Re: Explorations
Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 3:22 pm
Beautiful dog, Tornado, beautiful coloring, is that a golden retriever?
In the case of James, the logical argument is that Bella's method results in a best case where she is killed alone and a worst case where Renee is killed as well. The alternative is that Bella confides in Alice and Jasper, and the best case is Renee is saved and the worst case is she is killed. Cold spreadsheet logic says that she should have told the Cullens, but Bella is working on another type of balance sheet, she sees the death of her entirely innocent mother as being unacceptable and reasons that Renee's best shot is to give herself up.
We don't get that kind of analysis from Bella in the book, but that doesn't mean she didn't think it, it means SM decided not to write it that way. I always thought her immense relief that Renee was not actually there was a giveaway that she had actually considered he could have killed them both. Bella doesn't always tell us everything she is thinking, and sometimes SM held back because she wanted to surprise us, and sometimes (actually, most times) she wanted the focus on the drama. Hence the emotions are on display, but the analytics are often filtered out. A good example of that is B&E's reunion in NM where Edward says "Amazing, Carlisle was right". There isn't one whiff of a clue that Bella considers that an important insight until near the very end when she refutes Edward's stated belief that he is beyond all hope.
If Bella had truly suspected that James did not have her mother and still decided to evade Alice and Jasper, then I think there would be a better argument that Bella had a death wish. Bella fully expects, though, that her mother might be at the house since they may have to move back anyway, and Charlie might have already talked to Renee about Bella leaving. When Alice picks up the phone and confirms to Bella that it is her mother, it just cements her belief that her mother was really there. James plays his part very well, starts telling her what to say, and then focuses her on the goal of getting away from A&J, else her mother dies. I don't think that part about Alice picking up the phone first was mere chance, I think SM wanted her readers to know that James fooled Alice as well.
***********************
Now, I know this is a side issue, but I also have to say that Bella's perils in the series are rarely due solely to her own actions. The James incident is mostly Bella, but there is blame to go around. The fatal error belongs to the Cullens when they leave on a plane to Phoenix and are spotted by Victoria, pinpointing Bella's location for James. Alice knows that events likely pull Bella away from their control, but she doesn't get that suspicious when Bella suddenly wants an Egg McMuffin while waiting at the airport. Since the assumed scenario is that she is abducted, it is critical that an eye be kept on her at all times, but Jasper allows her out of his sight.
Bella is a little irrational at the end of EC, but at least she is honest about it with Edward. None of the Cullens or the wolf pack realize that the plan they put together ends in making the exact same mistake made with James, that Bella will be found wherever Edward goes.
In the case of James, the logical argument is that Bella's method results in a best case where she is killed alone and a worst case where Renee is killed as well. The alternative is that Bella confides in Alice and Jasper, and the best case is Renee is saved and the worst case is she is killed. Cold spreadsheet logic says that she should have told the Cullens, but Bella is working on another type of balance sheet, she sees the death of her entirely innocent mother as being unacceptable and reasons that Renee's best shot is to give herself up.
We don't get that kind of analysis from Bella in the book, but that doesn't mean she didn't think it, it means SM decided not to write it that way. I always thought her immense relief that Renee was not actually there was a giveaway that she had actually considered he could have killed them both. Bella doesn't always tell us everything she is thinking, and sometimes SM held back because she wanted to surprise us, and sometimes (actually, most times) she wanted the focus on the drama. Hence the emotions are on display, but the analytics are often filtered out. A good example of that is B&E's reunion in NM where Edward says "Amazing, Carlisle was right". There isn't one whiff of a clue that Bella considers that an important insight until near the very end when she refutes Edward's stated belief that he is beyond all hope.
If Bella had truly suspected that James did not have her mother and still decided to evade Alice and Jasper, then I think there would be a better argument that Bella had a death wish. Bella fully expects, though, that her mother might be at the house since they may have to move back anyway, and Charlie might have already talked to Renee about Bella leaving. When Alice picks up the phone and confirms to Bella that it is her mother, it just cements her belief that her mother was really there. James plays his part very well, starts telling her what to say, and then focuses her on the goal of getting away from A&J, else her mother dies. I don't think that part about Alice picking up the phone first was mere chance, I think SM wanted her readers to know that James fooled Alice as well.
***********************
Now, I know this is a side issue, but I also have to say that Bella's perils in the series are rarely due solely to her own actions. The James incident is mostly Bella, but there is blame to go around. The fatal error belongs to the Cullens when they leave on a plane to Phoenix and are spotted by Victoria, pinpointing Bella's location for James. Alice knows that events likely pull Bella away from their control, but she doesn't get that suspicious when Bella suddenly wants an Egg McMuffin while waiting at the airport. Since the assumed scenario is that she is abducted, it is critical that an eye be kept on her at all times, but Jasper allows her out of his sight.
Bella is a little irrational at the end of EC, but at least she is honest about it with Edward. None of the Cullens or the wolf pack realize that the plan they put together ends in making the exact same mistake made with James, that Bella will be found wherever Edward goes.