Hello everyone! How's it going? I recently saw a stage production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and it got me thinking (a terrible thing to do, no?). As I watched the familiar story unfold on stage, I realized how terrible of a message could be interpreted from it. Belle takes the cruel and misunderstood Beast, and turns him into a kind, caring, gentle creature, both capable and worthy of love. That's the way the movie (and musical) present it. Another way to look at it the story of the girl dating the jerk, and changing him for the better. The horror story of so many romantic comedies, it displays to children that it not only is a possible outcome of this, but it actually ends in a happily ever after.
This kind of thing could be considered somewhat of a stretch, but sit down and actually think about it. The man locked her father away because he sought shelter from ravenous WOLVES. Maurice didn't want to be eaten alive, but in return he watches his daughter sacrifice herself for his freedom, and then fall in love with the creature. From his eyes, its a father watching his daughter date a guy that he knows is bad news, but as soon as he tries to do something about it, he gets locked in a looney bin. The other side of this story is that of the Beast, or rather, the ugly and misunderstood guy who gets the hot girl.
Gaston is arguably Belle's best bet at a happy life: he's healthy, successful, competent, and definitely has good genetics. If it weren't for the Beasts' wealth to help stave off disease and early deaths, he is in no way a better choice for Belle (and yes, Belle is a strong independent woman who doesn't need a man, and got with the Beast only because she wanted to, and would've been fine on her own). Despite this, Belle plays the part of the hottest girl in school, the one who could have the choice of going to prom with whomever she chooses, but she turns down the captain of the football team to go with the chubby and under-groomed geek from her pottery class. I'm sure things like this have happened in real life, and I'm not saying that this sort of thing is impossible, but I am saying that it's all kinds of unlikely. Going even further, the guy doesn't immediately open up, and the girl has to draw him out of his shell, after which they tear it up on the dance floor, fall in love, and live happily ever after.
Sure, the message of The Beauty and the Beast has a multitude of good sides, like how love is something that goes past appearances, or that love can bring even the most wretched of us all into the light. In the end, a story says what you want it to say, just realize that Belle got lucky with the Beast being under a spell, and not an actual monster, and the Beast had an ENTIRE CASTLE OF PEOPLE pulling for him, and even then he barely landed that love plane.
This kind of thing could be considered somewhat of a stretch, but sit down and actually think about it. The man locked her father away because he sought shelter from ravenous WOLVES. Maurice didn't want to be eaten alive, but in return he watches his daughter sacrifice herself for his freedom, and then fall in love with the creature. From his eyes, its a father watching his daughter date a guy that he knows is bad news, but as soon as he tries to do something about it, he gets locked in a looney bin. The other side of this story is that of the Beast, or rather, the ugly and misunderstood guy who gets the hot girl.
Gaston is arguably Belle's best bet at a happy life: he's healthy, successful, competent, and definitely has good genetics. If it weren't for the Beasts' wealth to help stave off disease and early deaths, he is in no way a better choice for Belle (and yes, Belle is a strong independent woman who doesn't need a man, and got with the Beast only because she wanted to, and would've been fine on her own). Despite this, Belle plays the part of the hottest girl in school, the one who could have the choice of going to prom with whomever she chooses, but she turns down the captain of the football team to go with the chubby and under-groomed geek from her pottery class. I'm sure things like this have happened in real life, and I'm not saying that this sort of thing is impossible, but I am saying that it's all kinds of unlikely. Going even further, the guy doesn't immediately open up, and the girl has to draw him out of his shell, after which they tear it up on the dance floor, fall in love, and live happily ever after.
Sure, the message of The Beauty and the Beast has a multitude of good sides, like how love is something that goes past appearances, or that love can bring even the most wretched of us all into the light. In the end, a story says what you want it to say, just realize that Belle got lucky with the Beast being under a spell, and not an actual monster, and the Beast had an ENTIRE CASTLE OF PEOPLE pulling for him, and even then he barely landed that love plane.
No comments:
Post a Comment