Epilogue: An Occasion

Summary

STUDY GUIDE / SUMMARY for Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Edward helps Bella into his car; he is wearing a tuxedo and she is wearing a frilly satin dress, her hair done up in curls, and a single stiletto heel - her leg is still in a cast. Edward is taking her to a surprise and she doesn't know what it is. As he drives, Edward receives a phone call from Charlie, who has become less trusting of Edward since the incident in Phoenix. Edward talks to Charlie, laughs, then asks to speak to Tyler Crowley, who is with Bella's father. Edward informs Tyler that Bella is busy this evening and will remain busy every other night. Bella then realizes that Edward is taking her to the prom, which suddenly becomes embarrassingly obvious to her. Edward asks what she was expecting; Bella starts to cry but is comforted when she finds out that the other Cullen children will also be at prom. The only problem is Rosalie, who still acts as if Bella does not exist.

At the school, Edward leads Bella into the gym. Bella protests that she can't dance but Edward takes her on the floor anyway and she starts to enjoy himself. His mood suddenly darkens, however, when Jacob Black enters the gym. Bella tells Edward to behave and Jacob asks if he can cut in. He has grown considerably taller since last Bella saw him, and he admits that he is actually on an errand from his father. Billy Black wants Bella to break up with Edward, and adds under duress the specific message, "We'll be watching." Despite being uncomfortable with Billy's message, he is enjoying being with Bella. Edward then takes over and Bella successfully calms his temper.

Bella asks the point behind taking her to the prom; Edward dances her through the crowd, where she sees her human friends and knows everyone present, and they go outdoors. It's twilight again and Edward says that he brought her to the prom because he didn't want her to miss anything from being human. He wants it to continue as if they'd never met and he died in 1918. Edward presses again on what Bella thought was going to happen and she finally confesses that she thought this night she was going to be transformed into a vampire. Edward tries to joke about it but sees she's serious; he then teases her by feigning to agree to do so, then backing off. He asks if she dreams about being a monster and she says what she dreams about is being with him forever. Edward says he'll stay with her and asks if it's enough; she says it's enough for now. Bella says she loves him more than everything else in the world combined and if that's enough; he says it's enough for forever. He kisses her throat.

Notes

The running joke about Tyler Crowley and prom continues all the way up to its logical conclusion, again illustrating how humans will sometimes deny the truth where vampires are involved. The gym was the setting of Bella's frequent humiliation over her clumsiness, and here becomes a triumph: she not only overcomes her clumsiness, but also her fear of dancing.