Why is Bella such a ... kitty?

So I received a review of chapter 4 of my story Monsters. The review asked where Bella's backbone had gone.

That's a good question, if you look at it from Rosalie's perspective, as this is the perspective from which the story is told.

It's a good question that perhaps most of fandom asks. Why is Bella such a pussy/wuss/disgrace to feminism? Yeah, why!

Okay, the thing about Bella. Well, you have to be careful about the perspective in the story. This is a first person point-of-view story from Rosalie's perspective, so we see Bella as Rosalie sees Bella, as this weak little indecisive girl, right?

But what is actually going on in this chapter? Bella stood up for what she wanted to do, against Rosalie, and what happened? Rosalie backed down. Not Bella. So why isn't the question 'why is Rosalie so weak?' instead?

It's because of the perspective.

If you look at what Bella says and what Bella does, not what Rosalie is thinking about all this, do you see that the behaviors Bella is exhibiting are consistent with the Twilight books?

I think my writing is doing something that most readers don't expect: I honor the characters. Bella is like Bella is, but instead of making her OOC ("Out Of Character"), I honor her for what and for who she is.

And to me, Bella is strong. She is so, so strong. Here is a girl who is in the world of vampires and werewolves. I don't think you get that. If you did, you would see that there is absolutely nothing Bella can do in any situation. In every case, she could be torn to shreds by one creature or another, even by mistake. I mean, she broke her hand on Jacob's chin, and he didn't even feel a thing. And the bloodlust? She cuts her finger and she clears the house of the family she loves and who loves her.

Because if she didn't clear the house, she would be supper.

Bella is helpless, trapped, powerless.

BUT!

But she still demands that she be treated as a person, not even as an equal, but just as somebody you just can't step on. Could they step on her? Sure. But she demands that they don't. And do they listen to her? Edward didn't. She had to say 'I'm going to go insane here if you don't ...' before he would even think only of what he thought was best for her (which would have ended up with her being Victoria's supper, no doubt there at all).

In this chapter, Rosalie could say: no, you're doing the project. And what could Bella do? Cry like a baby? Give in? She did neither. She stood for what she wanted and she made Rosalie accept that.

AND she was still entirely sweet, shy, humble Bella doing it. Rosalie let her, yes. Rosalie had to let her, and that's why Rosalie is Rosalie, and not Edward. After all, Rosalie is the only Twilight character who didn't walk all over Bella but listened to her and respected her wishes. No, more than that: stood by Bella. The only one.

But even if Rosalie were Edward, Bella would still prevail. And why?

Because Bella is Bella. And that's all she's got going for her. She knows this, down to her bones, down to her marrow: Bella is 'just' Bella, and Bella is all she's got, the only thing she's got in this crazy mixed-up topsy-turvy world. She knows this: that she has this one thing, herself.

And that's one more thing that she has than what most of the rest of the people in this world have.

Bella is Bella in this chapter, and I am so, so proud of her for being just that here, and always.