Outside Reading #5

Jacob shows the growth from childhood to adulthood in the novel New Moon. He makes the transformation from boy to werewolf. There is a huge change in his physical appearance but also in his choice of comrades. Sam Uley is a boy that lives in the same city as Jacob, and Jacob considers Sam to be a ‘gang leader’ but not someone that Jacob would want to interact with. Jacob expresses only negative emotion towards with Sam because Sam has recently stolen Jacob’s friend Embry. After Embry has been taken by Sam’s friendship Jacob tries to explain to Bella “ ‘Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam” (Meyer 173). He says this to Bella to try to make himself believe that Sam is rightly taking Embry’s friendship away from him and that Sam is having a positive influence in the community. Before Jacob turns into a werewolf he believes that Sam is an evil influence on his friend and that he is not at all helpful to the community.
Jacob’s view on friendship changes after he is matured to adulthood. When Jacob is changed into a werewolf, he does not speak to Bella for a long time because he can not tell her what he is. Bella starts to wonder and eventually she gives up wondering and she drives to his house. She bursts in and demands an explanation, but Jacob simply denies the sentiments that he has spoken to her just weeks before. Bella is extremely confused and in desperation she tells him“ ‘Sam Uley says Jacob can’t be my friend anymore’ ”(Meyer 247). But we find out later in the book that Jacob and Sam and the other werewolves are simply trying to help the community and Jacob’s opinions of their doings change drastically. Jacob’s maturing to a werewolf stage changes his perspective on many things.