Nothing wrong with thinking about this stuff. The series definitely has more going for it than just a simple romance. It’s nice to be able to discuss some of this stuff further.

I think the series has been often misunderstood as to it’s larger meaning – clearly love here is a crucible for Edward and Bella – but other life experiences are in the mix. Carlisle is a good example. The relation ship between him and his father seems to be key. For Rosalie it’s most likely the mother and child relationship.

Good point on the psychic abilities thing – Edward has learned to rely on this WAY too much. It makes him seem condescending. Again, he learns throughout the next couple of books that he doesn’t have all the answers and the fact that he’s not perfect makes him an interesting character.

Geez, apparently I’ve been thinking about this a little too much. I blame it on Lost (the TV show), It’s over for the season and I’m still in obsess-mode…

With being stunted, I wonder if the book is making a commentary that you can only evolve/grow so much as without a romantic relationship.

I still have to finish Midnight Sun, but I did get to that point of the first meeting and him trying not to kill everyone. Is it that he has to keep himself ‘under control’ when he is with her, so that he tries to control everything about the situations. As you noted, this isn’t possible.

I have to disagree that leaving was a testament on how much he cares. Let me rephrase – I can see that point of view but I don’t think I could ever believe leaving where you are both in love with each other is the right decision.

Also, something that falls a little in between the two of the stunted and controlling is that I think due to his psychic abilities, he doesn’t always know how to interact without knowing someones thoughts. I need to re-read the later books to see if I agree on if he learns this. Retrospectively, his choices seem to fall to the lesser of two evils.

Bella certainly is another discussion

Interesting podcast theme – “Edward Knows Best”.

I just wanted to make a couple of quick comments to add to the discussion…

- I agree that although he is approximately a century old, he is “stunted” as far as emotional growth. He basically interacts only with his “family”. I always wondered about this. Unlike Carlisle, he seems to be just existing. He does go on from High School to Medical School periodically, but doesn’t practice medicine. He is interested in music and literature, and the family certainly keeps current with technology, but Bella make him evolve as a person. When we first meet Edward, he’s bored – and it’s Bella’s “silence” that intrigues him.

- My take on Edward being “controlling” is that it’s all about what he knows about his own nature. He’s a jerk to her in the beginning because Bella doesn’t understand what he’s capable of doing and what he has done. And really it’s not unless you have read the partial Midnight Sun that the reader understands it. Edward was compelled to mass murder in order to drink her blood the first day they met (that sounds deeply disturbing!) and it was only due to his careful and practiced life that he was able to leave everyone alive in that classroom. He left her in New Moon due to an understandable fear that no matter how much he controlled himself, he couldn’t control everyone around him, and sooner or later there would be a mistake. It’s actually a testament to how much he cares that he removed himself and his family. Okay we know how that didn’t work out the way he intended, but…..

- He learns. He realizes that he was wrong – several times – and changes the way he interacts with Bella. Through her, he becomes more a part of the world. He ends up with friends he never would have had and a relationship that he was too immature to appreciate. He ends up learning to let go and in return, he gains more that he ever believed he would have in Twilight.

- Bella’s no wilting flower either, but that’s another discussion.

Thanks, you guys. You brought up some things that really made me think.