Twilight

Tall, handsome, and pale-skinned, with red-brown hair and eyes that change from black to dark golden, Edward Cullen is a vampire in a coven that hunts not humans but animals for their blood. Though young-looking, he’s nearly 100 years old. He falls hard for Bella, and she for him, but he struggles with his intense romantic feelings for her, which overlap his natural urges to hunt humans. Edward’s great task is to get control over his instincts, protect Bella, and develop a relationship with her. He’s the second main character, a protagonist who might also be an antagonist, and, like Bella, contains a complex and driven personality.

Tracker-vampire James discovers that the Cullens are protecting a human, Bella; in his perverse mind, that’s just the challenge he likes, and he sets about hunting her. Extremely cunning, James manages to detach Bella from her protectors and is at the point of killing her when he’s interrupted by a very angry group of Cullens. James enters the story late as a surprise antagonist who challenges Bella and Edward’s ability to protect themselves from outside dangers.

Alice, one of the newest members of the Cullen family, can’t remember her life as a human. Bella learns from vampire James that Alice grew up in a dark, sunless asylum because her strange ability to foresee the future was considered a form of insanity. She thrives, though, as a vampire. The liveliest of the Cullens, Alice immediately takes to Bella and becomes the sister Bella never had.

Forks Chief of Police Charlie Swan is Bella’s father. Hard-working but taciturn, Charlie cares deeply for his daughter and will do anything to protect and help her as she deals with life as a teenager in a small town. Surprised that Bella chooses Edward as a boyfriend, he likes the Cullen family and accepts Edward, though he’s completely unaware that the Cullens are vampires. Charlie treats Bella well, and in his house, she can rest and study quietly. He serves as one of Bella’s anchors of stability; he’s also the worried father whom Bella must sometimes sneak around to see Edward when she wants.

Bella’s mom, Renée, loves her daughter but is so hopelessly disorganized that Bella sometimes has to mother her. Long divorced from Charlie Swan and living with Bella in Phoenix, Renée marries a minor-league ball player, Phil Dwyer. Phil travels a lot for work, which puts a strain on Renée, who wants to be with him but also must take care of Bella at home in Phoenix. Bella decides to move to Forks and live with her father so Renée can be with her new husband. Renée is a minor character, but her situation with Phil triggers the plot.

Chatty and sociable, smart but a bit shallow, Jessica attaches herself early on to Bella and becomes her best friend at school. Jessica has a thing for Mike Newton, but Mike has a crush on Bella, who, in turn, is interested in Edward; adroitly, Bella re-directs Mike’s attention toward Jessica. Jessica likes Bella and is grateful for her help with Mike, but she also is drawn to her because Bella is popular. Jessica serves mainly as a gabby contrast to Bella’s quiet shyness.

Leader of the Cullen coven and family, Carlisle Cullen works in Forks as a doctor. Centuries-old and long resistant to human blood, Dr. Cullen is widely admired in town, and he’s a compassionate father to his adoptive clan of vampires. He welcomes Bella into the family and later saves her life when an outside vampire tries to kill her. Carlisle is the rock on which the Cullen family stands and a wise leader. His family’s closeness is something Bella admires and craves.

Fifteen-year-old Jacob Black, son of Charlie Swan’s best friend, Billy Black, lives on the Quileute reservation at La Push. He befriends Bella, who knew his family when she visited as a child. Jacob tells her stories about Quileute werewolves who fought vampires; the tales alert Bella to the truth about Edward. Jacob’s appearances in the story are few; later in the book series, he becomes the third most-important character. Jacob’s main function in the book is to transmit to Bella the Quileute knowledge about the Cullens. He also provides Edward’s character with opportunities to display and struggle with possessive jealousy.

A close friend of Charlie Swan, paraplegic Billy Black is an elder in the Quileute Nation centered on the La Push reservation. He’s a party to the Quileute’s historic antipathy toward vampires, and though he honors the truce between his people and the Cullens, he worries that Bella will ruin her life by dating Edward. Billy’s character is a type of “Greek chorus” that rises up periodically in a story to warn the antagonist of dangers that lurk nearby. Usually, the protagonist is immune to such warnings, with disastrous results; in the story, Bella nearly validates Billy’s concerns.

Esme, wife of Carlisle, is the quietest of the Cullens, but her love for the family helps keep it grounded. Delighted that Edward has finally found love, she immediately assumes a protective role and watches over Charlie when Bella leaves him to confront James in Phoenix. Her strong advocacy for Bella’s membership in the family forges a link between them that anchors Bella and encourages other family members’ support.

Married to Emmet, Rosalie is startlingly beautiful, but she keeps Bella at a distance, as she believes the girl threatens the family. Rosalie and Jasper share the same last name, as they look similar, which makes it convenient to pretend, among the humans at their high school, that they’re twins. Rosalie serves the plot as back-pressure against the Cullen family’s support for Bella and Edward’s friendship—she worries that Bella’s presence will get the Cullens into trouble, and she’s jealous of Bella’s humanity, something taken from Rosalie at a young age. Her resistance throws sand in the otherwise smoothly functioning Cullen family; this adds realism to their dynamic.

The largest and physically most powerful of the Cullens, Emmet is married to Bella skeptic Rosalie but supports the family’s decision to accept Bella into their midst. He’s cheerful, athletic, resolutely loyal to his family, and always ready for a fight to defend them. With Jasper, Emmet kills the vampire James when he tries to hunt Bella. He’s a minor character; his main purpose in the story is to help flesh out the Cullens.

Newest Cullen member Jasper Hale isn’t as good at resisting human blood as the rest of his adoptive family; wisely, he keeps his distance from Bella but supports Edward’s relationship with her. Jasper has a unique ability to change people’s moods, calming or elating them as needed. Often during a family argument, he can cool down everyone there, and the disagreement remains cordial. Jasper serves the plot as an interesting Cullen family varietal. (He has a larger role in the Twilight sequels.)

Tall, shy, and sweet, Angela becomes a friend to Bella, who appreciates her quiet ways. Bella sets her up with Eric, a boy who has shown interest in Bella but is better suited to Angela. She’s a minor character but, like Bella’s house, serves as a calming refuge from the stress and noise of Bella’s other relationships. 

Losing control of his van, young Tyler nearly kills Bella by accident; after that, guilt-ridden, he’s overly attentive toward her. Tyler decides they’ll attend Prom together, but Edward takes great pleasure in disabusing the boy of his assumption. With Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, and Jacob Black, Tyler is one of several boys who vie unsuccessfully for Bella’s interest.

One of the first boys at Forks High School to show an interest in Bella, Mike treats her with overeager friendliness; to her, he’s more like a puppy than a suitor. Mike’s father owns a sports outfitter store north of town, and Bella and several other students meet there during a trip to La Push. Mike’s character serves to alert Bella to her own attractiveness; he also is a foil for Edward’s jealousy.