ABSTRACT
This chapter expresses that Mormon doctrine underwrites the process of perfecting the self through resurrection, illustrated by Bella's transformation through human death and rebirth in Breaking Dawn as a perfected vampire. Sympathetic vampires are tragic heroes who, by rejecting the consumption of human blood, redeem their actions, retain their humanity, and save their souls. These new vampires are not villains, but martyrs. The Twilight series became the darling of some Christian communities that saw a moral romance where chastity is honored and conservative Christian values are demonstrated. Religious ideologies and social context have a strong impact on expectations for female gendered behavior. Traditional gender roles, such as those found in the Twilight series, are deeply ingrained in both contemporary United States society and conservative Christian practices where the concept of moral identity is used to reinforce dominant supremacy ideologies.
