Werewolf Strength

Werewolf strength

Their movement is in “powerful bounds” (NM10) as a wolf, but also as a human there seems to be a difference in strength. Bella notes that Jake handles her “too roughly” and when he hugs her it’s with a “crushing” movement so that Bella “can’t – breathe.” (NM12) He doesn’t seem aware of his additional strength like the vampires are, but this could well be due to the newness of the changes he has experienced.

Like the Cullens, once Jacob is a wolf, he exhibits similar displays of strength: “He slid his arms under me and lifted me without effort—like picking up an empty box.” (NM16) However, before the transformation has happened he is restricted to putting his arm around Bella and helping her back along the trail after her motorcycle accident.

When Jacob discusses being a wolf with Bella later in the novel, he explains: “It’s what we’re made for, Bells.  We’re strong, too.” (NM13)

The sounds that the wolves make are also linked with both strength and ferocity, for example, their growls are described repeatedly as “ like thunder” (NM14)

Should a wolf meet a vampire in a fight, there are few clues about what would happen. Certainly a pack of wolves were enough of a match for Laurent, but whether a single wolf could overpower a single vampire is another matter.

Part of the strength of a werewolf is that he (or she) is not a single entity, but part of a pack. They are stronger as a group than they would be alone. They communicate through the fact that they “hear each other’s thoughts, but only when you’re wolves” (EC5), and during fights, like those we see at the end of ‘Eclipse’ they can alert each other of danger.

They are more than a team. There are “no privacy, no secrets” (EC5) between them and this makes them stronger. As Edward puts it: “The pack mind is mesmerizing. All thinking together and then separately at the same time. There’s so much to read.” (EC19)