Chapter 3 - Phenomenon
(This is one of my favorite chapters. I admit that back in high school, I’ve had a fear of getting slammed by a car in the high school parking lot–and my secret dream is to get saved by a vampire (!).)
Phenomenon opens with solid frost and snow, and unless you’ve lived in a snowy environment, this doesn’t immediately connote danger–especially with regards to driving. Bella doesn’t like the snow, but goes about her normal task, drives to school. She notices that her truck runs smoother than usual, parks, and checks to find that snow chains have been installed! She feels emotionally overwhelmed that her father had installed them–and this emotional digression leads up to the accident, where Tyler’s van spins out of control on a collision path to Bella!
What’s interesting is that Bella seems very conscious of the things that other people missed. This continues from the previous chapter, back in Biology class, where she found it odd that Edward would know to call her “Bella,” instead of “Isabella,” and that she saw the difference in his eyes (thereby not allowing Edward the pretense of pretending to be human with her). She saw that Edward had rushed over with supernatural speed to save her, and even dented the van with his hand. She doesn’t fear him, though, despite this difference. She’s bold enough to be annoyed at him, and to confront him on this…
Before the chapter ends, we see Bella’s peers and parents responding to the accident; note how much concern her peers have for her at this point–the entire school in the waiting room. The chapter ends with Bella stating this was the first night she dreamt of Edward Cullen.
Today’s discussion transcript is here.
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