ringswraith wrote:
I've been thinking about this question, and your phrasing makes me wonder. You said these qualities do not really become clear until New Moon. Is it possible that they actually surfaced in NM as a result of Edward's departure?
No, I don't think so. I don't think once Edward left, Bella suddenly became selfish, obsessive, needy, etc... I think they became more apparent in New Moon after Edward left because Edward's absense put Bella in the spotlight by herself.. Her weakness, or addiction to Edward, was suddenly very very clear.
But the obsessive relationship with Edward..The needy clingy Bella..The selfish Bella was already taking shape in Twilight. Her obsession with Edward led her to being needy and selfish. Originally, I think Bella was a fairly independent strong woman. However, she let Edward have too much of a hold over her.. She became weaker and unable to stand on her own two feet. This, I think, already is true halfway through Twilight, but I think the reader is just less aware of it.. New Moon makes it startingly clear.
I mean Bella herself said in Twilight "I couldn’t allow him to have this level of influence over me. It was pathetic. More than pathetic, it was unhealthy." She was aware of unwise fascination with Edward, but she didn't fight it. She gave in. "There was nothing more terrifying to me, more excruciating, than the thought of turning away from him. It was an impossibility." She truly COULD have walked away, like Edward eventually did. However, Bella was too weak, too selfish, to actually do it.