would like to vent a few frustrations I had while reading this series (which will be ending with the final book due out August 2).

I loathe Jacob Black. I have a hard time deciding if it is due to Stephenie Meyer's (SM) failure to build his character up in my mind over the 2nd and 3rd books or because of some deep-set antipathy towards individuals like him. I got the distinct feeling that SM tried very much to build Jacob in the 3rd book into someone that the reader could relate to. At every turn I found myself shaking my head (sometimes in fury, sometimes in frustration) at the things that Jacob did. I suppose if SM's intent was to get a reaction out of me, she succeeded... greatly. His personality is despicable. His childish attempts to manipulate Bella into choosing him make me gag with disdain. The ultimate frustration came when he forced himself upon her. I could not believe that SM would actually go in that direction in order to have Bella realize her love for Jacob. I find myself refusing to believe that Bella is truly in love with the Jacob-dog. I really do not think that True Love can be dragged out of somebody. My conclusion is that she just doesn't know how she feels about Jacob. I would venture a guess that her hormones had a great deal to do with the things she thinks she feels for Jacob-dog. Teenagers are generally a carnal bunch. Under the right circumstances I'll bet that any two teenagers could swear to their undying love for each other. The raw truth is, it isn't love. It is 150-proof lust.

Edward is the real man's man. He is the soul of control. He has insane power but has the ability to keep that power in check. I wish that SM would have gone deeper into the difficulty that Edward has to restrain himself from tearing Bella apart. I think that a memorable, well-thought out analogy would have worked better than a few idle comments sprinkled here-and-there. Edward's patience rivals Job's. His primary want; his true desire is for Bella to be happy. If Bella chose someone else Edward would not stand in the way. He would not resort to manipulative (Jacob) tactics to selfishly keep Bella to himself. Jacob's attempt to compare himself to the mother of the baby in the story of Solomon made me physically ill. His statement that he was willing to let Bella go in order to keep her from being ripped apart was in and of itself a barbed comment. Even after all he did, he was still trying to manipulate and coerce Bella into choosing him because he was screaming LOOK AT ME I CAN BE HONORABLE PICK ME PICK ME. I'm glad Bella has seen through it.

Maybe at the end of this series we will see the real man win. I think this could be part of the dilemma of the book. Jacob, still somewhat human, is actually less human than Edward, the vampire.