Well, we know Steph has her strengths and her weaknesses when it comes to characters and character development.
I will elaborate, using the Cullens, the REAL main minor characters of twilight. No one cares about the humans.
Carlisle: He isn't mentioned much, and it's kind of a shame. He's got a really interesting past, but to be honest, he's kind of indifferent about him. He doesn't have a very wide range of emotions, but I guess years and years of living does that to you. He doesn't act much like a dad, but he doesn't act much like a grandfather, either. He's kind of the conviniently-placed doctor and creator, but his level-headedness and cool attitude does make him a good aside when all the crap of the world is going on around him. I give him a B+.
Esme: She isn't mentioned much either. But Edward had to have a mother, so she's here. I don't see too much love going on between her and Carlisle, as I say all the time. In fact, I don't see a lot of love for her family except for her love for Bella--and that's pretty apparent, the way she always smiles at her and hugs her and builds houses for her. She's almost like a fairy godmother, except no one treats her like a mother or a sister, which, considering her age, is how the Cullens SHOULD treat her. She hardly does anything. But her backstory is pretty sad, but because of this, she should, perhaps, be a little LESS friendly, at least to men, or even at first RELUCTANT to Carlisle. It might have been interesting to hear about Carlisle wooing Esme after he'd turned her. Ain't no love at first sight crap going down here. I give her a C-.
Alice: Oh, Alice. Made to be loved. Everyone's favorite girl character is Alice, and for good reason. She's sassy, pretty, spunky, and fashionable. I always wondered why an old-world girl would cut her hair into a pixie cut, but that's another story. Anyway. Alice's power is a useful one, and it's subtly mentioned in her daily life, and I like that. Hoewever, as is the case with most Twilight characters, the personal feelings of Alice and many others are left out. I want to know if Alice is reluctant to do something for Bella, I want to know how she felt entering the Cullens' family, I want to see some of the fury that's inside her for being locked up in an asylum--I'm mad that she doesn't even remember it, or that she hated her human life. Maybe that could be Alice's reason for wanting Bella to be a vampire; convincing her how much SHE hated her human life, that she'd love a vampire life more. That'd be a good contrast. Still, she is another light in the darkness that is twilight, and for that, I give her an A-.
Edward: Oh snap. Edward is the perfect man, and we resent him for that. He's like a ken doll, so marketable, just meant to be longed for and loved. When a character's existence is anything along the lines of, "Her perfect but brooding knight in shining armor", you know there's a problem. From Bella's constant mentioning his perfection but not his creepy overprotection, to his self-loathing, Edward is almost a sick puppy that we all want to pity and root for, just because he so deserves and so needs a nice little chew toy: Poor, brainless Bella. There is no purpose to this character. I give him a D+.
Emmett: Emmett's a goofball, and we love him for it. Huge, strong, and fun-loving, he is one of the most cheerful and un-Culleny vampires we have. Though we love his playful side, his sense of humor is a bit eccentric at times, and the jokes are often unnecessary. Also, I'm upset we never hear about his past life, or that he NEVER TALKS ABOUT ANYTHING BUT SEX AND BAD GUS AND ROSALIE!!!! He annoys me. No questions are ever asked, no mentions of his family or how he lived or his past life or if he wants kids as much as Rose does... RAAAAAAARRGGHHH! I give him a B.
Rosalie: She annoys me too. She wants kids, and I really like that trait, but she handles it poorly. I also don't like that Bella doesn't get the guts to ask her until book three. I also hate that Rosalie callously calls Edward just to mention that Bella's dead without talking it out or really doing much--was this out of hate? If so, is it just because she hates BElla because she's human? That's a little bit psychotic. Even in the movie, she's very brooding, silent, and just, the pretty one. I like that the one who has everything wants something more than all the rest: mortality. I like that she's bitter about her life; I wish we could see her get P.O'd at Carlisle once in a while. I still give her a C.
Jasper: I rant about him in the next part, but long story short, his backstory is really cool, but who he is now is very lacking. I also enjoy his bloodlust struggle, but it isn't touched on too much, either. I'll give him a D. He's just so shallow. :/
You see, the point of a character is not to say, this is the funny one, this is the fashionable one, this is the antagonist one. If this were the case, then books would have billions of two-dementional characters for every character trait in the world. That's why when I make a character I typically say, "What is the function for this character in the plot?" Chloe being the main character, carrying the story, and being the love intrest for Henry, who is not only the most valuable character in the plot, but the father of her child. You have to think about if you erased a character, if it'd make any difference. Stella's daughter marries Eric. Without Stella, no Luna, and they're both hugely important in the story.
So that's just it. Carlisle is slightly important. Edward needs an explanation for being the way that he is, but he didn't have to have a maker live with him--he could have just been vampire-sniped and that could have added a bit of mistery to the story. Because of this, Carlisle is almost like "the doctor one", "the father one" and "the creator one" all in one character, which adds to why Carlisle is a strong character, but he actually isn't quite necessary, besides the fact that Edward DOES need a legal guardian.
Esme isn't important at all, except to make Carlisle happy by giving him a wifey. But maybe Carlisle's wife cuold have been dead, and that would lead to the fact that yes, vampires can die, and that the Cullens have experienced the dangers of vampire death first hand. Still, Esme is nothing more than "the Mother one." Really, that's it. Or even, "the one who builds houses, too." But, as you read on, you'll find you could truly squash Rosalie, Alice and Esme into a perfect wifey for Carlisle, fashionable, quick-witted, future-seeing, but reserved all at once.
Alice, I'll admit, is quite important. She sees the future, giving the Cullens quite an advantage. Plus she's a bit of comic relief, but I always hate how she is BFF with Bella--they have nothing in common but Edward. Oy. Still, Alice's POWER is what was truly plot-beneficial, and that could have been easily transferred to Carlisle or another, more important character.
Jasper and Emmett: Jasper isn't comic relief, or an antagonist, or nothing. He's just the emo one. He's the one with a backstory, and kind of a poorly-explained one at that. I don't think enough time was spent on explaining how Alice won Jasper over or how Jasper changed into being a vegetarian vampire. I think the movie Eclipse did it concisely and nicely, but that tells me that Steph didn't give us (or just me) enough details in this area. Emmett, now, is like Jasper, kind of hastily-made. He's supposed to be the big brother, funny one. So we have two comic reliefs in one family. Hmm. I mean, Emmett is so paper-thin that his back story is explained in like a paragraph and then never mentioned again. And while I really love the Alice-Jasper relationship (especially in the movie), I don't really see any connection between Emmett and Rose (although according to Edward, their love life was just fine, thank you very much.)
Rosalie: She's just another emo one. And, like Emmett, she really doesn't have a power--that's like someone screaming at Steph that THESE CHARACTERS ARE NOT NECESSAARRYYYY! I understand if the fact that not all vamps have powers must be established, but there are more ways to do that. Another reason Rose exists is to be Emmett's mate. Emmett exists to be the funny one. AARAARGHGHGH That's not what you're supposed to doooOOOOoooo!OO!!
Edward: I ranted about him up there. He's just a boy toy, nothing more. And kind of a creepy father.
Dang. Maybe I should have written Twilight.
Here's how I would have handled it:
The Cullens:
Carlisle-- a combination of Jasper and Emmett and Carlisle; the older-brother type figure for Edward, protecting him, being wary of Bella. If he really did create Edward, then he'd be VERY wary of Bella, because Edward, his creation, wasn't deserving of her. Maybe he'd be a little racist; believing in preserving the vampire line. Creepy.
Esme--She may or may not be included. She could be dead and talked about, as vampire death should be mentioned. Either way, she would be cute, not drop-dead gorgeous, but kind of testy, upset with Carlisle for making her the way she is. She would have once had a mental disorder, too, to prove that you're healed once made a vampire. Carlisle might be testy at her, too, considering he just tried to drink from her but somehow left her alive. They're quite a dysfunctional couple but still depend on each other.
Edward--he'd be quiet and mock-happy. He'd be a reasonable boyfriend and wouldn't encroach on Bella at all. He'd be a gentleman and all, but be distracted with what's going on in HIS world--the loss of his parents and (perhaps) his creator and (perhaps) his mother-figure and the fact that he's a freaking adolescent vampire, and especially the great lonliness he feels. There would probably be a neediness or desperateness that Edward has with Bella, perhaps leading to some overprotectiveness. He wuold also be an avid reader, because he doesn't talk to people much and enjoys living in fantasy worlds where things are normal instead of the real world. He would make witty asides to great works of literature or mention how things remind him of parts in books, or even quote them, and he might be so book-savvy that Bella sort of has to reach out for him and pull him into her world, too.
Sigh. That sounds like a better book than I have written yet!!
Next Post: Carlisle's Morals: What was he thinking, turning innocent people?!
Wow. This is a very large post. I don't think I can address everything written here, although I did read it.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say this. Not every character has to have a purpose. and in a way, the more 'minor' Cullens DO have a purpose- they demonstrate that vampires can be human-like. It is mentioned that the Cullens are the largest coven of vampires because they attempt to act as humans. and humans want to be loved. We like to have mates, and we like to have children and our children like to have mates.
Carlisle created Edward first, because he was lonely. After he had discovered that he could create companions for himself, it follows naturally that at some point he would find a mate. Rosalie follows for two logical reasons: 1) if Esme makes Carlisle so happy, why wouldn't he want that for Edward and 2) Esme would like to have children and as Carlisle isn't able to give her biological children, he wants to give her adopted children. Then she finds Emmett and is attracted to him, which is natural, plus I think Rosalie is less nasty to everyone but Bella. So she sees Emmett in trouble and awfully handsome, so she saves him and there you go. Then along come Alice and Jasper, who were created elsewhere, but Carlisle is a kind man, so he doesn't turn them away. It makes sense, and it also gives a background to the family as a whole. If it was just three of them then we would wonder how they didn't come across others if they had really lived for that long.
As far as Carlisle changing innocent people, remember that he will only change people that cannot be saved otherwise.
Touche.
ReplyDeleteI suppose Carlisle wasn't guilty about the whole imposing the vampiric life on someone a) because he didn't want them to die and b) because he figured if they lived like him they wouldn't suffer so much. Bless him.
Wow, Rogers, you make Twilight sound reasonable. Well done, well done. I'm not a hater, just a girl trying to defend her self-respect by nitpicking famous stuffs.