Our fascination with Vampires is not new. It dates back hundreds of years. But they’ve always been portrayed as outcasts, shunned from the world into their dark corner. “Bloodsuckers”, they’ve been called, sleeping in coffins and living in large mansions filled with cobwebs and bats.
I’ve always had an aversion to vampires and was never drawn to Bram Stoker’s Dracula the way I found myself “sucked” in to Edward and Bella’s love story in the Twilight series. Now I am a fast reader, but finishing all four books, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn in a week is a bit obsessive, don’t you think? At the end of the series, I experienced grief and loss, as if my corner of peace had suddenly disappeared, replaced by a reality with not so happy endings.
I discovered solace in their story, the “good vampire” who has the potential of killing humans but has overcome his desire, and thus becomes the protector of humanity. As he falls in love with Bella, who is an ordinary girl like most of us, he struggles with the truth of his potential while being pulled towards the goodness of love. In traditional vampire stories, the female object is often depicted in a robotic manner, unconsciously being drawn towards that which takes away her life force. But in this story, the author highlights the power of true love and how it can create warmth and life in a heartless being. Although it has the power of destruction, Edward and Bella’s love is nourishing.
Besides the fantasy of a beautiful, strong beyond words, perfectly sculpted male partner in the minds of most women, I feel the popularity of Twilight represents a shift in our consciousness. If we, especially the youth of our culture, can move from a place of darkness to light, controlling the inherent destructive forces, then perhaps we can find the good vampire within. Instead of sucking the creative life energy from each other and the environment, we can become the protector of the good and transform humanity.
Rashin D’Angelo
http://www.depthpsychologytoday.com
http://twitter.com/rashin
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