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Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Twilight, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Lust
Self-Restraint and Morality
Good, Evil, and Perspective
Family
Summary
Analysis
Billy continues to stare at Bella as Charlie pulls up and greets his friend. Bella goes into the house while Charlie and Jacob help Billy into his wheelchair, and then everyone follows her in. As Billy and Charlie head to the living room to watch the game, Jacob follows Bella to the kitchen. They discuss the car Jacob is working on, and Jacob compliments the car Bella got out of earlier. Finally, she admits that the car belongs to Edward Cullen. Jacob laughs—that explains why Billy was being so odd. When Bella asks, Jacob says he doesn’t think Billy will tell Charlie about seeing Bella with Edward. The men haven’t spoken much since Dr. Cullen moved to town.
Jacob shows clearly that he doesn’t take the old Quileute legend seriously; to him, Billy is just being ridiculous. And importantly, not believing in the legend gives Jacob the opportunity to judge Edward on other merits, like on what car he drives (something that seems important to Jacob). Billy, though, is clearly unwilling to reevaluate whether the Cullens are good or evil, presumably because of what the legend tells him is true.
Themes
Bella spends the rest of the night pretending to listen to Jacob, and when the game ends, Billy tells Bella to take care in a serious voice. After they leave, Charlie offers to go with Bella to Seattle if she chooses another day to go; he feels bad for leaving her home alone. Bella insists it’s fine. She sleeps better than usual that night and is in a great mood the next morning. As soon as Charlie pulls out of the driveway, Edward shows up. He begins questioning her again, this time about her dating history. He’s just as shocked as Jessica was earlier that Bella has never had a boyfriend.
Billy might have his concerns about Bella getting involved with Edward, but he still treats Bella like a young woman capable of making her own decisions (rather than, say, outing her to Charlie). Given Edward and Jessica’s reactions to Bella’s dating history, it looks like Bella’s community expects kids to start dating early. Bella defies all expectations by being totally inexperienced with romance.
Themes
At lunch, Edward announces that he’s leaving school after this. But he promises to bring Bella her truck—the key will be in the ignition. Bella agrees. Her key is in a dirty pair of jeans in her house, so she’s confident that Edward will never find it. Edward explains that he and Alice are going hunting so that he’s prepared for tomorrow—but he reminds Bella that she can cancel. Bella refuses to cancel, and to brighten the mood, asks what time Edward will show up in the morning. They decide to meet at the time they usually leave for school.
As they discuss Edward bringing Bella her truck, Bella and Edward are really testing each other—how powerful is Edward, and can he really find Bella’s keys hidden in a pair of dirty jeans? Bella acts as though she thinks his success would be unlikely, so she feels more powerful in this moment. Edward’s offer to cancel is a similar kind of test—it gives Bella a way to protect herself from him, but also a way to affirm that she is more concerned with being with him than she is afraid of the danger he might pose.
Themes
Then, when Bella reveals that Charlie will be fishing tomorrow, Edward asks what he’ll think if Bella doesn’t come home. Bella makes a joke of it and then changes the subject to Edward’s hunt later. Edward says he and Alice are just going to the park—and Alice is going with him because she’s the only really supportive one. Everyone else doesn’t really understand. Bella says she doesn’t get it either, but Edward tells Bella that she’s fascinating and unpredictable. Bella stares at Edward’s siblings until Rosalie looks over with a glare. Edward hisses, causing Rosalie to turn away, and explains that things will be awful for the family if his and Bella’s relationship “ends…badly.” Bella desperately wants to comfort Edward, but she doesn’t know how.
When Bella outright refuses to acknowledge Edward asking what would happen if he didn’t bring her home, it shows that she does sometimes read Edward’s comments as disturbing and unwelcome. But by ignoring this, Bella shows that she’s not going to allow Edward to make it seem like he's kidnapping her—after all, Bella is choosing to go with Edward, she’s not being forced in any way. Seeing how Rosalie reacts to her, Bella discovers that being in a relationship with Edward may cause all sorts of issues not just for her, but for the Cullens too. Her relationship with Edward might make it harder for Edward to connect with his family. Edward sees himself as the bad guy, but Rosalie sees Bella as a kind of temptress who might destroy the Cullens.
Themes
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Just then, Alice appears next to Edward, and Edward introduces her to Bella. Then, Alice heads for the car as Bella and Edward say goodbye. Once Edward is gone too, Bella desperately wants to skip school—but she also doesn’t want to make things worse for Edward. Somehow, she knows that tomorrow will be important. She’s already made up her mind about where their relationship is going, but Edward is going to have to decide for himself. Bella barely pays attention through biology or gym, except for when Mike asks if she’s going to the dance with Edward. Bella insists she isn’t and turns down Mike’s invitation to join the rest of the friend group at the dance.
Notice that Bella’s chief concern is to make sure that Edward isn’t going to suffer any adverse consequences for getting close to her. She can’t skip school because it’d reflect badly on him if people thought they were together. Interestingly, Bella also believes that she’s finished making choices about how her relationship with Edward is going to play out. At least in this moment, Bella doesn’t think there’s anything Edward could do or say to change her mind—she’s fully committed.
Themes
After gym, Bella is shocked to find her truck in the student parking lot with a note that reads “Be safe” in the front seat. Her key is in the ignition. When she gets home, all the doors are locked, and her jeans are right where she left them. Over dinner later, Bella tells Charlie that she’s going to wait to go to Seattle and do homework and laundry instead. She encourages him to go fishing anyway. All evening, Bella tries to distract herself. She’s so excited that it’s almost painful, and she fixates on the fact that per his note, Edward wants her to be safe. Bella feels like her life is about Edward now, and she wonders how much it would hurt if things ended badly. She’s so worked up that she takes cold medicine to get to sleep.
Edward’s note makes it very clear that more than anything, he wants Bella to be safe. Indeed, this is why he’s hunting now (so he won’t be hungry tomorrow, thereby making Bella safer). As Bella putters around the house, it’s interesting to note that her obsession with Edward is confusingly tied up in pain. Her excitement almost hurts her, for instance, and she can’t help but wonder if becoming a meal for Edward would be painful. But again, because Bella is so in love with Edward, this seeming fear makes him even more compelling to her.
Themes
Thanks to the cold medicine, Bella wakes up feeling rested in the morning. She’s agitated until she hears Edward knock. Seeing his face, though, makes her feel calm. Bella leads Edward to her truck and gloats—he’s clearly upset about having to take such a slow car. She follows his directions out of town to a remote trailhead; they’re going to be hiking five miles. Bella tries to stay cool, but she’s terrible at hiking. This is going to be humiliating. When Edward asks what Bella told Charlie and Jessica, she reveals that nobody knows she’s with Edward. This makes Edward angry, and he accuses Bella of being suicidal.
As their relationship progresses, Bella gets to the point where it’s nearly impossible to feel or behave normally without Edward around—an indicator of how all-consuming Bella’s love for Edward is. Bella may have found herself in a relationship with a vampire, but her concerns are still those of any normal teenager: she doesn’t want to embarrass herself in front of her crush. Edward accusing Bella of being suicidal highlights how dangerous this trip is for Bella—she could easily die if Edward can’t control himself.
Themes
The rest of the drive is silent. Finally, Edward tells Bella to stop at the end of the road. Bella is a bit nervous; Edward still seems angry as he heads into the dark forest. They’re not taking the trail. Bella stops, upset, but she feels intense despair when Edward turns around. He has his shirt unbuttoned now, and he’s far too perfect for her. To cover up her emotions, Bella admits that she’s an awful hiker. Edward promises to be patient and to bring her home again, and he starts into the forest.
Bella isn’t as worried about Edward drinking her blood as she is about either making him angry or embarrassing herself. She wants to look competent in front of him, especially since she perceives him as being so much better than her in a variety of ways (he’s coordinated, wildly handsome, and smart, among other things). And as things progress, being around Edward starts to become painful and emotional—Bella can’t separate her love for Edward from these negative emotions about herself.
Themes
Fortunately, the hike isn’t too hard. Edward helps Bella over logs and rocks, and for the most part, they walk in silence. The hike is long, though, and it’s only after several hours that Edward notes that he can see brightness ahead. A few minutes later, Bella can see it too. She hurries ahead of Edward and steps into a beautiful meadow filled with wildflowers. It’s now a sunny, beautiful day. When she turns back around, Edward is still standing in the shade. Bella smiles at him encouragingly, and then Edward steps into the light.
It's significant that Bella and Edward are getting to know each other in nature rather than at school or somewhere else in Forks. This continues to associate the vampires with the natural world. And given that it’s now a beautiful day, Bella is more willing to forgive Edward for making her hike and she feels okay taking a more leading role, coaxing him out of the woods and into the sunlight.
Themes
