pp. 58 – 72
TWILIGHT ~ CHAPTER 04
"invitations"
"In my dream it was very dark, and what dim light there was seemed to be radiating from Edward's skin ... he turned abruptly and walked back the way we'd come."
The central theme of chapter four seems to be that of conflict, whether it arises through the battle for power and self-affirmation, or through rivalry in love and relationships. This chapter shows us an uglier side of human nature, simultaneously asking the question: how far will we go to get that which we desire the most?
The chapter begins with the line 'in my dream it was very dark, and what dim light there was seemed to be radiating from Edward's skin', giving no context for the reader beforehand but instead plunging us straight into Bella's train of thought. Perhaps no context is needed for Bella, whose thoughts seem to revolve more and more frequently around Edward and his unusual family. The dream itself shows that Bella feels highly insecure about her 'relationship' (or lack thereof) with Edward, and for the first time, we are presented with the idea that she is unable to keep up with him; to Bella, he is 'never within reach', both physically and emotionally.
Although the next day at school, Bella finds herself 'to [her] dismay ... the centre of attention' from her school friends, she is also quick to note that 'no-one seemed concerned about Edward ... people avoided him as usual'. This shows the instinctive fear, the subconscious understanding of a vampire's true nature, that requires most people to put distance between themselves and the Cullens. She also notes to herself that 'none of [the Cullens] ... glanced [her] way anymore', and takes this as a firm indicator that none of them, and especially not Edward, are interested in her; however, the Cullens' behaviour is also suggestive of trying to deny or cover up a secret. In any case, Bella's judgement fails as Edward lifts his guard: 'only now and then ... did I wonder if he wasn't quite as oblivious as he appeared', showing that she feels out of her depth in trying to understand the situation. Again, 'with chagrin' she admits to herself that she is too obsessed: 'how pitiful'. The Cullens' passive-defensive method of shutting away outsiders to the family has obviously proved very effective. However, Bella is still angry that Edward 'wouldn't trust [her] with the truth', forgetting to consider the possibility that Edward sees this truth as a burden.
The next few pages follow Bella's inner conflict with herself and her outer conflict with Edward. Once again, Meyer returns us to the original 'crime scene', the Biology lab, but this time it is Bella who opens the conversation: "Hello Edward,' I said pleasantly, to show him I was going to behave myself'. This is a role-reversal of their first conversation, where Edward took the initiative and made an effort to be more polite than he had been on the occasion of their first meeting. However, Edward hardly acknowledges her, and Bella is 'miserable ... the dreams continued'. Mike, taking advantage of the emotional distance between the two, tries to become more and more friendly with Bella, but in spite of this she is 'as always ... electrically aware' that Edward is 'close enough to touch ... distant as if he were merely an invention of [her] imagination'. This contrast relates to her dream at the opening of the chapter and alerts the reader to her ever-deepening attachment. Edward is not far away when Mike, the first of many, asks Bella to the high school dance; he tilts his head 'reflexively' in Bella's direction, as if he is automatically drawn to overhear conversations concerning her. Phrases such as 'that same, familiar edge of frustration' and 'continued to gaze with probing intensity' show the ongoing stress that Edward feels by not being able to read Bella's mind.
At the end of a later Biology class, when Edward finally speaks to her, Bella turns 'slowly, unwillingly. I didn't want to feel what I knew I would feel when I looked at his ... face'. Again, this is a role-reversal of their conversation in the previous Biology class, where Edward is grappling all the time with his almost uncontrollable thirst. She describes herself as 'cowardly as ever', 'pathetic' and 'unhealthy', showing that some part of her would like to break away from Edward, but seems unable to do so. The following conversation escalates into a battle of two very strong wills; Bella mentions 'all the wild accusations [she] wanted to hurl at [Edward]'. Intending to 'sweep dramatically out of the room' at the end of the argument, she picks up her books and tries to leave, but ends up tripping and dropping them. Edward is still polite enough to stack and return them to Bella, but his face is 'hard', his eyes 'narrowed'.
'It was a relief, as always, to leave' for Bella, but she is shocked to find 'a tall, dark figure leaning against the side of [her] truck', who she mistakenly assumes to be Edward. The following action is tense yet comic, as a 'shamefaced' Eric with an 'uncomfortable edge in his voice' nervously tries to ask Bella to the dance but is gently let down. Hearing Edward laughing, Bella suddenly recovers her violent mood and '[yanks]' the truck door open, 'slamming it loudly' and starting the engine 'deafeningly'. Tyler's slightly arrogant invitation to the dance follows, serving only to kindle the fire of her anger as she sees 'Cullen' once again 'unquestionably shaking with laughter, as if he'd heard every word Tyler had said'. Her reference to Edward by only his surname shows her anger and frustration with him, and she even considers deliberate vandalism of his car and 'that glossy, silver paint job' to sooth her mind.
At home, Bella receives a phone call from a relieved Jessica ('now that she sounded sure of [taking Mike to the dance], she actually sounded sincere'). This is only a momentary distraction, though, as Bella begins 'trying to analyse every word' Edward has said to her that day: 'what did he mean, it was better if we weren't friends?' As she finally comes to a conscious realisation of what she believes to be the truth ('he wasn't interested in me at all'), she describes Edward as 'interesting', 'brilliant', 'mysterious', 'perfect' and 'beautiful', before admitting to herself that she is none of these things. Her eyes begin to sting, 'a delayed reaction to the onions' she is chopping; this shows that crying is an unexpected reaction for her, one that she doesn't want to acknowledge and feels the need to explain away. She begins to contemplate leaving Forks, also commenting that Charlie would be 'unable to imagine something that Fork's couldn't offer' and thereby touching on the reason for the break-up of her parents' marriage.
The next morning Bella parks 'as far as possible from the silver Volvo', and yet when she drops her keys 'into a puddle at [her] feet', Edward is already 'right next to [her], leaning casually against [her] truck', having already picked them up. Bella's question ("How do you do that?") is followed by the highly ironic response: "it's not my fault if you are exceptionally unobservant". This conversation, although still vivid and well-characterised, is much lighter and funnier. Edward is 'wickedly amused', showing his confidence in handling the situation successfully; he always seems to have a witty retort in store ('the wasting of finite resources is everyone's business'), forcing Bella to resort to an ad hominem attack ('stupid, shiny Volvo owner'). Finally, Bella admits to Edward, "I can't keep up with you," and receives yet more riddles in reply. It is clear that her 'clarity of thought' is hindered by an unfair distribution of power and a focussed will: 'his eyes were gloriously intense ... his voice smouldering'. For the first time, we see Edward's own inner conflict; he uses his full hold over Bella to persuade her to travel with him, but at the same time he is aware that Bella "really should stay away".
