Previous
Chapter 15
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Twilight, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Lust
Self-Restraint and Morality
Good, Evil, and Perspective
Family
Summary
Analysis
Edward leads Bella to Carlisle’s office, and Carlisle invites them in. The walls are covered in bookshelves, and Carlisle looks like a college dean. Edward explains that he wants to show Bella their history and directs Bella’s attention to a wall of framed pictures. Pointing to a small oil painting of a city and a river, Edward says that it depicts London when Carlisle was born. Carlisle leaves—he needs to take over for a sick colleague at the hospital—and Bella finds it a bit unsettling to think of Dr. Cullen in 17th-century London.
Edward doesn’t make it seem like the Cullens have human visitors, often if ever. Having their history up on the walls is, presumably, something the Cullens do for themselves, so they remember where they came from. In this way, Carlisle seems to imply that they have a lot to learn from the past, and that the past can and should inform how they behave in the present.
Themes
Bella asks Edward to finish Carlisle’s story. Edward sighs that at first, Carlisle tried to destroy himself by leaping from great heights or drowning in the ocean. But Carlisle was young and strong. He tried to starve himself, but vampires can’t die this way. Eventually, as deer passed his hiding place, Carlisle couldn’t help himself. But he realized that if he fed on animals, he could be something more than a monster. Carlisle vowed to apply himself to studying, so he swam to France. Bella is aghast, especially when Edward says it was easy—vampires don’t have to breathe.
Carlisle tried to destroy himself because he’d been raised in an environment where vampires were considered wholly evil creatures—it had never occurred to him that vampires could be good. But Carlisle discovered he did have a choice: he could try to be as human and possible, and use his new gifts for good rather than violence.
Themes
As Edward watches Bella react, he grows somber and still. He sighs that he keeps waiting for Bella to run away, and he won’t stop her when she does. Bella assures him she’s not going anywhere and asks him to continue his story. Edward’s eyes flicker to another painting filled with bright, robed figures. He says that in France, Carlisle discovered medicine. It’s taken him 200 years to develop adequate self-control, and these days he’s nearly immune to the smell of blood. But in Italy, Carlisle discovered more “civilized” vampires. He points at the painting, and Bella recognizes Carlisle in it. Edward explains that the other three vampires next to Carlisle are still in Italy; they’ve been there for millennia.
Bella might find some facts about vampire physiology or culture shocking, but she shows here that she’s not willing to judge the vampires based on what they are. Rather, she’s going to file away this information and make rational choices based on how the vampires act and treat her. Back in Carlisle’s story, Edward makes the case that it takes time to become a good, moral person. Fortunately, Carlisle had the 200 years to spend in order to master his instincts and make himself immune to the smell of blood.
Themes
Edward says that Carlisle and the others couldn’t reconcile their different ideas about what to eat, so Carlisle decided to try the Americas. He was looking for a companion and eventually decided to create one. He didn’t want to “steal anyone’s life,” though. Carlisle found Edward, dying and orphaned. And that, Edward says, was that. Bella asks if Edward has been with Carlisle since he became a vampire. Edward says “almost” and leads Bella up another flight of stairs. When Bella pushes, Edward says he had a “bout of rebellious adolescence” and resented Carlisle for forbidding him to feed on humans. Bella is fascinated.
The story of the Italian vampires suggests that some vampires take on a veneer of civility, but continue to feed on humans. They may look like they are good, but they lack Carlisle’s self-restraint. Carlisle’s desire not to steal anyone else’s life when creating a companion again makes clear the Cullen’s view that human life is better or at least comparably different from vampire life, and therefore not to be forcibly taken. It's significant that when Carlisle was looking for a companion, he chose to first create a son or a platonic peer for himself (rather than a romantic partner). The novel reiterates here that family can take all sorts of different forms and still be legitimate. Edward’s story of his rebellious adolescence makes clear the danger he poses, but also emphasizes the transition he has made—he has grown as a moral being by restraining his adolescent vampiric instincts.
Themes
Get the entire Twilight LitChart as a printable PDF.
Edward says he came back after a few years. He thought he’d avoid the “depression” that comes with having a conscience. He’d skip innocent people and pursue murderers and the like, figuring that he wasn’t so bad if he was saving people. But Edward ultimately couldn’t justify taking human lives and returned to Carlisle and Esme.
Edward implies here that any being who takes others’ lives, whether human or vampire, is going to have to contend with a sort of “depression” for murdering people. As Edward sees it, there’s no excuse for taking a life—even if it’s in his nature as a vampire to want to do so.
Themes
Edward leads Bella into his room, which has a wall of windows and another wall of CDs. Bella studies the collection but realizes Edward isn’t paying attention. He explains that he figured he’d feel relief after telling Bella everything, but he’s surprised that it also makes him happy. Bella asks if he's still waiting for her to run, and she says she’s not scared at all. It’s a lie, but Edward doesn’t need to know that.
For Edward, it’s shocking to realize that with Bella, he can truly be himself. Their relationship doesn’t just make him happy; it also makes him feel whole. It’s then interesting that Bella is lying about not being afraid. It’s unclear what exactly she’s afraid of, but she still can’t separate her fear from her love and obsession with Edward.
Themes
With a mischievous growl, Edward leaps at Bella, and they crash onto the sofa. He protects her from any impact and pulls her close. Bella sarcastically tells him that he’s a “terrifying monster.” Hearing a voice in the hall, Edward sits Bella upright on his lap. Alice and Jasper let themselves in, and Jasper looks a bit shocked. Jasper says that Alice sees a storm coming tonight and asks if Edward wants to play baseball. Alice says that obviously, Bella can come. The vampires discuss that the weather will be perfect for baseball, and Alice bounds away.
As Bella and Edward get down to making out here, they also play act at being a monster and scared girl—the fear and danger inherent in their dynamic is also parts of its allure to them. To Bella and to human readers, it seems confusing that a thunderstorm is the perfect weather for a baseball game—so it seems likely that the vampires don’t play baseball in the same way that humans do.
Themes
