Student Question
Why is Rosalie jealous of Bella in the "Twilight" series?
Quick answer:
Rosalie is jealous of Bella because she envies Bella's humanity and the choices Bella can make, which Rosalie was denied when she became a vampire. Rosalie feels Bella is wasting her human life by wanting to become a vampire. Additionally, Rosalie is envious because Edward desires Bella, not her, despite Rosalie's beauty. Rosalie's jealousy also stems from her belief that Bella's involvement with Edward could bring problems to the Cullen family.
The passage that explains Rosalie's feelings is in Chapter 7 "Unhappy Ending" of Eclipse. Rosalie describes her human life in 1933, when she was proud and shallow, engaged to a man of a high social class who was handsome. It was a shallow engagement, based on social status instead of love. After her fiancee raped her, she was left for dead, and Carlisle found her. As a vampire, Rosalie had her revenge.
She explains to Bella that she is jealous for several reasons, first, that Edward desired Bella, and not her. Even though Rosalie isn't in love with Edward, she couldn't imagine anyone not desiring her, because she is so beautiful. Second, she explains that she is envious of Bella because of her humanness, "Don't you see, Bella?...You already have everything. You have a whole life ahead of you -- everything I want. And you're going to throw it...
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away. Can't you see that I'd trade everything I have to be you? You have the choice that I didn't have, and you're choosing wrong!" (Page 166).
In chapter 15 we learn that Rosalie is jealous of Bella because Bella is human. Rosalie has never really adjusted to the vampire transformation and would give anything to be "human." Rosalie also has a concern about Bella being involved with Edward. She is adamant that Bella will cause the Cullen family problems. She does not agree with Bella'a desire to be "changed." Rosalie is prejudice against Bella because she is human. Rosalie carries this to the extreme when she doesn't want to help protect Bella against the "tracker" vampires. She just wants Edward to stop seeing Bella and get her out of their lives.