I also want to state that, while I will be debating the merits and demerits of Eddie and Jakey, (wtf, I promise never to call them that again) I will not be debating either of them based on looks. I don't care if they're both greek gods or ugly as toads, I only care about their actions, especially where Bella is concerned. Okay, let's begin.
Edward -
- protective
- mature
- unselfish
- always waits for consent
CONS:
- overprotective
- controlling
- old fashioned values
- brooding
What Edward has over Jacob in my opinion is more than the fact that he got to Bella first. Edward seems to consider what is best for Bella first and foremost, over what is best for himself. When he leaves her in New Moon, he does so as a last desperate attempt to keep Bella safe and alive, even though doing so would mean great and eternal sorrow for himself. He would rather he hurt, than she hurt. That is good.
Time and time again, Edward swoops in to protect our heroine. However, he crosses the line from protective to overprotective, often coming across as more of a stalker than a boyfriend. There were times when he told her what she could and could not do and who she was and wasn't allowed to spend time with. That doesn't sit well with me, but he does ease up over time, so it can be forgiven somewhat.
Personality wise, Edward is very serious. He can be playful at times, but for the most part, everything is do or die for him. Bella appears to have a better time with Jacob, as things are easier at first with him. I also think that Bella has a lot of mental health issues that go unresolved in the story. She is clearly codependent with Edward, which is hella unhealthy. On the one hand, she feels safe and comfortable on Edward's short leash, but on the other hand, is that really helping her?
Edward is obviously more mature than Jacob, seeing as he's like 100 years older. This does cause some friction between he and Bella because he has old fashioned values. He demands marriage before he will promise to turn her into a vampire - something that he really doesn't want to do, since he's afraid of destroying her soul and her shot at going to heaven when she dies. Stupidly enough, Bella has a problem with marriage, even though she says that she can't live without the guy and wants to spend the rest of time with him.
Bella also gets pretty frisky at times and wants to get it on with the vamp, but he is afraid that in doing so he will kill her. Not to mention he thinks that premarital sex is wrong. That's all fine and dandy, and it's nice of him to not want to snap her like a sexy twig, but it is a negative thing that he isn't able to easily touch her without wanting to kill her, meanwhile Jacob could.
Most importantly, Edward waits for consent. He would never have kissed Bella without being perfectly sure that it was okay first. If she told him not to do something, he listened to her and respected her.
Jacob -
- fun and easy to be around
- helps Bella out of her depression
- good sense of humor
- selfish
- immature
- manipulative
- uncontrolled temper
- doesn't wait for consent
In the first book, I found myself feeling sorry for Jacob. He clearly had a crush on the girl but she was too blinded by her attraction for Edward to really give him the time of day. Poor him, but also, oh well. That's just the way it is. You can't help who you're attracted to. However, Bella used him and flirted with him just to get info on Edward. Not cool. Girls, don't do this!
Moving on to the second book, after Edward leaves Bella, she is damn near comatose with depression. Jacob serves a positive role in this book, literally being the only ray of sunshine that could leak past the eclipse that Edward left hanging over her personal sun. He has her smiling and happy for the first time in many dark months. The two become fast friends.
Something that she shouldn't have done during book two was to lead Jacob on. She would often let him hold her hand and joke around about how he liked her, without ever realizing that the boy's feelings were real and valid. She selfishly used him for friendship and let the inappropriate things slide, because she didn't want to be alone. See, I told you the chick was codependent.
She does eventually tell him that she only likes him as a friend and that she doesn't think she is capable of being anything more with him. How does he respond? By completely disregarding her feelings and continuing to pursue her, making her feel more and more guilty for feeling the way she does. Not nice. Not okay. Bad doggy.
After Jacob becomes a werewolf, he has trouble controlling his temper. This is potentially very dangerous and even deadly. Exhibit A) Emily's face. 'Nuff said.
He is also a few years younger than her and, at times, very immature. He hit Bella with a low blow by telling on her and getting her grounded by her dad for having a motorcycle, like an actual elementary school kid. He also calls the people Bella loves "bloodsuckers, leeches and vamps," even though it visibly upsets her. Sweet.
As the books go on, Jacob's creepiness intensifies. He often calls Bella, "honey," which is just gross coming out of a teenage boy's mouth. lol He kisses her against her wishes, basically sexually assaulting her and just laughs it off. She literally breaks her hand punching him for it and still, he just laughs at her pain. Real nice. After that, he takes her home to her dad and the dad laughs it off too. Sexual assault is not funny! OMG! NO!
By the third book, Jacob progresses to manipulate sleeze. During a major fight scene, he gives Bella an ultimatum: "Either love me and kiss me and choose me or I'm just going to go kill myself, bye." What the actual fuck is wrong with you, boy? Why would you even want to be with a girl who doesn't want you that way unless you trick her into it? I repeat: Bella is not psychologically normal and okay. You cannot use that to suit your own sick agenda.
My last point against Jacob is that he is a werewolf who will eventually imprint on someone. That someone is not Bella. So, even if she were to choose him, one day, out of either of their control, he would fall madly in love with someone else anyway. Why even waste your time?
I'm not even going to touch the fact that he imprints on Bella's baby...
With all that going against him, it's very hard for me to see why people are Team Jacob by the end. It's also hard to see why people would be on Team Edward, when you really think about it. People really needed to be on Team Bella. The girl needed help. She needed to love herself and be emotionally stable before even attempting to date. Neither of these relationships were very healthy. It's just a shame that she didn't hit it off with poor Mike Newton. He seemed like such a nice guy. I guess you can't really help who you connect with, though.
Just be safe, everyone. The only relationships worth being in are the healthy ones.