So it’s 2015, which means that statistically, you’ve both heard of Stephanie Meyer’s "Twilight" series and the opinions of the incredibly vocal critics of the series. And to be sure, there is a lot to criticize about this novel series; Edward is creepy, Bella is boring, the story plays into sexist tropes and stereotypes, and there’s nothing particularly interesting about the series’ story unless you’re a teenager who buys into Meyer’s unhealthy vision of romance.
Except that last point isn’t entirely true. See, "Twilight" is actually filled with some downright fascinating characters whose existence bring up questions on the nature of violence, what love means in a hopeless context, and how limiting oneself can bring peace. I’m, of course, referring to one of her minor characters specifically, and the one character that these questions come through is Jasper.
A little background first: Jasper is part of the Cullen family, but unlike most of the family, he wasn’t turned by Carlisle. He was turned by Maria, a vampire he met while serving as a Major in the Confederate Army, and developed a psychic empathy, or the ability to feel other people’s emotions, upon turning. After a while, he turned on Maria, and fled north, where he eventually met Alice, whose visions led the both of them to the Cullen family.
Now the concept of a Confederate Major being turned into a vampire is pretty damn cool on its own, but what’s particularly interesting about Jasper beyond that is the way his character arc relates to those three questions I mentioned above. First, his psychic empathy gives him the ability to feel and control every emotion the people around him feel, and as a result, he’s forced to deal with the true nature of violence and killing. Every single time he takes someone else’s life, he is forced to share in their fear, and forced to confront the horrific nature of the violent acts he commits. Of course, to his knowledge, he can’t stop killing, as there is no other way to feed, and so he is driven into a state of depression and hopelessness, until he meets Alice.
Alice is the first person to give Jasper hope. Her plucky and optimistic demeanor inspires him, and he falls in love with her, despite his hopeless situation*. She then shows him that he can survive off animal blood, giving him the ability to end his violent ways and become more peaceful. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Japser becomes perfect, and we see in New Moon that he has to control his bloodlust more carefully than the rest of the Cullen family, as the sight of blood can still set him into a frenzy if he hasn’t fed in a while.
Of course, none of this comes through in the forefront of Meyer’s story; they’re only mentioned in passing when Jasper relays his story to Bella in Eclipse. But they are there regardless, and the fact that this interesting of a story is located in "Twilight" speaks to the unrealized potential of Meyer’s world. After all, can you imagine a novel or film focused on the story of a Confederate vampire forced to experience the pain of everyone he kills? I sure can, and it makes me wish Meyer had had the sense to see how much more interesting Jasper’s story is when compared to anything that happens to Bella or Edward.
*I’m aware that this falls into the harmful stereotype of the “manic pixie dream girl” bringing “sad and depressed guy” out of a slump with her quirky happiness, and I find it just as problematic here as anywhere else.
