How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #21
"I thought I would be exempt from the …depression…that accompanies a conscience." (16.80.2) Edward to Bella
Edward had gone through a "teen" rebellion but felt bad about his rebellious choices (i.e., breaking the Cullen diet).
Quote #22
[Alice to Bella and Jasper:] "It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room." (20.112)
The tracker has changed his mind. Whenever a person makes a new choice, the future changes, as does Alice's vision of what's to come.
Quote #23
Slowly, slowly, my thoughts started to break past that brick wall of pain. To plan. For I had not choices now but one: to go to the mirrored room to die. I had no guarantees, nothing to give to keep my mom alive. I could only hope that James would be satisfied with winning the game, that beating Edward would be enough. Despair gripped me; there was no way to bargain, nothing I could offer or withhold that could influence him. But I still had no choice. I had to try. (21.75)
Bella knows her life is over. She hopes that James will be happy enough with her that he won't kill her mother. On a separate note, Bella frequently claims that she has "no choice." Do you agree? Does she truly have no other options?
Quote #24
I was determined not to lose myself at this point, now that my plan was successfully completed. There was no point in indulging in more terror, more anxiety. My path was set. I had just to follow it now. (22.60)
Bella is following what she believes to be her destiny to James and death. Now, it's all about tactics.
Quote #25
"Edward, you have to do it." It was Alice's voice, close by my head. Cool fingers brushed at the wetness in my eyes.
"No!" [Edward] bellowed. (23.38-39)
What's going on here? Is Alice is trying to convince Edward to let Bella become a vampire? He seems mighty upset by the idea. All the same, Edward has a decision to make: he can either let Bella become a vampire, or try to save her by sucking out her venom-infected blood.
Quote #26
[Edward] heard the change in my tone. His eyes tightened. "I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from you, so I suppose that you'll get your way…whether it kills you or not," he added roughly. (24.188)
Edward feels that he has a choice to make. He believes that it would be best for Bella if he left her, but he's unable to make himself walk away from her. Does this make him weak?
Quote #27
[Bella to Edward:] "In what parallel dimension would I ever have gone to prom of my own free will? If you weren't a thousand times stronger than me, I would never have let you get away with this?" (Epilogue.157)
Edward is trying to do what he thinks is best for Bella. He wants her to live a full, human life despite being with him.
Quote #28
[Edward to Bella:] "I brought you to the prom," he said slowly, finally answering my question, "because I don't want you to miss anything. I don't want my presence to take anything away from you, if I can help it. I want you to be human. I want your life to continue as it would have if I'd died in nineteen-eighteen like I should have." (Epilogue.156)
Edward has a different life philosophy than Bella. He wants her to enjoy her average, human life and not miss anything.