True Love

Author's Note: I wrote this piece to describe how I understand the theme of a story.

Imagine your throat burning so bad that it feels like a hot curling iron being shoved down it. What if you had urge to kill someone 24-7 because you thirst for their blood? But what if you can’t? What if that one person is the person who you couldn’t live without and couldn’t bear being in a world where they didn’t exist? This is how one of the main characters Edward Cullen  feels in the  book Midnight Sun , by Stephanie Meyer, which is Edward’s  viewpoint of the book Twilight. Throughout the story Edward is struggling to control his thirst  while he is in the presence of another main character, Bella Swan, who he is determined to keep alive.  Overall, there are many themes in this story but the two main themes are struggles and determination. You will find that if you love someone truly, that you will do anything for them.

Throughout the story one of the main themes is Edward struggles to control his thirst when he is around Bella. When he first gets near Bella’s, he says “ Her scent hit me like a wrecking ball, like a battering ram. Thirst burned through my throat like fire.”. Although Edward is a vegetarian vampire, which means he only drinks animal blood, Bella’s blood appeals to him more than any other humans blood. This means that Edward has to be extra careful that he doesn’t get to close to Bella so that he won’t hurt her. When Edward tries to avoid Bella, it doesn’t work out to well for him. Instead he wants to get to know her even more as he says in the book “ I don’t have the strength to stay away from you anymore”. As Edward and Bella start talking and getting to know each other more, Edward soon finds out that he is in love with her. He knows that he couldn’t live in a world where she didn’t exist. He knew that his thirst couldn’t be an issue when he was around Bella. He was determined to love her.

In addition to being determined to love her, determination is also a theme in this story. Although he is determined to love her, keeping her alive is also a priority. For Edward, Bella’s protection is top priority. He has to keep an eye on her given that she is a very unsafe or as Edward says “You are a magnet for trouble Bella.” When Bella is alone in Port Angeles one night, some men want trouble and almost do something very terrible to Bella. Just in time, Edward shows up. When he and Bella are alone she tells him all her theories about him and he soon realizes that she knows what he is, a vampire. Edward is now free from all the lies and can tell her everything now. Although he is happy she knows the truth about him, he is also determined to make sure he acts as human as possible around him so that he doesn’t break “a fragile human” as Edward says in the story.

The emotion of determination and struggle remind me of the character Katniss in the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Edward and Katniss relate to each other because they both struggle to do the right thing for the one they love. In The Hunger Games , Katniss is struggling to keep herself alive in the arena. While she is in the arena she is also thinking of the boy from her district Peeta who she is determined to keep alive.  During the story Katniss isn’t sure if she should try to protect Peeta not knowing if it’s a good decision, just like Edward not knowing if he should love Bella.  Overall there is a connection between struggles and determination. Almost always whenever you are struggling with something you are determined to overcome it.

Overcoming his mixed emotions for Bella required him to go through many challenges. He had to make a decision if he wanted to kill an innocent girl, or fall deeply in love with her by putting her in danger. By making his decision of wanting to get to know her, she surprisingly felt the same way. Bella also learns that she has to be very careful around Edward due to his thirst for her blood. They both learn that if you truly love someone you will go through anything for them.