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What matters is on the outside.
I'm sure everyone has heard the saying, "What matters is on the inside," or some variation of it. However, Twilight seems to be giving the completely opposite view of things; it pretty much preaches that you should not look inside someone but that you should focus on the outside.
Take Edward for example. On the outside, he's a perfect, hot "vampire" {that term is used loosely} with the physical appearance of 17, and he always tries to make sure Bella stays safe. Also, he's a care-free individual who isn't tied up by his worries. That's about four points on the outside.
Now, we go to the inside. On the inside, Edward is a 90 something year-old "vampire" who looks like a 17 year-old teenager. He is extremely arrogant, considering himself above everyone else -- simply because he can read {almost} everyone's minds. Because he's so care-free, he considers it perfectly OK to break the law: He drives way above the speed limit and hunts animals out of season/without a license. {Yes, I'm pretty sure that even in Forks, you can only hunt certain animals if you have a license and if it's hunting season for that animal yet. I'm pretty sure that in real life, the officials would notice the strange decline in the animal population because of how small the town of Forks is.} There's more on the inside! Because he always wants to keep Bella safe, he never really lets her live life on her own. It's as if Bella is a little girl learning how to ride a bike without training wheels, and Edward is the father teaching her; however, the father {Edward} won't actually let go of the bike so that the little girl {Bella} can try to ride it by herself. To put it simply, Edward is controlling. Because he is controlling, he has creepy and abusive habits. He stalks Bella everywhere she goes; that's just creepy. He constantly reminds Bella how dangerous he is and threatens her with it. In the scene where they're in the car, running away from James and Victoria, he has Bella forced down so that she can't move; yes, it may have been for her safety, but it's her decision if she wants to be smart and hide. Also, Edward, considering himself better than everyone else, wasn't even listening to the idea Bella was trying to give. That's another thing: Edward is a horrible listener. That's all the "inside" points I want to skim over. Let's see; that's about seven or eight points on the inside. On Edward, the inside has more points. {Some of these points could be put with the other Cullens, but they are all specifically meant for Edward.}
OK, I did defend Bella a little bit earlier, but she isn't getting off the hook so easily. Let's look at her on both "sides."
On the outside, Bella is an average-looking teenager with a subtle beauty. She does her homework and chores; she even cooks for her father. Honestly, those are the only points of which I can think to give her. That's about three or four points on the outside. {Wow, it's the same amount of points that Edward has on the outside!}
Now, we go to the inside. On the inside, Bella is extremely obsessive and boy-crazed. Honestly, because I'm a guy, I have no idea if teenage girls really are that obsessive over a crush; however, I'm going to take a guess and say they aren't. Bella pretty much does nothing without thinking of Edward every second of her life. She pretty much considers herself above others at her new school, looking down upon the people who try to become her friend. She's a damsel in distress...all the time; seriously, it's as if she can't even take a step without tripping over air. She is a very hypocritical person. She "loves" {that term is used loosely} Edward more than her own parents. It seems to me as if she considers her father, Charlie, as incapable of taking care of himself. She really can't think for herself; she has to get Edward to do almost everything with/for her. For example, after Bella and Edward declare their "love" for each other, Bella questions if it is merely lust or if it really is love, but Edward makes up her mind -- telling her it really is love. At the restaurant, Edward orders for Bella...two of the same meals; it may sound romantic, but Bella didn't even have a say in what she wanted. She is a very shallow person -- not even giving Mike a chance before labeling him as an annoying dog. That's around six or seven points on the inside. The inside wins.
Some of you may wonder, "Well, you always say the two main characters are perfect, but you just listed a lot of flaws they have," and you are right: I did just list a lot of flaws the two main characters have. However, I still consider them perfect. Their flaws don't really affect them in a negative way. It's like being a stubborn and picky person and always getting what you want; the flaws of being picky and stubborn don't matter because you always get what you want. That's how it is with Edward and Bella. Still, there's more to this madness. While we're still on the subject of characters, let's look at the inside/outside of a few of the minor characters.
I'll start with Mike. On the outside, Mike is pretty much obsessed with Bella, wanting to become her friend and following her around school; he is considered to be like an annoying dog. On the inside, Mike is an extremely friendly person who just wants to make sure Bella, the new student, has a friend; he is very interested in Bella, so he always tries to hang out with her around school. {The difference between Mike following Bella around and Edward following Bella around is that Mike only does it at school, and he always makes his presence known; still, following someone around is strange no matter what.} We move onto Jessica. On the outside, Jessica is a normal teenager who wants to be popular and stay popular; if she could make friends with Bella, the new girl, she would instantly be mega-popular. She's viewed as a pretty shallow person, really -- only wanting popularity. On the inside, Jessica really is just a normal teenager; however, she is very friendly. She doesn't want the new girl, Bella, to be friendless, so she tries to befriend her. Jessica's a very nice person and is very trusting towards her new friend, Bella. Finally, I'll end with Jacob. On the outside, Jacob is a young teenager who has a crush on Bella; he's a good storyteller and is a caring person. On the inside, he's pretty much the same. {Remember: I'm only talking about Twilight.} Jacob is probably the only character that matches up on the inside and outside.
While Mike and Jessica might have "better" points on the inside, Bella and Edward have "better" points on the outside, and in Twilight what matters is on the outside.
Finally, let's look at the book itself. On the outside, Twilight is a story about a girl who loves a vampire, who loves the girl back, and they just...well...they constantly think of each other. It says that even teenagers can have true love. Also, it puts a new look on vampires. That's about two points on the outside.
On the inside, however, Twilight is a book without a plot. Pretty much no research was done, which ended up with the vampires having more in common with leeches than vampires of folklore. Barely anything important is explained. The two main characters are Sue/Stu, and the Stu is controlling and abusive {not physically...not yet}, but it's OK because he only does what he does because he "loves" the Sue. That's about four points on the inside. The inside wins.
Like I said earlier, Twilight pretty much preaches, "What matters is on the outside." It's not just true with the two main characters, either; it's true with the minor characters and the book itself. The book is sending out the wrong messages to people. Honestly, what matters is on the inside -- not the outside, like Twilight says.
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