Twilight

In Twilight, Edward meets Bella Swan, a human girl whose thoughts he is unable t
o read, and whose blood smells overwhelmingly sweet to him.[3] He fights a growi
ng attraction to her, but after saving her life on several occasions, he succumb
s and eventually falls in love with her. Edward admits to Bella that he is a vam
pire, and that although he retains the physical body of a seventeen-year-old, he
was actually born on June 20, 1901. His adoptive father, Carlisle Cullen, trans
formed him into a vampire in 1918 to prevent him from dying in the Spanish influ
enza epidemic in Chicago, Illinois by the request of Edward's mother who begged
him to do whatever it took to save him. Carlisle instilled in him a sense of mor
ality uncommon in most vampires, and central to his way of life is the refusal t
o consider humans as food.
However, Edward constantly warns Bella against being with him, perceiving her li
fe to be at risk if she continues to associate with him. Bella's love and confid
ence in Edward's restraint cause her to ignore his warnings, even after she beco
mes the vampire James' target. Unlike the Cullen family, who are "vegetarian" va
mpires (committed to only feeding on animals), James regularly feeds on humans a
nd will not stop until he drinks Bella's blood. With his family's help, Edward i
s able to save Bella from James' predations, but how to assure Bella's continued
safety remains an open question.[4]
New Moon
In New Moon, Edward's fears for Bella's safety intensify when she cuts her finge
r and is almost attacked by his brother Jasper. In an attempt to protect her, he
convinces her that he no longer loves her, and moves away with his family, leav
ing Bella heartbroken. Edward finds it difficult to live without Bella, and beco
mes severely depressed at the prospect of an infinitely long and meaningless lif
e. After he mistakenly learns from his sister Rosalie that Bella has committed s
uicide, Edward attempts to convince a group of Italian vampires, the Volturi, to
kill him. Together with his sister Alice, Bella rushes to Italy and stops Edwar
d before the Volturi can destroy him.
Edward explains why he left, and apologizes to Bella. She eventually forgives hi
m entirely, and they continue with their relationship as though Edward had never
left, with the exception that Bella has ties that cannot be broken with a werew
olf named Jacob Black. Bella successfully seeks the support of Edward's family o
n turning her into a vampire. While Edward is furious at the prospect, he later
agrees to change her himself if she agrees to marry him first.[5]
Eclipse
In Eclipse, Bella agrees to marry Edward on the condition he will make love to h
er while she is still human. Edward eventually relents and agrees, on the stipul
ation it will only occur after they are married. The plot is driven by the machi
nations of the vampire Victoria, who, seeking revenge for the death of her mate
James, is hunting Bella and creating new vampires to build an army. A grudging t
ruce is made between the Cullens and the Native-American werewolf pack led by Sa
m Uley and Jacob Black, a friend of Bella's who was there for her when Edward br
oke her heart. However, the truce is endangered when Bella realizes Jacob means
more to her than she thought. Ultimately, Edward accepts that Bella cares for Ja
cob and successfully destroys Victoria, and Bella acknowledges that Edward is th
e most important person in her life. Edward tells Bella that they may attempt ma
king love before they get married, as he realizes that she spends too much of he
r life trying to please other people. However, she refuses his offer and agrees
to doing things the way Edward initially wanted: marriage, making love, and then
becoming a vampire.[6]
Breaking Dawn
Breaking Dawn sees Edward and Bella marry. Bella becomes pregnant on their honey

moon, and the rapid growth of the half-human, half-vampire fetus swiftly impacts
on Bella s health. Edward tries to coerce her into having an abortion in order to
save her own life. However, Bella feels a bond with her unborn child and insist
s on giving birth. Edward comes to feel love for the baby as well, after he hear
s its thoughts and learns that the baby loves Bella in return. Bella nearly dies
giving birth in an emergency c-section, but Edward successfully delivers his da
ughter and then injects Bella's heart with his venom, healing her wounds by turn
ing her into an immortal vampire. During Bella's painful transformation, Jacob i
mprints on their baby daughter, Renesmee.
After a vampire named Irina mistakes Renesmee for an immortal vampire child a crea
tion forbidden in the vampire world the Volturi arrive to destroy the Cullens. Edw
ard stands with Bella and their allies to convince the Volturi that Renesmee is
not an immortal child and poses no threat to their existence. Once the Volturi l
eave, Edward and Bella feel free to live their lives in peace with their daughte
r.[7]
Characterization