Environmental Consciousness Shown in Twilight

forest31There are several indications in the movie “Twilight,” of environmental consciousness on the parts of Stephanie Meyer and Catherine Hadwicke.

 

Although Bella says the forest gives her the creeps in the book, in the film “Twilight,” the forest is pictured as lush and beautiful, and it has nearly a magical quality. It acts as hunting grounds for vampires and a playground for Bella and Edward.

 

Also, in “Twilight” the movie, Bella, Edward and their classmates go on a special fieldtrip for Biology class. I believe they go to some kind of greenhouse, where they learn about composting and reusing natural resources. The environmental consciousness is most obvious when the Biology teacher actually says, “Green is good,” in order to coax the students onto the school bus.

 

Another feature of “Twilight” the movie that points to environmental consciousness on the parts of the author and the director is the fact that vampires and werewolves are natural predators to one another. Although blood-sucking immortals don’t seem like the most natural phenomenon, the balance that is created by their canine counterparts is indicative of a much larger natural balance (and adds a great plot-point to the movie as well).

 

The back story behind the Quileute legends also adds an element to environmental balance and harmony between humans and animals. When thinking about all of these elements combined, “Twilight” seems like an incredibly environmental movie!

Twilight Inspires Abstinence, Classical Music and Shakespeare

The more I think about some worried parents’ concerns about the “obsessive relationship between Edward and Bella,” I think that the film “Twilight” does more in the way of inspiring beneficial things, rather than dangerous ones (unless you count dating vampires and hanging out with wearwolves).

The fact that Edward Cullen listens to Claire de Lune is huge. The Debussy song can even be found on the soundtrack! Although Mozart is my favorite, and some baroque music may have been more appropriate for the subject matter of the film, it definitely got me interested in at least checking out some more music of that genre.

In addition to that, Bella’s favorite book is Wuthering Heights, and she and Edward watch “Romeo and Juliet” in the novel. I think that these things encourage the average “Twilight” fan to invest some time into valuable cultural mediums.

Another prudent value which the movie and book seem to subliminally support is abstinence. It is too dangerous for Bella and Edward to have sex, so the reader and viewer are forced to made do with a PG 13 love affair. Abstinence is their only recourse.