Port Angeles

Last summer we were on our way out to Washington State to visit our friends Pepi & Barbara. They live in Sequim, just outside of Port Angeles. I love traveling, but I'm not an ace at it, so what is an absolute must in my carry on bag is always a book. My sister Crissi and I call these particular books "Airplane Books." They don't have to be the depth we usually like to read; the requirement is they have to distract me from the anxiety of the flight. So, I choose very carefully what book accompanies me on any journey.

It was the night before we left for Pepi & Barbara's, and I was looking for my Airplane Book. I had picked up a few books recently and was scanning through them to see what might be the best distraction. Although I must admit I can judge a book by its cover, I am far more likely to judge it by the table of contents. I picked up one book and thumbed through the chapter titles. One was called "Port Angeles." I was immediately intrigued since that is where I was heading in a matter of hours! I decided this was the one - I couldn't believe the irony.

The book I chose was Twilight by Stephenie Meyers. Wildly popular, I had seen it in book shops everywhere, but it hadn't raised my interests until recently. A story of vampires rarely raises my interest. A teen romance even less! But the cover definitely caught my eye - two outstretched hands holding a shiny red apple. It reminded me too much of my own company logo to not want more information. Then, I noticed this quote within the first few pages:

...but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.
Genesis 2:17

Needless to say, now I was intrigued. So, I packed my bag, threw in Twilight, and read like crazy on the plane. Within just a few days I was done, and that was impressive since I was on vacation and we had a lot going on!

My friend Marcia teases me in our book club because I always dog ear my pages and write notes in the margins of my books. I underline lines I like or want to come back to at some point. I like to devour my books. I love when a book looks well read. The irony about my Twilight read and fascination is that I did not dog ear one page, nor did I make one single note in the book. Like I said, it certainly wasn't the deepest book I'd ever read, not by a long shot. It was a barnburner, however, and I just enjoyed the read for the pure simplicity of it.

I also found myself looking for divinity in those pages, and I guess that comes as no surprise. I started to consider the theological questions raised by Meyer’s vampires – immortality, love, souls, passion, death, resurrection, fate, wholeness, and despair. As I plowed through the rest of the series, I found myself longing for her to linger longer on the divine she waves at but never completely greets.

Meyers is Mormon, and definitely claims that her faith influenced her books. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's in English. She admits her publisher sent a publicist out "to make sure, as Meyer says with a laugh, ''I wasn't wearing a skirt over my jeans or something.'' She quotes in Entertainment Weekly:
"Oh yeah. I grew up in a community where it was not the exception to be a good girl. It was sort of expected. And all of my friends were good girls too, and my boyfriends were good boys. Everybody was pretty nice. And that affects how I write my characters. There aren't very many bad guys in my novels. Even the bad guys usually have a pretty good reason for the way they are, and some of them come around in the end. I don't see the world as full of negatives."

This gives insight into these tales, which Meyers claims is about a "normal girl" citing that there are few "normal girls in literature." Normal, perhaps, except for her relationships with vampires. And these vampires, it seems, are very concerned about their immortal souls.

Oddly enough, or perhaps not so much, Twilight related merchandise is appearing as Valentine's Day approaches this week. It is not odd since the vampire character Edward Cullen is a favorite among teenage girls. It is not odd since there was a recent movie made of "Twilight." Love, passion, et all exist in the story. But for me the oddity is our own relationship with Valentine's Day. You may remember is it actually Saint Valentine's Day. The history of the saint is sketchy at best, with as many as three Valentines named in history and a long list of celebrations. In the late 1960's the Catholic Church removed any formal celebration for Saint Valentine, largely due to the anonymity of the saint. He is still a Saint, however, just without an official church celebration, and the best guess at his story is a gruesome one. When the Roman government needed men for the army in the late 200's, the Emperor outlawed marriage. The story goes that Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young couples, as well as to fall in love himself. He signed notes to his beloved, "From Your Valentine." The result of his actions of love was that Valentine was beaten and decapitated as a martyr. Not unlike Twilight,, there is something quite monstrous in that.

Twilight issues an invitation, if we look closely enough, to explore our own thoughts of what lies beyond. What is the nature of monsters (not all of which live outside the church)? What draws us to love others? What motivates our decisions? Where does God fit in all of this? What are the roots of our morality?

Theology and history and modern writing often combine to give us a new look at faith. For Twilight, for Valentine, for love, for hope - for these things I am grateful. Happy reading - happy Valentines Day!

In Wisdom,
Brandi Calhoun Diamond

There will be no Apple on February 15, 2009.

For more complete articles on Stephenie Meyers and her faith, visit:
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:cKSUGzaJv5EJ:www.ew.com/ew/article/0...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20213067_20213068_20211938,00.html
http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/bio.html

For a brief story of St. Valentine history, visit:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/lifestyle/10947042.asp?gid=244