Alice was talking as rapidly as ever, but what caught my attention was that, for the first time, Jasper was not in the room. I looked at the clock -- it was five-thirty in the morning. (p. 258)
In the passage above, the narration is focalized from shortly after the time that the events occurred. In the same passage, only the narrator's perspective is known and limitation of knowledge is illustrated as it's only Bella Swan's perspective that the readers see. Through the first person narration which rendered a limited point-of-view, there is a sense of unpredictability in Twilight. The passage below wherein Bella narrates the events shortly after they happen and the dialogue she has with James, the hunter, showcase this air of unpredictability:
Then he slumped forward, into a crouch I recognized, and his pleasant smile slowly widened, grew, till it wasn't a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening. I couldn't help myself -- I tried to run. As useless as I knew it would be, as weak as my knees already were, panic took over and I bolted for the emergency door. He was in front of me in a flash. I didn't see if he used his hand or his foot, it was too fast. A crushing blow struck my chest -- I felt myself flying backward, and then heard the crunch as my head bashed into the mirrors. The glass buckled, some of the pieces shattering and splintering on the floor beside me. I was too stunned to feel the pain. I couldn't breathe yet. He walked toward me slowly.
"That's a very nice effect," he said, examining the mess of glass, his voice friendly again. "I thought this room would be visually dramatic for my little film. That's why I picked this place to meet you. It's perfect, isn't it?"
I ignored him, scrambling on my hands and knees, crawling toward the other door.
He was over me at once, his foot stepping down...
I heard the sickening snap before I felt it. But then I did feel it, and I couldn't hold back my scream of agony. I twisted up to reach for my leg, and he was standing over me, smiling. (p. 272)
Since Twilight is being narrated by Bella and she can only guess what James, the other
character, was thinking, James's actions were surprising to her. This way of narrating may heighten the feelings of the reader as they are treated to the same surprise that the narrator experiences in the story.
In telling the story of Twilight, apart from recounting events and relaying the story, Bella Swan also adopted and reported through the language of others thereby presenting a novel that is polyphonic as Mikhail Bakhtin called it. Through the dialogues, readers are presented with different perspectives and points-of-view as can be seen in dialogue below:
"Listen to me, Alice. I saw his mind. Tracking is his
passion, his obsession -- and he wants her, Alice -- her, specifically. He begins the hunt tonight."
"He doesn't know where -- "
He interrupted her. "How long do you think it will take him to cross her scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were out of Laurent's mouth."
I gasped, knowing where my scent would lead. "Charlie! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!" I thrashed against the harness.
"She's right," Alice said. (p. 232)
In this dialogue readers see the differences in how Edward, Alice and Bella think about a single subject as well as the differences in the way they see the same situation.
Through these different elements, Stephenie Meyer was able to tell the story of Twilight to its readers. Through the eyes of Bella Swan, readers saw the world as Bella did and perhaps even felt the emotions that Bella Swan felt.
References
Culler, J. (1997). Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 12, 2009, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59898401
Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Co.
