I recently read The Odyssey for English class. I'd read various versions of it in the past, and this time it was the Glencoe "Abridged for Ninth Graders" version. (That is, of course, not the official title.) Odysseus, our hero, spends decades trying to get back to his wife, son, and throne in Ithaca. Braving all kinds of horrible things, he strives onward toward this goal, allowing nothing to deter him in his desperation to return home. He can withstand any privation...well, except one: sex. Yes, that's putting it bluntly, but how can you believe that he wants nothing more than to return to his wife (who, by the way, has remained faithful to him for about twenty years without knowing whether he was even alive) when he spends a year living with the goddess Circe? Of course, to his credit, he is held against his will for the seven years he spends with Calypso. But I can't say I'd really want to marry a person who'd spend years cheating on me while apparently valiantly attempting to return home to me.

Fiction is full of relationships that are really not ideal in different ways. That's "kicking it old school" when it comes to unhealthy relationships. But what about more current books?

The immensely popular Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer, has a huge following of fans -- especially girls who want the gorgeous vampire hero, Edward, for their very own. I'm well acquainted with these books, as I've been reading them for quite some time, but recently my younger sister has become a die-hard "fan-pire," as she sometimes calls herself. She's reclaimed my books as her own, circulating them among her friends until the covers fall off (no joke, that's happened to at least one of them). But the more I think about them, the more I worry about the message they're sending. Don't get me wrong, I'm still looking forward to Breaking Dawn as much as the next person (unless that next person is my sister). But I think that it's important to notice the lack of equality in the romance central to the novels. Upon closer examination of my memory of the books, seeing as my sister has my copies, I've realized a few things.
Bella, the protagonist, is not a particularly strong character and is constantly being rescued by Edward. She doesn't seem to do much, really...usually she goes along with whatever happens, occasionally doing stupid and suicidal things because she can't live without her boyfriend (whose breathtaking beauty is a very common topic of discussion in Bella's head. maybe the only topic). And when does Edward ask for or respect Bella's opinion on anything?

So, you tell me. What sketchy relationships have you seen in books, movies, or anywhere else, really? And to all you "fan-pires," or less obsessed readers of Twilight like myself: Am I totally off the mark? What's your take on Bella and Edward's relationship?