Bella Swan

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Isabella Marie Swan
Twilight series character
Bella Swan as portrayed by Kristen Stewart in the upcoming Twilight movie.
First appearance	Twilight
Created by	Stephenie Meyer
Portrayed by	Kristen Stewart
Information
Nickname(s)	Bella Bells Vampire girl
Species	Human (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, through Book 2 of Breaking Dawn) Vampire (Book 3 of Breaking Dawn)
Gender	Female
Age	17 (Twilight) 18 (New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn)
Date of birth	September 13, 1987
Date of death	September 10, 2006 (as a human)
Occupation	Student (through Eclipse) Employee at Newton's Olympic Outfitters (New Moon and Eclipse)
Family	Charlie Swan (father) Renée Dwyer (mother) Phil Dwyer (stepfather) Carlisle Cullen (father-in-law) Esme Cullen (mother-in-law) Alice Cullen (sister-in-law) Rosalie Hale (sister-in-law) Emmett Cullen (brother-in-law) Jasper Hale (brother-in-law)
Spouse(s)	Edward Cullen (married August 13, 2006)
Children	Renesmee Cullen
Address	Forks, WA, USA

Isabella "Bella" Marie Cullen (née Swan) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer. In the upcoming film adaptation, Kristen Stewart will portray Bella.^[1] Meyer stated that she is "very excited" to see Stewart play the part and that she is "thrilled to have a Bella" played by an actress who has practice in many film genres.^[2] The Twilight series, which consists of the novels Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, is primarily narrated from Bella's point of view and she acts as the main protagonist.

Bella, after moving to her father's house in Forks, Washington, meets the mysterious Cullen family and falls into a deep love with Edward Cullen. However, she soon discovers the truth behind their strange habits: the family is a coven of vampires. Desperate not to lose him, Bella vows to stay with Edward, even if it means turning into a vampire herself, despite Edward's wishes. In an effort to keep her safe, he leaves. Jacob Black, a shape-shifter from the Quileute tribe and a childhood friend of Bella's, comforts her in that time and helps her come out of her zombie-like state, and Bella discovers that she has fallen in love with him as well. Upon Edward's return and later marriage proposal, Bella must decide who she will choose to stay with.

Contents 1 Concept and creation 2 Appearances 2.1 Twilight 2.2 New Moon 2.3 Eclipse 2.4 Breaking Dawn 3 Characterisation 3.1 Outward appearance 3.2 Personality and abilities 4 Reception 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Concept and creation

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (August 2008)

The outline for Bella's character came from a dream Meyer had of a vampire and a human girl talking in a meadow. They seemed to be in love, the conflict being that the vampire desired this girl's blood in particular because it was especially appealing to him.^[3] Bella's arrival at school was modeled after Meyer's switch from high school into college.^[4] Meyer stated that she named Bella after what she would have named her own daughter, since she loved her like one.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Twilight

Bella's parents are divorced, having been that way since Bella's mother walked out with her when she was just 18 months old.^[5] Her mother recently married a minor league baseball player, Phil, who travels a lot. Bella moves to live with her father in her birthtown of Forks, Washington, so her mother is able to travel with Phil. She enrolls at Forks High School and many boys are immediately attracted to her, though she dismisses their advances. Bella soon makes friends with Jessica Stanley, Angela Weber, and Mike Newton. However, Bella soon becomes intrigued with the Cullens, a mysterious family consisting of five adopted children and two parents. Edward Cullen, in particular, captures her attention. As the story progresses, Bella finds out from a family friend, Jacob Black, that the Cullens are supposedly vampires.^[6] However, they are different from other vampires in that they are "vegetarian";^[7] they substitute animal blood for human blood, refusing to hunt humans.^[8]

Although he does not drink human blood, Edward constantly lusts for it, and Bella's blood is especially tantalizing for him; therefore he must constantly control his desires. He also finds that his mind reading capabilities do not work on her. Despite his desire for her blood, Edward and Bella fall passionately in love, spending day and night together. Edward introduces her to his family, and soon after she is invited to watch their baseball game. During the game, the family is confronted by a visiting nomad vampire coven made up of Laurent, Victoria, and James. Victoria's mate, James, is a tracker vampire who has set his sights on killing Bella. He tricks her into confronting him alone, and the Cullen family must rush to Bella's aid. They destroy James before he can kill her, though the other vampires of his coven, Victoria and Laurent, survive. Bella spends time in a hospital with Edward constantly by her side, where he admits that his sister Alice saw a vision of Bella becoming a vampire. However, he is determined to keep her human, despite her own determination to become a "monster".

At the end of the novel, Edward takes Bella to their prom, despite her broken leg and angry protests. There are high levels of tension as the book ends, caused by Edward and Bella's differences of opinion about turning Bella into a vampire.^[9]

[edit] New Moon

The events of New Moon begin on Bella's eighteenth birthday. Bella is especially upset because it is the day that she becomes older, physically, than Edward, who will always be 17. It didn't help that she also had a nightmare, where she was with, what she thought to be her Grandma Marie, for which she was partly named after, turned out to be her. Edward came to her side in the dream and was just as young and flawless as always. Edward persuades her to come to his house on the evening of her birthday for a party thrown by his sister, Alice. Bella receives a paper cut while opening one of her gifts, drawing a single drop of blood and causing Edward's brother, Jasper, to try to attack her. Edward, in the process of defending Bella from Jasper, throws her into a table filled with crystal, which results in Bella getting a deep cut from her wrist to her elbow. Although Bella's injuries are not life-threatening, Edward later decides that she would be safer without him, his family, and his dangerous style of life, so he deceives Bella into thinking that he does not love her any longer and leaves Forks with his family.

Bella sinks into a deep depression for four months, until she is 'awoken' by Charlie Swan, her father. He threatens to send her back to live with her mother in Jacksonville, Florida, because he is worried about her behavior. To appease her father, she tries to engage in normal, teenage-like behavior. She invites her friend Jessica to go to Port Angeles with her for dinner and a movie. While there, she carelessly approaches four men standing outside a bar. This results in her hearing Edward's voice inside her head, warning her to turn around. Bella soon realizes that whenever she puts herself in a dangerous situation, she can hear Edward's voice with perfect clarity.

With this discovery in mind, Bella seeks out Jacob Black and convinces him to fix a motorcycle for her and teach her how to ride. Jacob and Bella become friends, when suddenly Jacob refuses to answer any of her calls and asks her not to come to his house anymore. She decides to take a short trip to a meadow that her and Edward once took. Once there Laurent, from James and Victoria's coven, prepares to attack her. Giant wolves chase him off while Bella runs safely away. It is not until a week later that Bella learns what has happened to her friend: he has become a werewolf and is avoiding Bella for her own safety. She also learns that Victoria has returned to kill her, out of revenge for Edward killing Victoria's mate, James, in Twilight. Bella and Jacob reconcile, and she assists his werewolf pack of brothers in hunting down Victoria.

To hear Edward's voice again, Bella attempts cliff-diving and nearly drowns. When Alice, who has the power to see the future, sees Bella jump, she believes Bella had committed suicide and subsequently returns to Forks. Edward, isolated from his family by his own volition, is told by Rosalie, his other adopted sister, that Bella is dead. Alice finds Bella and tells her that Edward is going to Volterra, Italy to ask the Volturi to kill him, because he believes Bella to be dead. Bella and Alice quickly pursue Edward to Italy, and stop him from being killed. Afterwards they are brought to speak with the Volturi, where they make a promise to change Bella into a vampire so that they can be let free.

Back in Forks, Edward explains to Bella why he left and begs for her forgiveness. He tells her that he loves her and had always loved her, and promises to never leave her again. When Edward once again refuses to transform Bella into a monster, she decides to let his family decide whether she should become a vampire and thus join their family. All except Edward and Rosalie vote affirmatively for her to be changed. Edward later agrees to change her himself if she agrees to marry him first. Later, Jacob meets with Edward and Bella to remind Edward and his family of the treaty made between the Cullens and the La Push werewolves, which states that no Cullen may bite a human. Bella is thus left in a difficult position: if she does not become a vampire, the Volturi will come to kill her. However, if the Cullens do make her a vampire, they will have broken their treaty with the La Push werewolves, which would start a war with the Cullens.^[10]

[edit] Eclipse

Eclipse begins with Bella reading a letter from Jacob that says that they can't be friends anymore. She is upset about this, but her mood greatly improves when Edward comes to visit her. Edward is trying to convince Bella to fill out more application forms for college, but Bella thinks that college is pointless since she will be turning into a vampire soon anyway. Edward then sees an article in the newspaper about a series of mysterious killings in Seattle and explains to Bella that these killings are most likely a newborn vampire, unable to control its thirst. Later on that day in school, Bella witnesses Alice having a vision: Victoria is coming back to Forks to hunt Bella.

Ultimately, Edward must go hunting and leave Bella. For fear of Bella putting herself in danger, he bribes Alice with a yellow 911 Porsche Turbo to watch over Bella while he's gone and keep her away from Jacob. Bella is furious at Edward's presumption and manages to slip away to see Jacob. Upon returning to the Cullens' house, she encounters Edward. He is not upset that Bella ran away, and realizes that he has been overprotective. Bella thanks Edward, and he begins occasionally taking her to the La Push line for regular visits with Jacob. During one of the visits, Jacob admits that he is in love with Bella and forcefully kisses her. Bella is furious and punches him in the face, succeeding only in breaking her hand. Edward later threatens to break Jacob's jaw for Bella if he ever kisses her without her permission again.

Meanwhile, Bella still has her heart set on joining Edward and his family as a vampire. But, after consideration, she decides that there is one thing she would like to do while human: have Edward make love with her. Edward immediately refuses this "demand", explaining that although he wants her as much as she wants him, he could easily kill her if he lost control. Bella insists that he would never allow himself to let that happen, and becomes somewhat upset when he still refuses. Eventually, Edward agrees that they can "try", but she must marry him first. Bella agrees, reluctant because of her parents' early divorce, and becomes Edward's fiancée.

Moments before Bella's graduation, she realizes that the army of newborn vampires are under the control of Victoria and therefore will be coming after herself. Having no other allies, the Cullens and the La Push pack of werewolves join forces to battle Victoria and her army. Before the battle, Jacob tells Bella that he will go in battle with the intentions of dying because she won't love him back. Bella tells him to kiss her so he will think she loves him back, but as she kisses him, she realizes that she loves Jacob as well. She also recognizes that her love for Jacob is no comparison to the love she holds for Edward. Once the battle is over and Victoria and her army are defeated, Bella visits Jacob and tells him of her decision to stay with Edward.^[10][11]

[edit] Breaking Dawn

Near the beginning of Breaking Dawn, Bella and Edward marry with both of her parents' blessings. During their honeymoon, Edward fulfills his promise to finally have sex with Bella. The next morning, he finds that he has left dark blue-purple bruises all over her body. Furious with himself for hurting Bella, Edward refuses to ever have sex again while she is still human. Bella, upset over his declaration and wishing to continue making love with him, eventually persuades him. Soon, she begins having a series of dreams featuring a small child, whom she feels compelled to protect. After finding unused tampons Alice had packed for her, Bella feels a bump on her belly and realizes that she is pregnant with Edward's child. Edward decides to take Bella home and explains to Bella that Carlisle will remove the fetus before it harms her. Bella, horrified at the thought, calls Edward's sister Rosalie, the member of his family who regrets becoming a vampire due to her longing for a child, and asks her to help her keep the baby behind his back.

Bella's pregnancy progresses at an extremely fast rate, and makes her extremely weak. The baby inside of her is so strong that it begins breaking her ribs and stealing her nutrients. Despite Edward's insistence that the fetus be removed in order to save Bella's life, Bella is determined to keep the baby that she has come to love. They discover that drinking blood improves Bella's condition, and Edward realizes that he can hear the baby's thoughts. He starts to feel more kindly toward the baby, especially when he hears that the baby "absolutely adores Bella".

After Edward, Rosalie, Alice, and Jacob are forced to perform an emergency birthing, Bella's body is nearly destroyed- several ribs are broken, she loses vast amounts of blood, and her spinal cord is snapped- but she still manages to give birth. She names her child Renesmee Carlie Cullen; the first name a combination of Renée and Esme, and the middle name a combination of Charlie and Carlisle. To Edward's horror, Bella's heart then stops beating. In order to save her, Edward injects her heart with some of his own venom and bites her body in several places, turning Bella into a vampire. Jacob, upon seeing the baby for the first time, imprints on Renesmee. After Bella's painful transformation, the Cullens worry that, as the baby is part human, Bella will be unable to control her thirst for blood around Renesmee. However, while hunting with Edward, Bella demonstrates extremely well developed self-control. Thus Bella is permitted to see Renesmee, and she finds that her child is still maturing and growing at a very fast rate.

Later, a vampire named Irina sees Renesmee and mistakes her for an immortal child, the creation of which is a heinous crime of the vampire world. Alice learns that the Volturi are supposedly coming to destroy the Cullens for the violation of this rule, but they apparently have been waiting for an excuse to destroy the Olympic coven in order to recruit some of its more talented members, namely Alice. The Cullens gather many other vampires together to serve as witnesses on their behalf. In the meantime, Bella discovers her ability to "block" the mental gifts of other vampires, and learns how to project her power in order to protect others from the Volturi. The Cullens and their allies manage to convince the Volturi that Renesmee is not an immortal child, and Edward, Bella, and Renesmee are free to live their lives forever.^[12]

[edit] Characterisation

[edit] Outward appearance

Bella is described as being ivory-skinned, with long, straight, dark brown hair, a heart-shaped face, and chocolate brown eyes.^[9][13] She stands at 5'4" and weighs about 110 pounds.^[9] Beyond this information, a detailed description of Bella's appearance is never given in the series. Stephenie Meyer explains that this is because she wanted her readers to "step into Bella's shoes" more easily.^[14] However, Meyer provides a detailed description of her interpretation of Bella on her website.^[14] Bella also has a small crescent-shaped scar on her hand where she was bitten by James, a tracker vampire, in Twilight. The scar is described as being pale, always a few degrees colder than the rest of her body, and as shining like a vampire's skin when in the sunlight. After Bella is changed into a vampire by Edward Cullen in Breaking Dawn, she becomes excruciatingly beautiful, her already pale skin becoming even whiter and her lips becoming fuller as well. Her beauty is compared to that of Alice or Esme.

[edit] Personality and abilities

Bella is described as being exceptionally clumsy. She is intelligent, has a dry sense of humor, and is very understanding and caring. She hates dressing up, saying that makeup "is a pain" and that she feels uncomfortable in impractical, elegant clothes. She has a very private mind, which is thought to be why Edward is unable to see her thoughts, and she is determined to become a vampire. She is also said to be a terrible liar, but occasionally demonstrates good acting ability. She also gets faint at the sight or smell of blood. Stephenie Meyer has stated that Bella's "tragic flaw" in Eclipse is her lack of self-knowledge.^[15] After being turned into a vampire, she describes having a more clear view of the world. She is also very self-controlled as a vampire, being able to run away from the scent of human blood.^[12] Bella's private mind that rejected some vampires' special abilities while she was human evolved after she became a vampire. Her ability formed into allowing her to shield those around her from the mental powers of some other vampires.^[12] She is also described by Edward as "very graceful" as a vampire, in comparison to her earlier clumsiness.

[edit] Reception

Bella has received relatively negative reception from critics. Publishers Weekly states that, after her transformation into a vampire, "it's almost impossible to identify with her" in Breaking Dawn.^[16] Lilah Lohr of the Chicago Tribune notes that Bella's character is "at heart, less satisfying".^[17] During Twilight, Kirkus Reviews stated that "Bella's appeal is based on magic rather than character", but that her and Edward's "portrayal of dangerous lovers hits the spot".^[18] In the review of New Moon, Kirkus Reviews said that Bella's personality was "flat and obsessive".^[19] Laura Miller of salon.com said, in regards to Edward and Bella, "neither of them has much personality to speak of."^[20] Entertainment Weekly's Jennifer Reese noted in her review of Breaking Dawn noted, in regard to Bella, "You may wish she had loftier goals and a mind of her own, but these are fairy tales, and as a steadfast lover in the Disney princess mold, Bella has a certain saccharine appeal" and during Bella's pregnancy "she is not only hard to identify with but positively horrifying, especially while guzzling human blood to nourish the infant".^[21] Washington Post journalist Elizabeth Hand noted how Bella was often described as breakable and that "Edward's habit of constantly pulling her onto his lap or having her ride on his back further emphasize her childlike qualities", continuing to write that "the overall effect is a weird infantilization that has repellent overtones to an adult reader and hardly seems like an admirable model to foist upon our daughters (or sons)."^[22]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Official Twilight The Movie Website
• Twilight Saga Wiki

v • d • e Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer Novels Twilight · New Moon · Eclipse · Breaking Dawn · Midnight Sun Major Characters Bella Cullen  · Edward Cullen · Renesmee Cullen · Jacob Black · Alice Cullen · Carlisle Cullen · Esme Cullen · Emmett Cullen · Jasper Hale · Rosalie Hale Other Characters Charlie Swan · Quil Ateara · Embry Call · Sam Uley · Seth Clearwater · Leah Clearwater · Emily Young · Mike Newton · Angela Weber · Jessica Stanley · James · Victoria · Laurent · The Volturi Other Twilight film  · Vampires in the series