Twilight Epilogue Summary & Analysis

Summary: Epilogue: An Occasion

Edward helps Bella into his car. She wears a cast on her leg but is dressed in chiffon and silk, and Alice has done her hair and makeup. Bella doesn’t know where Edward is taking her. Then Edward’s cell phone rings. It’s Charlie, who says Tyler is at his house, looking for Bella. Edward asks to speak to Tyler. Smirking, Edward tells Tyler that Bella is unavailable that night and every night. Overhearing this, Bella suddenly realizes that Edward is taking her to the prom. She’s upset, because she’d assumed that Edward was going to change her that night, but she feels better when Edward tells her that Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie will be there too.

At the prom, Edward slides his feet under Bella’s and dances with her. Jacob Black walks up and awkwardly asks to dance with Bella. He reveals that Billy paid him to warn Bella against staying with Edward, and Bella responds that Edward saved her life. Later, Edward and Bella step outside. Edward explains that he brought Bella to the prom because he doesn’t want her to miss out on any human experiences. Bella admits that she was hoping he was going to change her that night. Edward refuses, but says he’ll stay with her, which Bella accepts as enough for now. Bella declares her love for Edward, and he presses his cold lips to her throat.

Analysis: Epilogue: An Occasion

The epilogue ties up some loose ends in Edward and Bella's story and opens up new story threads for future novels in the series. Edward and Bella's trip to the prom features yet another misunderstanding between the couple. She believes he is planning to turn her into a vampire, but he merely wants to provide a very important "human experience" that he doesn't want her to miss. Although James has been killed, Victoria and Laurent are still at large and’likely angry about James's death. Bella's best friend, Jacob, isn't happy about her relationship with Edward. Furthermore, while Edward and Bella are in a good place "for now," Bella still wants to be a vampire and she hasn't given up on fulfilling that desire while Edward is still dead set against it. The author also uses the epilogue to poke fun at the impracticality of teenage fears. While Bella fears losing Edward or anyone else she loves, she welcomes the idea of becoming a vampire without hesitation. Bella ignores valid fears of Edward hurting or even killing her, but dancing at the prom terrifies her to the core.

Edward and Bella's trip to the prom shows how much each has changed from the beginning of the story, when Edward couldn't stand to be in the same room as Bella and she avoided dancing and dressing up at any cost. Now, Edward can hold elegantly dressed Bella in his arms as they dance. He can resist her begging him to change her. There are other changes too. Bella once hated Forks, but when she's given the chance to move to Florida with her mother, she turns it down. Most significantly, Edward can press his lips against Bella's neck and just kiss her, not desire to bite her. He can enjoy Bella knowing he has self-control. Edward pressing his cold lips against Bella's warm neck symbolizes the power of love overcoming the temptation of evil. Edward has proven again and again that he loves Bella so much that he will not hurt her even if given the opportunity. Bella has taught Edward that becoming a vampire has not taken away his ability to love or his ability to be good and make moral choices.

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