Do you have any thoughts on why Edward Cullen loves Bella Swan and not any of the other girls in Forks or even all over Washington State (from Twilight)?
This is going to be a largely unpopular opinion. Let me start by saying before I go any further that I am a huge Twilight fan. I love the fan fictions. I am not at all an Edward fan though. Based mostly on my real life experience with a person a lot like Edward. That said here I go:
I think Edward targeted Bella not loves her out of everyone. I believe that he saw her as the perfect target to get what he needed and what he thought he would make him happy. I base this fact on the fact that it is exactly this thought process of many abusive and controlling people. They go for those who are vulnerable, giving, and love full throttle.
Now, you may be wondering how I can say Edward was abusive and controlling and asking how Bella was vulnerable. Please allow me to explain.
Edward was constantly playing the push/pull game many abusers favor. He tells her they should not be friends (all the while stalking her and watching her sleep at night) then turning around and doing something to confuse the message and give her the impression that they could be friends. This constant undermining of her reality puts her in a constant state of confusion and also makes her question if she is the problem. She then overcompensates to prove herself worthy of his friendship and affection. So he gaslight her and undermined her reality all the while making her question her self esteem which is already low thanks to her having to be the parent to her mother.
Another way he controls her is through his flying monkey of a sister Alice. It does not matter if the intention was good, Alice and Edward both knew that Bella was not comfortable being forced to play ‘Bella Barbie.’ And both forced her into it . Not only did they not listen to her boundaries they enforced that their view of her was the only right one. If she did not wear what Alice bought then she would not fit in with the family or be accepted. There was a way to compromise but it was Edwards way and Alice’s way with Bella having absolutely no autonomy. You can also see this when Bella is forced into having a birthday celebration. She is in fact emotionally blackmailed when she expresses discomfort with having one. She is forced to do what others what for a day supposed to be celebrating her-so it actually becomes a day for them and not her. If they truly cared they would have accepted it and passed her a small card, because they also know she does not like money spent on her.
Further instances of this include when Edward forced his choice of vehicle on her because she is ‘fragile’ and he is worried. Really? I mean valid feelings, but taking away her free will her is just wrong.
While on the subject of vehicles let’s talk about how Edward dismisses Bella’s love of her truck. He actually insults her truck to her and goes so far as to temporarily disable he truck not only to stop her from visiting friends he deems inappropriate but because of he actually messed it up permanently it would not have bothered him one bit. The truck meant nothing to him even though Bella treasured it. Her father got her that truck. She loves that truck no matter how it looks and sounds. An act of love would have been repairing it not replacing it. Heck it still probably would have been more affordable then the monstrosity she was forced to drive in because it was ‘safer’ for her. If that did not work he still could have gotten her a nice inconspicuous vehicle rather than the flash he got. He knows Bella does not like attention, yet he forced her into situations where the attention was inevitable. A rare make of a car is a huge flashing ‘look’
Let’s talk about these ‘inappropriate’ friends and how he isolated her. We know he went so far as to mess with her truck so she could not see them. We also know he has Alice watching her every move, he says so when he tells her Alice saw her future go blank so he knew she was going to go to the Reservation. We also know that once they started dating she promptly stopped doing anything with her other friends. Which is a normal thing you find in many teens, and another warning sign. Again this is also a symptom of her upbringing and another vulnerability Edward exploits to turn her into his perfect mate.
So Bella stops spending time with anyone outside of Edward and his family. Or Alice rather. Alice who also disregards Bella’s wishes and boundaries, constantly spouts Edwards virtues and is always on his side, excusing any bad behaviors he makes. Like when he leaves Bella This means Bella has no one outside to reach out to. Her previous run in with the nomad and having to lie to protect her dad now makes her unsure if she could ever approach him with a problem.