CAPIRAL, Ma. Alyanna Mae L.

Literary Criticism
III- 8 AB/ BSE Literature Dr. Montealegre

Twilight: A Structural Approach

I had watched Twilight in the movie house, primarily because of the great anticipation of
people. Also with the marketing strategy that includes “The hottest book since Harry Potter”
made me wonder what is the movie is about to offer.
Twilight at first glance is your ordinary vampire story. As this paper attempts to prove that
“Twilight” is more than the typical vampire who falls in love with a human, hopefully the paper
will do so. The focus of this paper is to discuss the movie “Twilight” using Structural Approach.
The following questions will be answered in the paper: Propp’s functions (at least five or more)
are really applicable to all stories and narratives.
Also, in Twilight, Meyer romanticizes the concept of being vampire. The vampire skin
glitters when exposed to the sunlight, diamonds that are embedded in their skin makes them
different from humans when exposed to sunlight. Therefore, the Cullens avoid the season when
there is prolonged exposure to sunlight. They reason out that they have to go camping or to have
a vacation.
1. What is the linear structure of “Twilight”?
2. What is the structure of narration?
3. What are the functions applicable to the movie? What are the spheres of action?
4. What are the Binary Oppositions found in the movie?
5. What other texts can be an influence to the concept of the movie “Twilight”?

Linear Structure
Bella having a peaceful life with new school is in the state of equilibrium until she
met Edward. The James, tracker vampire, is the force who will engage in harming the
protagonist, Bella. The Cullens eliminate James; therefore eliminating the force, the movie
moves into equilibrium even there is a threat in the peace in the end of the movie. Victoria
walks in the end with her wrath evident in the scene. More of a teaser of the next sequel of

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the series: New Moon. Victoria considered as the force 2, only she did not take part in that
aspect being Twilight as the first in Meyer’s series.
Like most of the stories, movies and others, Twilight has a linear structure. The movie
started with a deer running, the scene was shot in the forest. After there is a unknown force
that attacks the deer.
Isabella Swan narrates her life, from the scene where her mother and his step dad will
move from Phoenix to live their lives by the road. Bella moved to Forks Washington to live
with her dad. Her dad’s friend together with his son (Jacob) welcomed Bella, and then she
goes to her new school and finds new friends. In a scene in the cafeteria, she asks her friends
who are the students entering the cafeteria. Her friend utters, it is the Cullen’s a group of
mysterious students. Next, when Bella is on her Biology class, she seats beside Edward
Cullen, and he appears to be disgusted by her, much to Bella's confusion. He is gone for
weeks, and when Edward comes back the Bella asked Edward where he had been. A few
days later, Bella is nearly struck by a van, when Edward suddenly appears and stops the
vehicle with his hand. Although he refuses to explain this act to Bella, Edward warns her
against becoming friends with him. In school, Bella and Edward talk again and she asked
Edward to come with her friend in the beach. Edward did not show up, and Jacob tells Bella
that the Cullens do not go in that place, eventually Jacob tells Bella the “ Quilente legend”
about the treaty between two groups (as seen in the movie, The Cullens and the Blacks: the
American Indians) who devours in blood. Upon this, Bella researched about the Quilente
legend, and found a bookstore where she could buy a book that contains information about
the legend. After going to the bookstore, Bella is harassed by some men in that area. Edward
arrives in his car and saves Bella from them. The two eat together in a restaurant, and Edward
tells some of his secrets to Bella but he did not totally reveal that he is a vampire. With all
Bella’s observations and suspicions, she further researches about “cold blooded beings”. The
next day in school, Bella looks in an odd way to Edward without saying anything, Edward
follows Bella in the forest, and Bella confirms her suspicion of Edward’s identity. Edward
tests Bella’s acceptance of his identity by saying that he is the world’s most dangerous
predator. Bella says that Edward wont hurt her, and says that she trust him.
Edward tells Bella his condition and his family being a vampire that only drinks blood of
the animals. Few days later, Edward brings Bella to their house and introduces her to his

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foster family. Also, Edward comes to Charlie’s house to tell him that Bella will be playing
baseball with the Cullens., three nomadic vampires(James, Victoria, and Lauren)arrive and
put Bella's life in danger. James, a tracker vampire, is intrigued by Edward's protectiveness
over a human, and decides to hunt her for sport. Edward and his family put their lives at risk
to protect Bella, but James lures her into a trap by making her believe he is holding her
mother hostage. James attacks Bella and bites her wrist, but Edward, along with the rest of
the Cullen family, arrives before he can kill her. James is destroyed, and Edward sucks the
venom from James's bite out of Bella's wrist, preventing her from becoming a vampire
herself. A severely injured Bella is then taken to the hospital to spend some time recovering.
Upon returning to Forks, Bella and Edward attend their prom and Bella expresses her desire
to become a vampire, which Edward refuses to let happen. The film ends showing Victoria at
the prom watching the pair dance together; ready to seek revenge for the murder of James.

Structure of narration
In few scenes, Bella is the one narrating her story. The movie is told from the point of
view of Bella Swan. We can say that Bella being the main protagonist in the movie is a
reliable narrator; it is a first person point of view.

Vladimir Propp’s Functions

Bella is deemed as the hero, for she is the protagonist in the movie even the Edward
Cullen is also can be considered as the hero in the movie. The chronological events mainly
revolves around Bella, with her narration of the story.
The list of Propp’s functions found in the movie:
12. The hero is tested, interrogated, attacked, etc., which prepares the way for
receiving either magical agent or helper.
Bella is saved by Edward from the vehicle that is approaching her. He pushed the vehicle
with his bare hands in order to save Bella. Also, when Bella is attacked by the vampire,
tracker:James, she is also saved by Edward, also by the other vampires of Cullen Coven.

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 11. The hero leaves home.
Faking a break up, Bella leaves her home. She tells Charlie the exact same things that her
mother told her father when she was leaving him. She leaves their house to ensure the safety
of her father from the hands of James.

5. The villain receives information about his victim.

James found out the plan of Edward. He immediately changed his track. He found basic
information about Bella.

6. The villain attempts to deceive his victim in order to take possession of him.
James called Bella and he deceives her by playing the video of Bella with her mother’s
voice calling Bella. Bella was deceived; she thought that her mother’s life is in danger.

7. The victim submits to deception and thereby unwittingly helps his enemy.
Bella submits herself to James by going to the ballet studio. Thinking that her mother is
with James, she came to the studio, unaware of the deception being plotted by James.

16. The hero and the villain join in direct combat.

At this point, Edward is also considered as the hero. He arrives at the studio ahead of his
siblings. He directly fights James. The Cullens Coven also helped Edward and Bella.

18. The villain is defeated.

With the arrival of the other vampires ( Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Dr. Carlisle) , James is
defeated through twisting his neck, and burned in fire.

22. The hero is rescued.

Even James had bitten Bella; she was rescued by the Cullens. Edward was asked to suck
the poison caused by the bite of James. She end up in a hospital and she is still alive and save
from the human-sucking vampires.

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 Spheres of Action
The figures that dominate the movie are the good vampire ( the Cullens), the evil
vampires ( nomadic vampires), the humans or those ordinary people.

Binary Opposition
The most common and universal binary opposition is found in Twilight. That is the battle
between good and evil. The Cullens or the “vegetarian vampires” versus the Nomadic
vampires, the good as always would win over evil forces. Even the term “vegetarian
vampires” is still questionable for animals are still considered as flesh. For the separation or
the distinction between the vampires, I could accept Meyer’s self defined term “vegetarian
vampires”.

Lines from the movie

“Death is peaceful and life is hard.”

It is Bella’statement generalizing her life, therefore wanting to die in some instance of her
life.

“Your scent is like a drug to me, like my own personal brand of heroine.”
Edward has this strong desire of sucking Bella’s blood. Her scent is like an addicting
agent that Edward wants to be near her most of the time. The effect of Bella’s scent in the
vampire Edward is like a sign of the attachment of Edward to Bella

“I’m a killer; I’m the world most dangerous predator.”

Edward lays the point that him, being a vampire is a threat to Bella. Bella ignores it and
showed her trust and love to Edward that he would not do any harm to her.

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 Intertextuality

1. Vampire legends
2. Werewolf legends
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray

Vampire legends exist in one form or the other in different cultures around the world.
Although vampire “lores” are prevalent in Europe, particularly in the eastern parts, it is not
limited to this area or culture alone. Vampire legends also exist in different parts of the world
(www.buzzle com/articles/the-myth-legend-and-reality-of-the-vampire). There are different
manifestations of these creatures, varying in their habits or description based on the cultures, but
all share the same affinity for blood. For one, we have our own manananggal and aswang
legends. These creatures are known to suck blood and in some cases, eat the vitals of their
unfortunate victims. The Malaysians have their pontianak and matianak. According to their
legends, these creatures are often reincarnated spirits of beautiful women who had been wronged
or simply wandering spirits. They used to lure men in the dark and suck their blood afterwards.

Blood-sucking creatures have been around even during ancient times. The Sumerians
have their Akhkharu or blood-sucking demons. The Chinese have records of the existence of
“hopping corpses” that feeds on chi or the lifes’s essence. Persian folklore mentioned ghouls as
creature that feed on newly buried corpses (the burial practice disregards embalming process, the
corpses being interred intact), draining their blood and eating the vital organs.
Of course, the most famous legends are influenced by the Romanian culture. The legend
of Count Dracula left a mark on how people in general view vampires. Among others, Romanian
legends influenced common beliefs about vampire like the process or reasons that could turn
someone into a vampire (being bitten), how to kill a vampire (a stake in the heart or decapitation)
and the manner of their living (preferring dark places like dungeons).

Werewolves, like vampires, also have their own legends. If vampire legends were
primarily influenced by Romanian Culture, werewolf legends have their roots in Native

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American Folklore. The mention of the Quilente legend in Meyer’s creation is specifically cited
in the movie. The American werewolf is found elsewhere as well. Many of the early settlers
brought their beliefs with them, and either retold old tales, created new ones, or mingled their
European beliefs with local Indian beliefs. Like all folktales and superstitions, these older tales
doubtless hold a lot of exaggerations and plain untruths, but it is not difficult to see that there was
some kind of reality behind these tales which was deeply ground into the psyche of the country
peasants. A reality of half-human half-animal beings which may be good, evil, or simply
annoying, and which were not based on a model of cannibalism and violence.

In the angle of comparison between Twilight and Pride and Prejudice, the following
points were observed. At first Bella and Edward are not in good terms. Bella is puzzled when
Edward gave him a cold shoulder treatment. After having gone for days, the two of them talked
for the first time. Afterwards, Edward save Bella from a running vehicle that might have hit her
if not Edward came into the scene. They had a confrontation scene in the forest where Bella
confirms her suspicions of Edward being a vampire. In the end the two of them fell in love with
each other, proving that even they are with different social or perhaps racial stature, they manage
to overcome it, and they end up with each other in the end. These are the common ground for the
movie being a loose adaptation of the novel of Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice. The novel is
with two opposite characters, with two from two opposing families in terms of being a vampire,
and humans compared with Austen’s novel which showcases two families of different economic
and social status. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, in the end with parallel scenes as Twilight in
some parts mentioned above mentioned. Darcy and Elizabeth are not in good terms in the start of
the novel. With the confrontations they faced they manage to clear the cloud for them. In the end
of the Pride and Prejudice Mr. Darcy helped Elizabeth and they end up together.

In the Picture of Dorian Gray, the protagonist does not age. He looked exactly alike when
his painting was drawn. He possessed elegance and grace of movement, being a gentleman and
all. He had his share of seductions. And as the vampire legends go, these blood-sucking creatures
possessed youth and elegance of character, the former as an effect of their supposed curse, the
latter to served the purpose of ensnaring an unwary victim. You may probably think that

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Mr. Gray is a vampire himself, but don’t be misled. After all, our protagonist does not suck blood
and still go out and enjoy the sunlight. Also, he does not possess superhuman strength commonly
attributed to blood-sucking creatures. Perhaps the common thing between vampires and Dorian
Gray is that they possess very long lives. Of course, Mr. Gray and the vampires also have their
weakness – the picture and decapitation or exposure to sunlight – that could rob them of their
supposed immortality.
A text can be influenced by other texts. It is like the concept of rebirth but in a way
where the text is presented in a different manner, with the unique style of the writers. For many
generations, literature really survives because of intertextuality. Although, may be different but
some the original text/literature still leaves for many generations adapting to time, era, and
milieu.

References:
www.geocities.com/yaiolani/ancient.html
www.rottentomatoes.com/m/twilight
www.en.wikipedia.org
http://www.vampires.com/becoming-a-vampire.html

Movie: Twilight 2008