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Who are the protagonist and antagonist in the first Twilight book?

Quick answer:

The protagonist in the first Twilight book is Bella Swan, as the story revolves around her experiences and relationships, particularly with Edward Cullen. The antagonist is less straightforward; while James poses a direct threat, the deeper conflict is the inherent differences between Bella's humanity and Edward's vampirism. These differences create the primary obstacle to Bella's desire to be with Edward, suggesting that Bella's humanity itself serves as the antagonist.

Expert Answers

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The protagonist is the most important character in the story.  In this text, that's Bella!  We want her to adjust to her new life in Forks, we want her to fit in, we want her to find out what is going on wth Edward, and to overcome all of their differences and be together.

In the first book of the series, it would be easy to assume that the antagonist is James.  He stands in the way of Bella and Edward.  However, you really have to think about the forces fighting against Bella, and that is either we humanity or Edward's vampirism.  If they were both humans or both vampires, they would have virtually no obstacles and would be able to be together.  But it's their differences keeping them apart.  Therefore, you could argue that Bella's humanity, since she wants to be a vampire, is the antagonist.

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