72
Popular Culture Review
the disorder come into play during the couple’s interim breakup in the second
novel, New Moon. In New Moon, Edward determines to break up with Bella for
fear for her safety, and as a result, Bella’s world, literally, leaves her—he
completely disappears. As a result, Bella goes into a severe state of depression
and catatonia, refiising to eat, drink, or move. Although she eventually begins to
function physically again, she remains in a devastated state, “. . . like someone
had died . . . It was also [like] losing a whole future, a whole family, [a] whole
life . . . ” (Meyer, New Moon 398). Her reaction, atypical and more extreme for
even the most severe of heartbreaks, suggests a pattern typical for BPDs in that
she experiences extreme sensitivity to frustration, disappointments, or unmet
expectations (Siever par. 1), particularly when Edward, her obsession, leaves her
and engages her fear of abandonment.
Months pass without Edward, and Bella, an empty shell, begins to engage in
behaviors and experience additional symptoms that further reflect evidence of
BPD. For instance, she develops another relationship based on insecurity,
idealization, and fear of abandonment with her replacement-male/best
friend/werewolf-in-disguise, Jacob Black. Devastated, recovering from a
nervous breakdown as a result of the breakup, and still unable to let go of
Edward, Bella befriends J acob, and he quickly becomes her new obsession: “I
felt hideously empty, and I wanted to see Jacob. Maybe I was developing a new
kind of sickness, another addiction . . . I didn’t care . . . Jacob was waiting for
me. My chest seemed to relax as soon as I saw him, making it easier to breathe”
(Meyer, New Moon 162). Knowing that she cannot get over Edward, Bella uses
Jacob and his friendship to pacify her wounds: “I knew I would feel better
tomorrow when I was with Jacob again. That made the empty hole and the
familiar pain easier to bear; relief was in sight.” (193). Bella even recognizes
that she wrongly manipulates the relationship in that “[Jacob] thought that time
and patience could change [her into loving him], though [she] knew he was dead
wrong” (219) However, Bella goes on to admit that although wrong, she will do
nothing to stop it, and will let him try to change the situation (219).
In fact, although presented with another opportunity to move on to another
relationship, Bella instead clings to Edward’s memory almost just as obsessively
as she did to their relationship. She does so in such a manner in which she
purposely and masochistically tortures herself. For instance, she goes to great
lengths to find her and Edward’s special place, their “hidden forest,” in order to
rekindle memories, and doing so also places her in a great degree of danger—
Edward had always warned her not to walk the forest alone for fear of
supernatural creatures that were a direct threat to humans.
Indeed, hiking alone in the forest places her in direct harm when she is
attacked by a vampire, and although she is saved by werewolves, Bella exhibits
other risk-taking behaviors in New Moon. For instance, Bella engages in
recklessly driving, ultimately crashing a motorbike, which leads to a trip to the
emergency room (182). She also willingly walks down a dark alley in the
presence of strange men, which could have easily led to an assault (113). In