The Rat Vampire Leaders

tl;dr: because the wolfpack represents america’s changing values while the cullens embody america’s old system of values

throughout the series, smeyer places the cullens on a pedestal & holds them up as the ‘ideal.’ this is because the cullens encapsulate what 2005 america valued & saw as ‘perfection.’

based on what bella finds attractive about the cullens & what smeyer chooses to show about them, here are the american values that the cullens represent:

wealth: not only $$$ as a status symbol, which is used to separate the cullens from the humans. but also using wealth/materialism as a means to say “i love you” (the yellow porsche edward gifts alice, the island carlisle gifts esme, etc.)

european beauty standards: pale skin, light eyes, et cetera, are praised & valued by bella. darker-skinned vampires exist but are “othered” in text.

perfection without effort: perfect memory, perfect motor skills, perfect beauty - all it takes is 3-5 days of excruciating pain. i would describe it as an empty meritocracy (which for some reason boomers LOVE ??)

individualism over collectivism*: the cullens using their time/resources to only benefit themselves. (& bella) *(i genuinely believe this is slight character assassination by smeyer. MOST of the cullens are part of the civic-minded GI-generation & would be raised to be more collectivist, as the majority of the cullens experience generational traumas like Spanish Flu, WWII, Great Depression, etc.)

european culture: the italian volturi defined as being ‘royalty.’ deference to european status quo by the end of BD.

do americans still value these things? yes. do they value them as much in 2020 as they did in 2005? i would argue no. i think for many, the cullens aren’t as sexy, desired, or lusted after as in ‘05 bc they symbolize an outdated american value system.

now, let’s compare these values to the values the wolfpack demonstrates throughout the series:

experiences > wealth: not only does the wolfpack place higher value on experiences (dinner with friends & family, bonfires, storytelling, cliff diving), but they express their feelings for others through actions, not expensive gifts (see: the bracelet charm that jacob carved for bella; leah dunking on bella on jake’s behalf in eclipse)

beauty as a result of personality, not looks: bella describes the physical features of the wolfpack as attractive in an “othering” way. but personality/characteristics & physical features do go hand-in-hand in these descriptions. when bella describes jake as beautiful, she’s taking into account his sunny personality - by contrast, descriptions of cullens/edward are all about physical features.

perfection/gain through effort: a BIG theme of new moon is seeking & accepting (& rejecting) a state of perfection/peace. that’s what the motorbikes symbolize: taking broken, shitty things & putting in the effort to fix them into something fun, new, & exciting. jacob becoming alpha is another example, as it takes a huge personal sacrifice w/ much to gain.

collectivism > individualism: found family trope illustrates the millennial/gen-z value of collaboration, cooperation, & choosing the collective. despite the trouble that bella causes the wolfpack, they still band together to protect her from victoria. emily cleaning & fashioning clothes for the pack is another example of valuing the whole over the individual.

cultural equality: even tho smeyer clearly portrays the cullens as better than, the text does not support her ideas. bella holds the cullens as this aloof, detached bunch that are so out of her league. meanwhile, the indigenous stories told & wolfpack/quileute events held throughout the series consistently guide bella, give her answers, & provide her with a sense of community that doesn’t exclude her based on her perceived imperfections.

tl;dr [the long version]: twilight was popular in 2005 bc middle-aged women who were brought up in a materialistic patriarchal society loved the cullens for upholding the old order of american values & the “rewards” that come with it (“you too could someday marry a rich, beautiful, perfect ‘bad-boy’ who showers u w/ expensive gifts”).

7. The Groundskeeper (the story of Alice’s escape from the hunter who pursed her dir. by Nicole Eckenroad)

6. Turncoats (the story of how Garrett and Carlisle became friends during the revolutionary war dir. by Lindsey Hancock Williamson)

5. Sunrise (the story of Benjamin and his affection for Tia written by Alanna Smith and dir. by Amanda Tasse)

4. Masque (the story of Esme’s shift from vampire to human and Carlisle is in there somewhere I guess dir. by Cate Carson)

3. Consumed (the story of how Jane and Alec became members of the Volturi written by Cullyn Doerfler & Megan L. Reese and dir. by Maja Fernqvist)

2. We’ve Met Before (the story of Alice and Jasper meeting for the first time written by Thea Green and dir. by Yulin Kuang)