All you need to know about the Twilight saga characters

Renee

"You can come home whenever you want―I'll come right back as soon as you need me."

―Renée to Bella Swan

Renée was born in Downey, California. Her parents divorced when she was still a child, and she never had much contact with her father. Her mother, Marie, was a difficult and bitter woman, but also hardworking and loyal. Renée had a very different personality: fun-loving, creative and artistic, but flighty and inconsistent. She did not do well in school, despite the fact that she tested well. During her teenage years she was unable to hold onto a job for long, though she always interviewed very well.

The first year after high school, Renée, who could no longer take living with her pessimistic mother, moved in with a friend who had space available in her small apartment, working several temporary jobs to pay for it. The next summer, one of her girlfriends decided to take a month off and travel the length of the Pacific coast, camping along the way. This was exactly the kind of adventure that she loved. She went on the trip with a few other girls, having no idea where she would live when she got back, if her roommate rented the space to someone else.

On First Beach, Renée met Charlie Swan. She was instantly attracted to him because of his difference from her ex-boyfriends: serious and responsible, yet funny and kind. They spent a few days together before she departed, but not before promising Charlie that she would visit on her way back. Renée missed Charlie for the rest of the trip, and when she returned to Forks, she was easily convinced to stay for a little while longer. Renée loved being in love, and she loved feeling like she was living an adventure. When Charlie proposed, getting married sounded like the perfect cap to the whirlwind romance. They were married by a justice of the peace, with only Charlie's parents and three best friends in attendance. Renée sent her mother a picture of the wedding, but she didn't respond.

At first, Renée enjoyed the novelty of being married. Charlie was easier to live with than her mother, and his passionate adoration of her was quite pleasant. She had a great deal of fun decorating their little house and loved his quiet and kind parents. While living in Forks, she worked as a waitress, where she loved meeting new people.

Renée was excited when she found out that she was pregnant, and learned to knit and decorate the nursery. She wrote to her mother again, and this time Marie sent a gift: her own mother's handmade quilt. Renée was touched. However, after a few months, everything started to get stale. The constant covering of clouds and rain depressed her, and Charlie's busy time at work and caring for his parents left her unhappy and trapped. Though she loved Charlie, there was no adventure left in their now staid relationship.

Renée gave birth to Bella swan on September 13, 1987. After her daughter was born, she became more responsible in her ways around the house. Her unhappy time did not brighten up, though. She hated the thought of letting Bella grow up in the gloomy town and begged Charlie to leave with her, though she knew that was not a kind thing to ask. Finally, she decided to leave on her own and get her life in order, for Bella's sake. She realized that she had made some life-altering decisions without much thought, and she wanted to start over and proceed more carefully. They divorced in March 1988.

She moved back in with her mother, who was still difficult, but who doted on Bella. She enrolled in school and got her elementary education degree - spending time with Bella had made her realize that she was good with children and enjoyed them. Once she had her degree and a job, she moved to Riverside with Bella and found a job in kindergarten. Bella grounded Renée, who found ways to be satisfied with small changes in her hobbies and recreational activities. She made many close friends among the other teachers.

Renée's life was still chaotic, however, as she always got herself into heavy situations. As Bella grew, she began to assume many of the adult responsibilities in the home, simply because she was better suited to them than Renée was. When she took over the bookkeeping at age 10, their lives became much easier.

They lived in Riverside until Bella was 6 years old. Bella and Renée then moved to phoenix, Arizona where they remained for 5 years, after Renée's mother passed away. She got a job there.

Though she missed Charlie, she did her best to keep herself from becoming entangled with other men romantically, worried about the impact such a relationship would have on Bella. When Bella was in her teens, she realized that her mother was lonely and encouraged her to date.

Personality

Renée is described by Bella as very eccentric, an experimental chef, forgetful, and very perceptive in a childish way. She tends to shift her hobbies and interests from one to another, such as yoga, but never sticks with any of them for very long.

Renée has very negative views of early marriages, since she married Charlie right out of high school. This is something Bella feared when she got engaged to Edward. Renée, however, told her that those views of marriage only apply to herself. Edward says that her thoughts are childish, but she sees the world very clearly. At one point in the Twilight film, Renée describes herself as someone who "repels technology" as she is always misplacing her phone charger. According to Bella, she is more like the mother and Renée the child. In the films, she is also shown to be good at sewing, having presented Bella with a quilt out of her trip T-shirts in Eclipse for her graduation present.