Discussion Questions
1. Breaking Dawn contained many more twists and turns than the previous titles in The Twilight Saga. Which of the plot lines did you predict? Was there foreshadowing that led you to your prediction? Where? What was the most surprising moment for you?
2. The anticipation was high for the last installment—what did you think would happen that didn’t? Could it have fit into the story? How? And would it have changed the outcome?
3. As Jacob tries to explain Bella’s situation to Charlie, Charlie cuts him off, asking just to know if she’s OK. Based on how much Jacob let slip, do you think Charlie knows the truth? If not, what other conclusions could he have come to about the Cullens, Bella, Jacob, and his La Push friends?
4. Throughout the series, the vampires have displayed a wide variety of special talents. However, until Renesmee’s arrival, we never saw talents passed from one generation to the next. If Alice and Jasper were able to have a child, what might their baby’s special talent be? How about Esmee and Carlisle? Rosalie and Emmett?
5. When Alice and Jasper disappeared, what were your initial thoughts? Did you believe that they were gone forever? What were some other possibilities for them going away? Would it have been possible for them to stay with the family and still protect them? How—and what impact could that have had on the ending?
6. Bella as a newborn vampire has changed in many ways. She has become nimble and confident, and also shows a level of self-control that is surprising to the Cullens. Do these changes seem natural? Did you find yourself getting reacquainted with Bella—and do you think she was doing the same with herself?
7. The scene in the meadow looked to be headed toward a fight-to-the-finish war between the Cullens and the Volturi. What did the Cullens do right to peacefully resolve the situation? What strategic mistakes did the Volturi make that ultimately led to an ending not of their choosing?
8. Since New Moon, we have all believed that Jacob and others in the Quiletes tribe were werewolves. However, in the field Edward refers to them as shape-shifters. Why did Edward use that term? What are the main differences between werewolves and shape-shifters? Why is this distinction important?
9. Renesmee’s talent allows her to communicate in a very unique way. Breaking Dawn presents innocent uses of her talent, however do you think her talent will mature as she does? For example, do you think she could someday be able to manipulate images to show people what she wants them to see? How could this give the Cullens an advantage if the Volturi were to reappear?
10. Stephenie Meyer has noted that each of the novels in The Twilight Saga pays homage to other literary classics. For Breaking Dawn, she has said Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merchant of Venice were the key inspirations. In what ways do you think Breaking Dawn’s structure and key plot points draw inspiration from A Midsummer Night’s Dream? In what ways do these elements differ? The Merchant of Venice, according to Shakespearean scholars is a “problem play”—setting out to explore specific moral dilemmas and current social problems through the central characters. Can you identify characters beyond Bella and Edward that struggled with moral dilemmas in Breaking Dawn? What characters set the stage for social parallels that we see today?
(Questions issued by publisher.)