Complicated Friendship: Rosalie

Stephenie Meyer spoke how Rosalie's story didn't present itself right away. Often as I think about my RL dealings, Twilight doesn't always present itself to me right away either but eventually I come to a realization or two...thousand. And I had one about Rosalie.

"I envy you Bella, Emmett's peen is crooked and doesn't sparkle for some reason."

So let's talk about Rosalie. Do you love her? Do you hate her? Did you have a change of heart about her once she explained her story more to Bella? Was it only once she was trading insults with the dog in Breaking Dawn that you decided she wasn't all bad?

I can say that I never disliked Rosalie while reading the Saga books. Maybe I was just so caught up with Edward to care about her. But when she approached Bella in Eclipse and discussed her life with her, I read it as a very sensitive heart to heart. I liked how Rosalie approached Bella and offered up her story to her. (Heck, I was just glad Bella had left hanging out with Jake and returned to the Cullen house at that point!)

I *guess* the whole Rosalie backstory worked on the surface, but whenever I think about her and compare her to RL people I just find too many holes in her story.

It was one thing to read in Twilight the explanation from Edward to Bella that Rosalie was jealous of the fact that Edward showed some affection toward Bella when he had never showed any toward her. Rosalie had grown up beautiful and was used to getting attention from men. So I guess for her she was so used to the attention, that Edward's immediate disapproval in Carlisle changing Rosalie in hopes of providing Edward a mate was a sting of rejection.

I can understand that.

Here's my first hole with that story, though. You would have thought that with the rampage Rosalie went on in which she killed her attackers and then finally her own fiancee she would have been in a 'All Men are Scum' state of mind in those early days of her newborn stage and didn't want any part in Edward anyway. Her decision to to take action against Royce would seem convincing that she wasn't looking to be subject to anyone making decisions for her. She wasn't happy about Carlisle turning her and taking the decision of death away from her. Why would she want someone else to choose her mate for her?

Then she finds Emmett. Not only is it her decision to drag him to Carlisle to change him, he turns out to be everything she needs and wants in a guy.

So why was there a latent sense of jealousy showing up when Bella got in the mix? Why couldn't she be happy for her brother that he had a chance at finding happiness just like the rest of the Cullen men?

I actually was really horrified when I read Midnight Sun and learned Rosalie was pushing to kill Bella as her answer to avoiding exposure, expecting the humans would believe she had a secondary brain bleed after the van accident. And even Jasper was on board with that!!! Were you shocked by that?

The Cullens had been subject to exposure in the past, and I realize that Edward saving Bella was a very public incident, but did it warrant murder? Carlisle didn't relish killing a sadistic creature like James so why was there even consideration to kill an innocent young girl?  Hole #2

And I don't buy that Rosalie didn't like Bella.

I think it was totally unfair of Rosalie to lay on Bella everything she had lost and missed out on by becoming a vampire. Bella was one of millions of people in the world. Just one person. One accident prone teenager. Plenty of women in the world were still going to go on and lead the life Rosalie would have wanted, so if she didn't like Bella then why did she care if Bella was 'throwing away those possibilities?'

Do we as women ever *want* something for another woman that we can't have for ourselves? <--Being unselfish is difficult, but easier to be unselfish for a person that is someone we care about.

I think Rosalie really did come to have a fondness for Bella. Bella was probably the first human that Rosalie allowed herself to have an attachment to since Emmett. And in voicing her 'I'm envious of you' speech, I think Rosalie really was explaining that she cared for Bella, like a big sister, enough that she wanted to offer her perspective and advice. She wanted to see Bella have the things in life that Rosalie missed out on--so I maintain that only a big sister type or friend would have offered her such advice.

What did you think of Rosalie? Did your opinion of her change as the Saga went on?

Who is your favorite Rosalie in fanfiction?

As always, I will enjoy reading your thoughts on the topic and getting your perspective, so leave me a comment. I won't reply right away because I'm away but I will when I get back!

~kiTT