"Is Bella a strong, independent girl, or is she is a "blank canvas"
that needs to rely on a man?
Kristine: Yes. Bella is a strong, independent girl, and in no way relies on a man. . . .
Rachel: No! When she met Edward, her entire personality seemed to bend around what he needed. . . ."
― from the book
Michelle Pan is the owner of BellaAndEdward.com, one of the largest Twilight saga fansites on the web. She has been interviewed by many media outlets including ReelzChannel.com, Business Week, and her local news station, KXAN. Michelle has had the opportunity to attend the Twilight premieres and interview many important cast and crew members, including author Stephenie Meyer. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Is Jacob Black a better character pre-transformation into a werewolf or post-transformation?
Pre-transformation!
Rachel, 15, Georgia, USA
Before Jacob had transformed he was a sweet innocent little kid with a crush on Bella. Pre-transformation Jacob would never ever hurt Bella in any way shape or form. He liked her, but would never pursue his love without her permission.
Post-transformation Jacob was rude and blunt and immediately hurt Bella. He peruses his interest in Bella without her permission when he kisses her in Eclipse. He meddles in Bella's personal life when he tells her she can't be bitten by a vampire, bitten not killed. And later after his transformation he becomes obsessed with imprinting like in Breaking Dawn when he randomly searches a park for a girl to imprint on.
In short, Jacob was a much better character pre-transformation. Of course had Jacob never transformed the story would be pretty boring after a while. Bella probably would have died after jumping off the cliff because without Jacob's wolf strength he never would have saved her. And that's if she evaded Victoria long enough to jump off the cliff which she probably wouldn't have without Jacob protecting her.
Post-transformation!
Rachel, 23, Saskatchewan, Canada
Jacob Black is quite a complicated character in the series. Jacob has such a sunny disposition, which is what essentially enables Bella to pull out of her reverie and catatonic state after losing Edward. Pre-transformation Jacob is such a happy-go-lucky kid that he cannot help but bring a smile to Bella’s face. Pre-transformation Jacob does not feel angry all the time either, which he hates feeling especially around Bella because of the potential to hurt her should he lose control. He does not have any responsibility to a legendary duty of his tribe and he is free to make his own choices regardless of what “the pack leader” wants him to do. But he is enabled to protect Bella from the lurking dangers that haunt her once he transforms, which he never could have done before he became a wolf. He still manages to make Bella smile and feel safe with him as if there is no void in her life because of Edward, but he cannot betray his pack and unfortunately breaks his promise to never hurt her. Thankfully his body heat, due to his transformation, allows him to save Bella from freezing while Edward was unable to help her. There are pros and cons to Jacob transforming but from a standpoint of Bella never having met Edward then Jacob pre-transformation would be better for both himself and for her. Nevertheless, Edward does exist in both their lives but Jacob’s character and personality is still intact post-transformation and his innately sunny disposition makes Jacob Black a great character regardless of pre- or post-transformation. I, however, prefer the added bonus of Jacob having the ability to keep a girl warm on those cold winter days!
The Final Call:
When we were first introduced to Jacob Black, he was a sweet 15-year-old kid with a “hint of childish roundness” (Twilight – page 119). He was very easy to talk to and Bella became instant friends with him. After Edward left in New Moon, pre-transformation Jacob kept Bella company; he was the one that made her laugh again, the one who was there for her when Edward wasn't. However, everything changed when Jacob Black transformed into a werewolf. For a long period of time (although it wasn't his fault) he couldn't talk to Bella and he left her in the dark about what was going on. As his love for Bella grew, he employed selfish tactics to make her love him back. When Carlisle called the Swan residence in New Moon (New Moon – page 412), Jacob intentionally did not let Bella have the phone even though he knew she wanted to talk to Dr. Cullen. Instead, he coldly answered “he's at the funeral” when asked about Charlie's whereabouts, causing a string of misunderstandings. At the end of New Moon, Jacob brings Bella's motorcycles to Charlie's house in order to get her grounded, another act that pre-transformation Jacob would never do. Jake the werewolf also tends to have anger issues especially when it comes to his love for Bella. He almost loses control at Bella and Edward's wedding when he asks Bella about her honeymoon (Breaking Dawn – page 66) and later on he threatens to kill Edward (Breaking Dawn – page 67).
In conclusion, even though post-transformation Jacob uses his powers to save Bella multiple times, his new adamant and overbearing personality makes me prefer the old, sweet little Jacob.
