Alison answers “how can jacob just marry bella's...”

Belle asked this question about Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, #4):

how can jacob just marry bella's daughther? he's like an uncle to her! ew!

Alison It's not technically incestuous as they aren't related, and it's not technically paedophilia as it's explicitly written that he has no sexual interest…moreIt's not technically incestuous as they aren't related, and it's not technically paedophilia as it's explicitly written that he has no sexual interest in her while she's a minor. However, the way we're biologically primed to avoid incest is by feeling disgust at the idea of sexual relations with people we grew up with (at least, according to Jonathan Haidt in The Happiness Hypothesis). Hence, I think it's only natural to feel discomfort at the idea of this particular relationship. Besides that, people have noted that this can be seen as "grooming", i.e. establishing a friendship with a minor with the intention of making them more pliable to sexual demands.

Just one last point - "imprinting" being out of Jacob's control is in no way a justification for the morality of this relationship. Recall for instance that paedophilia is a mental illness and that people with this disorder have no control over their sexual attraction to children - but full control over how they decide to act on those feelings. (less)

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