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I was on amazon looking through a few of them when this one caught my eye,

"Bella has no physical, verbal, or sexual agency in any of her interactions with Edward or Jacob. She loses every argument and caves to their every instruction. More troublesome is how completely infantilized she is. Page after page features Bella crying, Bella falling down, cowering, or trembling, Bella being carried, rescued, scolded for going places where she was told not to. This is not an 18 year old woman. This is a toddler."

i hadn't exactly thought of bella that way but they have a point and that bugs me, bella never stands up for herself like she should. It's not like she doesn't have a reason, i mean edward is a vampire. A creature millions of times stronger than her and extremly seducive. But come on, bella backs down on every argument she and edward have. She may not be a complete toddler but she doesn't exactly have a will of her own either...

I think that Bella is right in the decisions she makes with Edward and Jacob. Resisting Edward would not be easy...he is an incredibly seductive vampire, as stated. Also, how is she supposed to make him agree? Threaten to leave him? Psh. We all know how that would turn out.

As for Jacob...well, there are certain boundries she has to watch when she argues with Jacob.

As for being saved, falling down, crying, quivering, being frightened...she is human. She isn't some super being. I think, if in Bella's position, we would have to react mildly the same. She is put into very difficult situations in which she has nearly zero power in. People need to realize it's okay to be the "Damsel in Distress" sometimes. It can be your only option, especially when dealing with beings much, much more powerful than you. I think it's enough that she even starts arguments in the first place. o_o

I have to mention that there are times where Bella has bested both Jacob and Edward. Bella is capable of having her way. She DOES have a will of her own...quite a large one, if you ask me.

I wouldn't say bella is completely helpless or childish. Like in twilight, if she really backed down to what everyone said she would have also listened to Billy and stayed away from Edward even after being warned that she was dangerous, and when it comes to doing what ever Edward tells her-who wouldn't???

She does have a will of her own in fact it usually mixes in with her stubborness. And if she did not then she would listen to Edward in the first place. She is just in love for the first time and well you do a lot when you are in love.

I completely agree!

You know, I think your right. Quite a lot of mess was created by them making decisions that were "best for her". A big enough mess that Bella pretty much had a hole torn into her heart a few times.

I don't think she gives in so easily. After all, she wouldn't let up on becoming a vampire, no matter how many times Edward said 'No.' So she obviously has some fight in her.
Spoiler, if you have not read New Moon:
And now, she's kind of getting what she wants. Edward said he would turn her if she married him ,and even if she doesn't, Carlisle will turn her after she graduates, so I think she pretty much won that fight.
Also, she definantly doesn't do whatever Edward tells her to. Her hallucinations of Edward were very real to her, and the hallucination Edward was constantly telling her over and over not to put herself into danger, but she certainly didn't stop. So I think she has more backbone than some people are giving he credit for.

I hope I didn't mess up my explanation. . .

You have to think about the situations she's being put in. They're basically life or death situations, and if you don't take that into consideration, you're sunk. She's very mature and grown up, but she's always in constant danger from the Cullens and the Blacks, and sometimes you need to stand down from a fight, and clearly she knows how to do that.

If she had gotten Jacob angrier than he was in those arguments, she wouldn't have lived long enough to stop Edward from showing himself in Italy. And the fights she got in with Edward were minor, couple-kind of fights people get in, only with a twist.