How we cite our quotes: (chapter.paragraph)
Quote #7
This doesn’t really bother you, does it?" [Jacob] demanded, squeezing my fingers. "No," I sighed. Truthfully, it felt nice. (9.156-157)
Jacob’s warm, human touch alleviates Bella’s pain. But for her, this intimate moment means companionship, not romance (which it is for Jacob). To an outside observer how might their relationship look?
Quote #8
I was an empty shell. Like a vacant house – condemned – for months I’d been uninhabitable. Now I was a little improved… [Jacob] deserved better than… a falling-down fixer-upper. (9.200)
Bella repurposes the image of the deserted Cullen house to represent her own emotional state. Just like the house, she’s been left behind and is empty, without purpose, her insides crumbling.
Quote #9
Without Jacob, and my adrenaline and my distractions, everything I’d been repressing started creeping up on me. The hole in my chest was worse than ever… I found myself hunched over… gasping for air. I wasn’t handling alone well. (10.21-22)
Bella frequently mentions that much of her pain stems from sheer loneliness.