Cullens In Frankenstein

in a single statement of his: “I don't want to be a monster” (ibid.). He has the physical ability to be as destructive as his literary ancestors but what enhances him in comparison to them and the other vampires in the Twilight universe is his choice not to be, even though it is the harder choice. This demystifies Edward to some extent; he is not governed by his thirst like older vampires – or Heathcliff for that matter – but can decide whether he wants to be a 'superhero' or 'monster'.

The decision for vampires to be 'good' is portrayed as a great effort against their natural instincts, considering how often the Cullens are compared to animals and do so themselves. Alice runs “like a gazelle” (320) and equates their reaction to blood with

Edward calls himself the “world's best predator” (231), claiming that his appearance, voice and even smell make it impossible for Bella to resist him, even though he is already gifted with superhuman strength and speed. According to Edward, the only thing Bella could possibly do to protect herself from him is to stay as far away from him as possible. When they are together, her safety depends on his self control. All of this, however, only makes the Cullens seem more noble for being able to resist their bestial side. While Bella is not even able to control her much weaker human instincts, Edward manages what only the strongest vampires are capable of: after Bella is bitten by another vampire, he sucks the poison which would turn her into a vampire from her bloodstream in order to stop her transformation – without losing control and killing her. At an earlier point Edward praises Carlisle for his self control when he turned him, Edward, into a vampire, and did not drink of his blood (251,252). He later confesses to Bella that the worst thing about saving her was “knowing that [he] couldn't stop” (411). He implies that he was not afraid of the possibility, but that he was aware

In the first novel of the series, the Cullens are contrasted with James and his coven, who live on human blood. Furthermore, James is a tracker, which means he derives pleasure from hunting more than from drinking blood. The fact that vampires have a term for this behaviour suggests that it is a known phenomenon among them. James' habit can be compared to Ruthven's fixation on Aubrey and even Heathcliff's obsession with getting revenge on the whole Earnshaw and Linton family. Just like them, James can hide his monstrous side well. When he tricks Bella into facing him alone by making her believe he captured her mother; Bella experiences him as “average-looking”, with a “courteous, kind” voice (388) and refers to him as a “genteel hunter” (389). Only when James draws her attention to a video camera with which he intends to document Bella's murder for Edward does she begin to feel threatened and realizes, that James will draw out her death for the pleasure of inflicting pain on Edward and his family. James then reveals to Bella that he has a specific reason to go after the Cullens, and that she, Bella, was “simply a human, who unfortunately was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and indisputably running with the wrong crowd” (390). He was provoked by the presence of Alice, who, just like Bella, used to be a human in a relationship with a vampire – although the exact nature of this relationship is not