Jacob explains to Bella thay imprinting is "It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like... gravity moves... suddenly. It's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does... You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend."
It is a sweet thought, but everyone in the series that has became a completely different person. First, the whole thought that the reason Jacob was adamant about Bella staying human was his instincts finding a way for his imprint to be born. So the whole love triangle was pointless. Jacob was a stand alone person with a promising future as a mechanic for his reservation. Before any of the pack phased, they had plans for a bright future. Imprinting basically forces th to stay in the reservation to reproduce more wolves.
Secondly, the imprints themselves urk me. Emily is basically the cook of the pack. She feeds them and plays the nice and sweet motherly figure. I personally don't even like her. Sure, she's nice, but I can't seem to get past the fact that she stole her cousins fiance and the imprint was to blame. She had a choice to go all the way home back to her own reservation and reject Sam. But what did she do? She stuck around, only further enforcing the imprint bond. I think that there was always a part of Emily that wanted what Leah had.
Thirdly, everything seems to become automatic with imprinting. Take Jared for example. His imprint had like him for a long time but he didn't give her the time of day until he imprinted on her. It's like, without the imprint, everyone most likely would not have ended up with their "soulmate." But in reality, most people never end up with their supposed soulmate and they are happy with whomever they decide to be with. Sam and Leah would have been happy together. Jacob could have moved on from Bella without the imprint to interfere with his actions. Everyone could have had satisfying lives without the imprint like everyone else.
It had been generations since any wolves had phased in La Push. Imprinting was supposed to be a rare ordeal. With the majority of the pack having imprinted, the wolves who hadn't become doubtful of their own happiness. Envious and lonely because the pack members who have mates no longer function or communicate with their pack members like they used to.
Imprinting changes them and not necessarily in a good way. They all had many things to live for, but the moment they imprint, that is their sole purpose in life and it's ridiculous. Sure they still protect the people. But whenever they think of the people, their mates reign over anything else. If any of their imprints where to die or get killed before them, they would lose their will to live and that is what I hate. All of them have their own families. All of them have their own friends and priorities. But give them their soulmate and nothing else matters?
We've seen what losing a soulmate does to vampires, via Marcus of the Volturi. If a person is your sole purpose of living, how can anyone except to trust you when you know your life means nothing if it is either you or the imprint of the wolf who is supposed to protect you.
》Let's say that you are a young child (age 5) in a clearing in the woods. A vampire is there as well. So is the imprint of one of the wolves. The vampire is going to kill either you or the girl who is a full grown adult (age 22). There is a wolf between you and the girl. He can only reach one of you. It's either you or his imprint.
You know who he is going to choose despite his imprints protests. None of the wolves who imprint should be phasing once they imprint. They aren't reliable. Half the time, in the series, the imprinted wolves complained each time they had to phase and be away from their imprint. If you think that is a good trait for a "protector" then you are dead wrong and you will be dead because you will always come second choice.
