Masculinity and Vampires
In his chapter on "Modern Masculinities" Cooper Thompson defines masculinity by a number of traits, including independence, pride, resilience, self-control, physical strength, competitive, tough, aggressive, and powerful. Violence, as a method for resolving conflict, is also associated with masculinity in most extant cultures. This 'norm' of masculinity is often represented in popular films and the "Twilight" series of vampire films seems to represent an exception to the rule. The "Twilight" films are based on books written by Stephanie Meyer, which detail the social lives of contemporary vampires and werewolves living among us. Meyer takes pains to humanize the central non-human characters by expanding their personality tapestry to include emotional vulnerabilities, but does this really differentiate these characters from the purely masculine portrayals that have defined this genre of films historically? This essay examines how masculinity is defined in the movie "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."
Meyer's Portrayal of Masculinity
Edward Cullen is a member of a loosely knit 'family' of vampires that have chosen not to feed on human blood and are therefore able to remain integrated in society. Their need for nourishment and the act of hunting is satisfied at the expense of the big game that roams the forest...
In the movie "New Moon" Edward moves out of Forks to protect his mortal girlfriend Bella, as part of a plan to lure away a more traditional vampire intent on killing Bella. Meyer's vampires have many of the standard traits common to these mythical characters, including inhuman strength and speed, but Edward is also able to read everyone's mind except Bella's. Bella's mental opaqueness is what initially intrigues, and therefore attracts Edward to Bella, and a romantic attachment developed in the first movie "Twilight" that can only succeed if Edward is able to painfully suppress his innate desire to drain Bella of her life. Edward must carry this burden in isolation and in defiance of the advice of his 'siblings'. Edward therefore has all of the masculine traits that Thompson lists, in addition to a capacity to express vulnerabilities to Bella and his siblings.
Edward's disappearance from Bella's life in the movie "New Moon" eventually forces her to make several failed attempts to find companionship through some of her high school friends. She finally decides to renew her friendship with Jacob, a Native American boy of the same age living nearby, by taking advantage of his feelings for her. She ensnares him into a project rebuilding two motocross motorcycles, which is intended to accomplish two things: (1) distract her…
