[ SECRET POST #1817 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1817 ⌋


Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 07 pages, 165 secrets from Secret Submission Post #260.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeats ]
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
New Year's Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

Comments

[intrigueing.livejournal.com]

YES. I mean, breaking down and being depressed is fine -- hell, I would do the same. It's the fact that Bella's particular style of breakdown (as you described) pretty much sums up the essence of her character, rather than being a unique moment for her, that makes people point to her breakdown as an example of how much she sucks as a character.

I mean, for example, Buffy had a meltdown after her boyfriend died, but no one points to that moment and ridicules her for it. Because oh yeah, she pulled herself out of her depression to help out a broke girl, rescue a load of people from hell and beat up a shitton of demons.

Also, in the actual books (haven't seen the movie) Hermione spent a whole night crying and most of her free time while Ron was gone holed up miserably in her tent, yet she kept on-task and didn't fall apart and become useless. Rather like most of the characters in the border. It's not an either/or thing. The breakdowns in the border are NOTHING like Bella's breakdown.

[(Anonymous)]

I'd like to point out that past that first week when she went catatonic, Bella got up every morning despite her depression, ate, went to school, worked her job, and basically did everything she did before Edward came into her life. She did it all while completely shut off, but at least she did go through the motions, which sometimes when you're severely depressed is the best thing you *can* do.

[(Anonymous)]

Same anon as above.

That is to say, sometimes when you're severely depressed, going through the motions like that is an absolutely heroic effort in and of itself.

[(Anonymous)]

This. I guess a lot of people don't know what a major depression is *shakes head*

[(Anonymous)]

If you are depressed and need to identify with a fictional character, go for it. I'm glad there's something to help you. But if you need everyone else in fandom to applaud a poorly-written depressed fictional character just to justify your own life experiences, shut up.

[luxshine.livejournal.com]

wait, did she? Because I got the impression that she never left the house, between the blank pages on the book and the montage in the movie. I never got the impression that she kept going despite her depression, but that she completely shut down.

[(Anonymous)]

When Alice visits later in the book, Charlie (Bella's dad) tell her that Bella went back to her daily routine/life a week after Edward left. She just shut down on the inside. The book's blank pages and her sitting there in the film were symbolism for how she had died inside or whatever.

[luxshine.livejournal.com]

wow, I didn't remember that part at all, thanks. Not good symbolism in my opinion, since it's easier to remember that than what Charlie said, but it makes things look different.

I still think Bella is a horrible main character, and that hating her is not mysoginistic at all, but it's good to know that she wasn't completely catatonic just because "her" man left her.

[(Anonymous)]

And is it a character flaw for a person to suffer from depression? Or is it just having love be an important part of your life that's a character flaw?

[luxshine.livejournal.com]

No. Being so self-centered that nothing but you and whatever you obsess about matters to the point that everyone else is just window dressing, is a character flaw. Having your whole life depend on a stalkerish, creepy man is a writers' mistake. Which is what I'm complaining about: Stephanie Meyer's horrible portrayal of romance, and her horrid main character to whom I couldn't even warm up a little bit.

And for Bella, love is not an important part of her life. It's the only part of her life. That's it, that's the end game. There's nothing else to her character but her love for Edward, and frankly, I find that horrible in a female character written in this century.

[(Anonymous)]

As someone who struggles from major depression, I don't have a issue with Bella experiencing it.

The problem is that Meyer DOES NOT write her as someone who suffers from clinical depression, but instead has the depression completely attached to her boyfriend leaving her, and then it only lifts once she gets a new man in her life. And not only that, BUT BELLA IS PORTRAYED AS RIGHT AND GOOD AND A ROMANTIC IDEAL FOR HAVING DONE THIS SHIT.

People don't react negatively to her character because she is depressive, but because it is portrayed in a way that makes depression a romantic thing to have. It glorifies it in a way that I find sickening. We never get the perspective that she SHOULD have tried to pull herself out. We never saw that she struggled with it, only that it let it drown her.

If Stephenie Meyer showed us Bella struggling to pull herself out in a way that fully recognized that what she was doing was unhealthy, AND THEN ACTING ON IT (instead of trying to throw herself off cliffs), I would like her character a lot more.

As it is, she is a self-indulgent hollow shell for people to get validation for their extremely unhealthy thoughts from. (Meyer herself said she made Bella for people to step into.)

So yes, I think Bella deserves all the bashing, because as someone who fights a eternal battle with clinical hormones-outta-wack depression (coupled with some bad thought patterns centered around a sickening lack of self worth), Bella says 'hey, it's fine and romantic! You shouldn't even try to pull yourself out- in fact, you should stomp down good thoughts. Unless they involve guys, THEN it is ok to be happy again!'

[cherrycoloured.livejournal.com]

Exactly! I have clinical depression myself and have had those days/weeks where even getting out of bed is difficult. However, it is far from the romantic idea that SMeyer portrays it as. I found her version of something that causes a great deal of pain to my life and lives of many other very hard to take. To me, she didn't even have to get help for it (though that would make it a boring story if she didn't), since it's a very difficult thing to do and many people struggle to admit their problems, it just had to be recognized that what Bella was feeling was unhealthy in some way, even if Bella herself didn't realize it.

[dragonladyk.livejournal.com]

AND CHARLIE. DO NOT FORGET CHARLIE.

I am sorry, but if my kid spiralled like that after her (creepy boyfriend I didn't even like) left her, my first step would be a psychiatrist, followed by a cross-country move or institutionalization if need be. The fact that we don't see Charlie try any sort of desperate measures like that, that the only thing he thinks of is trying to hook her up with Jacob, only adds to the glorification/romanticization/trivialization of depression you pointed out above.

And makes him out to be an incredibly neglectful or else extremely ignorant parent.

DragonLady

[luxshine.livejournal.com]

Thank you for explaining this better than I could.
I hope things are getting easier for you now.

[(Anonymous)]

From the book (Ch. 4):

"After that first week, which neither of us ever mentioned, I hadn't missed a day of school or work. My grades were perfect. I never broke curfew - I never went anywhere from which to break curfew in the first place. I only very rarely served leftovers."

"I'd been careful to avoid all forms of moroseness, moping included".

It also showed in the movie her at school, sitting alone at the "Cullens Table".

It was just the first week that she shut down.