The Twilight Saga presents an interesting yet controversial love triangle between a human teenage girl, a teenage werewolf, and a 104-year-old vampire. By the saga’s end, the young woman, Bella, chooses to be with the vampire, Edward. However, this didn’t end Jacob’s story. During one of the intense battles, Jacob realized he needed to take drastic measures to help protect Bella and her baby Renesmee during the attack by his werewolf pack. After Jacob imprints, he becomes her protector, and the war ends.

However, this is also a very problematic instance. When Jacob imprints on Renesmee, it connects him to the baby for the rest of their lives. With Bella choosing Edward and becoming a vampire, the novels and movies show that Jacob ends up with Renesmee when she grows up. That was controversial when it happened, and it has only worsened over the years. While most of the concern comes with imprinting on a baby and its implications, it also concerns Renesmee’s free will as she grows up.

What Imprinting Is In The Twilight Saga

A Shape-Shifter Instantly Makes An Involuntary Connection With Someone

The concept of “imprinting” comes straight from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga novels. Imprinting is mostly an involuntary act when one of the Quileute shape-shifters finds their soulmates. It is intimate and exists among all the shape-shifters. This happens the first time the shape-shifter sees the person he is imprinting on. However, an important note is that a shape-shifter can’t imprint on someone who does not want it. Jacob tried to imprint on Bella numerous times, which never worked because it couldn’t be forced.

However, Jacob did imprint on Bella’s baby Renesmee, which means he became her instant protector. When the imprinted is as young as Renesmee, the connection is as an older sibling who will do anything to protect the younger child. This eventually becomes a best friendship when the baby grows older, as sibling rivalry does not exist in these cases. Eventually, when the child becomes a woman, the feelings turn into love, and the imprinter will only see the imprintee and care about no one else but her.

Why Twilight’s Imprinting Concept Is So Controversial

The Age Difference & Lack Of Free Will Are Concerns

The entire idea of imprinting was controversial from the start. It was even awkward before Jacob imprinted on an actual baby. Before that, the only cases of imprinting in The Twilight Saga came with adults or people of their own ages. Sam Uley, Jared Cameron, and Paul LaH๏τe imprinted on teenagers or young women, while Jacob and Quil Ateara V imprinted on young children. Jacob is the only shape-shifter to imprint on a hybrid.

The Twilight Saga had some problems with its overall storyline since the main romance was between a high school senior and a vampire who was 104 years old. Having Bella, who was still a teenager, becoming so infatuated with someone so much older than her and Edward encouraging it over time, it was a case of a Sєxual relationship that remains unethical. When Jacob imprinted on an actual baby, it made things worse. It isn’t even just about the age difference.

When a shape-shifter imprints on a teenager or a young woman, that person can reject it. This could cause devastating results for the shape-shifter since they are incapable of ever finding another soulmate after imprinting, and it is said the rejection could lead to the chance of ending their own life. With Jacob, Renesmee will grow up to eventually find herself in love with the older shape-shifter. This fact questions the idea of free will. If a baby is “chosen,” that would suggest that Renesmee doesn’t even have choice in who she loves.

The Twilight Movies Highlighted How Problematic Imprinting Really Is

Jacob Imprinting On A Baby Remains Wrong On Many Levels

When Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, it was involuntary, but it was something that saved her life and that of her mother. The shape-shifters believed they had to kill the hybrid baby because she threatened to bring death and destruction to their lands. However, once Jacob imprinted on her, the werewolves knew they had to stop, and Jacob saved Renesmee’s life. The pack law states that no shape-shifter is allowed to harm or kill another’s imprintee, and there are no exceptions.

However, he also imprinted on a baby, which Bella knew was wrong. When Bella prohibited Jacob from being around her baby, it began to tear him apart inside. This is more of Jacob becoming obsessive about Renesmee, which is never a good quality in a relationship. This takes on an even creepier aspect since she was a baby and a young child in the movies. Bella knew it was wrong, but Jacob had no say in the matter either, which caused even more problems with the idea of imprinting.

In the case of Sam Utley, he imprinted on Leah’s cousin Emily, which meant he “had” to be with her cousin and broke Leah’s heart. Once again, this eliminates the idea of free will and choosing who you love, as this technique in Twilight implies that people are destined to be with someone, and love doesn’t matter.

Twilight’s Imprinting Has Only Become More Controversial Over Time

The Imprinting Scene Could Never Work If Twilight Was Remade

As the years went on, the idea of imprinting has become even more controversial. Not only that, but the idea of Edward and Bella’s relationship has also become something that doesn’t work when breaking down the idea. As times change, people become more aware of the implications of a 100-year-old vampire falling in love with a 17-year-old woman. Even if the young woman falls completely in love with the older man, the man must reject the relationship. This is even worse with imprinting.

In the cast of imprinting, the male shape-shifter has no control or say in who he imprints on. If she tries to reject it, The Twilight Saga implies that he will be driven to despair, depression, and often suicidal thoughts. At the same time, Jacob’s imprinting on a baby takes away Renesmee’s free will and forces her into a relationship, possibly against her better judgment when she grows up. This is not romantic and does nothing but force Renesmee into a relationship or put Jacob’s future and well-being in danger.