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TA TALKS BACK: DID ALICE REALLY NOT SEE THAT?

Posted May 12th, 2009 By: flick 19 Comments »

TA member Anitamichichi talks about Alice’s premonitions before the infamous birthday party.

 

Did Alice really not see that? by Anitamichichi

In light of New Moon well under production, and the very anticipated birthday scene I’m looking forward to. Here’s something to get all you TAers thinking-it’s something I’ve really been curious about lately.

This thought came to me when I strolled upon a fanfic that was spinning off of Alice’s P.O.V. during the tragic birthday scene in New Moon. The writer wrote Alice’s thoughts that go more along the lines of her seeing the possibility of Jasper attacking Bella but she cast the premonition aside thinking Jasper would never do such a thing. Ever since I read that, my mind has been constantly bickering at me with the thought.

So my question is, did Alice really not see that? Now, before some of you jump to conclusions, I am not trying to say that Alice would’ve let Bella get attacked (Puh-lease. I’m convinced Alice fell in love with Bella way before Edward even did!) if she did see Jasper’s decision set (The outcome of Bella being attacked was a “snap” decision from Jasper after all). If that were the case, Edward would’ve taken Bella out of the situation immediately. However, if any of you have read the partial draft of Midnight Sun (Warning: Spoilers are in this article) we get to not only read from Edwards lovely P.O.V, but we also see the inner workings of the rest of the Cullen’s minds. Being that Jasper is one of the Cullen family’s newest members, and for spending decades following the regular vampire diet, the vegan diet is especially difficult for him. Therefore, this leads him to constantly be thinking of any human’s scent and always imagining drinking the blood from them. So this leads to Alice and Edward always constantly keeping tabs on Jasper to make sure he stays in check. Alice is always looking into his future, and Edward is always reading his thoughts. Having Bella added to the situation certainly doesn’t make it easier for Jasper’s self-restraint. You can tell it even slips when Edward brings Bella home to meet the Cullens (Remember in Twilight Edward eyeing Jasper closely? Jasper was definitely having a hard time there).

So back to New Moon’s birthday scene. My point is the possibility/thought of Jasper attacking Bella was definitely there. I think Alice just has a little too much confidence in Jasper at this point. Confidence that he wouldn’t slip, let alone with Edward’s mate. So are you still having doubts? Are you thinking I could be making this out of thin air and that this is a fluke? Need proof? Just read below! An excerpt from the first chapter of Midnight Sun. This takes place in the cafeteria on Bella’s first day of school:

“Jasper was very dangerous right now.
At that moment, a small girl paused at the end of the closest table to ours, stopping to talk to a friend. She tossed her short, sandy hair, running her fingers through it. The heaters blew her scent in our direction. I was used to the way that scent made me feel-the dry ache in my throat, the hollow yearn in my stomach, the automatic tightening of my muscles, the excess flow of venom in my mouth…

This was all quite normal, usually easy to ignore. It was harder just now, with the feelings stronger, doubled as I monitored Jaspers’ reaction. Twin thirsts, rather than just mine.

Jasper was letting his imagination get away from him. He was picturing it-picturing himself getting up from his seat next to Alice and going to stand beside the little girl. Thinking of leaning down and in, as if he were going to whisper something in her ear, and letting his lips touch the arch of her throat. Imagining the hot flow of her pulse beneath the fine skin would feel under his mouth…

I kicked his chair.

He met my gaze a minute, and then looked down. I could hear shame and rebellion war in his head.

‘Sorry,’ Jasper muttered.

I shrugged.

‘You weren’t going to do anything,’ Alice murmured to him, soothing his chagrin. ‘I could see that.’

I fought back the grimace that would give her lie away.”

So what do you guys think? Was Alice just a little to confident in Jasper in New Moon? Do you think it’s impossible? Any other of Alice’s visions you question? Did I get you thinking?

Talk back to us….what do you think?







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  • Stephanie

    I can’t remember where I read it and who said it it may have been Stephenie Meyer herself but I read somewhere that Alice didn’t see Jasper going to attack Bella before it happened because she can only see things when the person in question makes a decision and Jasper did not decide to attack Bella lol he saw and smelled her blood and attacked her automatically like a reflex I really don’t think Alice was overconfident in Jasper I truly do not believe she knew what Jasper was going to do before he did it

  • nise7465

    I don’t think ALice saw it coming because there would have been no way for her to KNOW Bella was going to get that pivotal paper cut that changed everything. Knowing that Bella always has that potential for diaster and Jasper’s difficulty with the family way of life had both of them under Alice’s scrutiny, but I don’t see how ALice could have seen it based on the fact that Bella didn’t decide to cut herself.

    Just my take on it……

  • Megan Spilman

    Could it be that the decision to kill Bella was all based on Bella’s decision to open her present thus getting a papercut. The papercut was the catalyst, and since Bella a. did not want attention surrounding her birthday in the first place and 2. didn’t neccesarily know she would be opening gifts in front of everyone… Alice may not have been able to see Jasper that many steps ahead. I don’t think that Jasper was dangerous in the context of the bday party, until Bella cut her finger, so of course Alice wasn’t concentrating on Jasper.

    It’s kind of like the car crash scene in Twilight. Alice was there with Edward when Tyler’s van spun out of control. She didn’t see it until Tyler decided to drive too fast on the ice and Edward was only tipped off to the accident seconds before it happened. SO again with the bday scene, as soon as Alice saw what Jasper would do to Bella, Edward interceded. I think Alice makes her best premonitions based on big decisions… Alice probablly couldn’t as accurately predict such mundane every day decisions as opening a gift.

  • Jen

    I think that when you love someone, you want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes that can cloud your judgment or opinion of them. I think that she might have moments of overconfidence, but for the most part, she’s trying to instill confidence in Jasper. She’s building up the one she loves. With the birthday party scene, I don’t think she’d see that coming. Bella didn’t plan to cut herself, Jasper didn’t plan to attack her. I think that Alice’s small slips (if you want to see it that way)serves to make her a more realistic character. By the end of the Saga, none of the characters are infallible. People wouldn’t connect with a perfect character. Even Carlisle isn’t perfect, he was lonely before Edward.

  • http://twitter.com/j_sweets Jenna Hough

    Could you please twitter me or reply, where in the book does it say that Alice had even thought about that? I guess I missed that one. Or are you saying someone else wrote that? If someone else did, my view on it is that, this incidence fell into the category of future change. Her visions change depending on what happens. Well I’m just assuming what may have happened was, her vision was a nice peaceful birthday. Then all of a sudden she gets a paper cut and the future changes, but unfortunately it was to close to the bad reaction to have any idea of stopping it before hand. I’m assuming that is what you are asking, and that is what I think about the visions of Alice as for that incidence. I think all and all she does a fantastic job at keeping up with everyone and dealing with these thoughts 24/7. Have a great Tuesday!

  • twilmom

    I don’t think she would have seen it coming until Bella was careless and cut her finger. Instantly, Edward was reading Jasper’s mind and reacting(maybe overreacting, I love Edward) as Jasper lunged for Bella. Maybe Alice was “seeing” Bella enjoying their gift, until she went and cut herself. I don’t think Alice would have taken the chance if she had time to react. Jasper had moved in closely to see Bella open the CD they had made. I wonder what Alice’s contribution was to it? Maybe her idea? maybe she sings or plays on it? I hope we find out someday…..

  • Ina

    I think Alice couldn’t see it coming, because she only gets visions of something, that people decide. But Jasper didn’t decide to attack Bella. He didn’t mean to hurt her. Actually it was just his instinct which he couldn’t supress with Bella bleeding in front of him…
    But that’s just my theory xD

  • ashlyn

    Huh, this makes me really think about other visions Alice said. Were they all true? Of course, this is a novel .. and Stephenie wrote it. So, we could turn to her for answers?!

    Anyway, I can’t wait to read Midnight Sun! I’m so excited from reading that mini passage! WHEN WILL IT BE OUT IN STORES?!?!

  • Melissa

    I think Alice didn’t “see” it beforehand because it was a split second thing. I’m sure bella didn’t know she would get a papercut, and jasper didn’t make the decision to attack her until she did. Alice can only see the path that people are on at the moment, so she wouldn’t have seen Jasper attack Bella until he decided to do so, which was just a second after she cut herself. The possibility of something like that happening was always there, just like it is for Jasper to be around the other kids at school, but she wouldn’t have been able to see that specific attack beforehand.
    Speaking of Alice seeing things, why did she not see Bella deciding to sneak away from them at the airport in Twilight? She only saw her in the ballet studio.

  • Addicted to Edward

    I don’t think Alice foresaw Jasper attacking Bella because it was a spur of the moment thing. It’s not like Jasper had decided he would attack Bella if she ever ended up bleeding. THAT is something Alice would have seen because it was decision.

    As for the scene quoted from Midnight Sun, on that day it had been two weeks since Jasper last hunted so he was particularly thirsty. I’m sure every time Edward brought Bella around he made sure Jasper had just hunted. :-)

    What always bothers me about the scene is that just a few months prior to that, Jasper was in the same room as Bella when she was bleeding heavily from her head and there was blood everywhere. Yes he left the room quickly but shouldn’t the first whiff of the blood have sent him into a rage, if that happened with just a little papercut??? The only argument I can see is that Jasper was holding his breath from before he even entered the ballet studio. Even then I would think it would be very hard for him. For any of them, really, except Carlisle.

  • shea

    i think 2 things. 1- it says in the books that alice can only see what is decided, and the paper was a second-type- things happening. its not a planned out paper cut, lol. xD
    2- i think she had alot of confidence in jasper, but would never risk bella getting hurt.

  • angela lopez

    The papercut could have been foreseen, simply because she sees what will happen according to decisions made, by which the papercut comes due to Bella deciding to open her gifts. However, Jasper’s reaction was purely instinctual, not based upon a considered decision. It was in the moment, just like Bella deciding to run off to La Push in an instantaneous decision. Much as Alice would like to believe in him, Jasper is still subject to his instincts. Remember, Carlisle has had several hundred years of denying his thirst in order to ignore those instincts, and Edward has his obssessive love of Bella to help him with his thirst.

  • Ellie

    As other said, Alice sees things when somebody has made a decision. She can’t see when somebody makes a snap decision. An example of this is in Eclipse, when Bella suddenly decides to go see Jake after looking a flyer about wolves. As far as the scene when she sneaks out of the airport in Twilight, I’m not sure about that one… anybody???
    To respond to “shea”, I think the reason why Jasper didn’t attack Bella at the studio was because there were more potent emotions going on at that time, all in an effort to try to save Bella. I guess it’s harder for them when they are not mentally prepared. Like when Edward had to get away from Bella in the meadow that first time. He learned how to control his mind. I think Jasper just wasn’t ready for the paper cut; it was a happy environment, no worries. Then suddenly the smell of blood…

  • Bella

    Okay so Jasper’s attack on Bella wasn’t a decision and wasn’t something he WANTED or thought of doing.
    Nobody knew Bella would cut her finger, it wasn’t a “decision” so Alice couldn’t see that, and Jasper’s instinctive side took over.
    At the table scene, I think Alice pretends to be confident over Jasper, I mean in the Midnight Sun it said that Alice was WORRIED.

  • toni AKA nichole

    i do believe that alice saw he wanted to through out the whole time bwlla being with the family but she was against the idea that he would act on it at all… i mean going against edawrd, gong against the rules of the diet, and most of all going against the treaty… who would have thought about it?

  • twilightfan14

    Alice only sees major decisions that set the person on a certain course. Bella getting a papercut was not a decision and Jasper’s decision was a spur-of-the-moment involuntary reaction. At the airport, Bella kept herself calm, which was helped by Jaspers’ gift of calming emotions. Bella didn’t change her decision to go to the ballet studio-Alice kept seeing her there, dead. The course Bella was on had not changed. Alice and Jasper knew something was up at the airport, but Jasper couldn’t follow Bella into that bathroom where she then escaped from them.

  • such a tween

    Slightly off topic – what has always bothered me about the birthday party is that if it was such a disaster to have a party with only one human in the house, how did they even dare to consider hosting the graduation party or wedding? And, if Jasper is that affected by a paper cut, he has no business being in school, where kids get paper cuts and bloody noses on a regular basis.

  • Jenn

    yea it more of because jasper didnt decide to attack bella it was a spur of the moment thing. But bellas decision to leave alice and jasper to go see james.. how did alice not see that?! that has always bothered me idkk.. but yea i think thats why alice didnt know or else edward would have seen it and all couldve been avoided

  • wolf girl

    I agree that I don’t think Alice saw Jasper attacking Bella because it was a snap decision. My issue has always been related to Edward leaving Bella. I realize he thought he was doing the right thing. But wouldn’t he have had Alice check to make sure she would be better off? Wouldn’t Alice have been able to see Laurant & Victoria coming after her?

 

 

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