by Mary Scifres
Love is indeed a magically powerful force. Mysterious and strange, love remains elusive to those who are selfish and uncaring. It is an even greater puzzle to those who are immersed in evil and cruelty. How can one give so freely, even sacrificially, of oneself? Beast deems Belle a fool for taking her father’s place. This selfless act is an enigma to the prince who has lived only for himself and his selfish desires.
Jesus was just as much of an enigma to many in his day. On trial for his life, Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate, refusing to defend himself or even submit to Pilate’s authority. Knowing that he has the power to crucify Jesus or set him free, Pilate asks: “Aren’t you going to answer?” as Jesus remains silent. “See how many things they are accusing you of.”[51] A cruel man comfortable with wielding violence to keep the population in check, Pilate cannot figure out this mysterious man of love and light. He seems frustrated and intrigued by Jesus in equal measure. Even as Pilate condemns Jesus to death, he refuses to accept responsibility, according to the Gospel of Matthew: “I am innocent of this man’s blood . . . . It is your responsibility.”[52]
It is difficult to square this account with historical record, for Pilate crucified thousands of Israelites and was ultimately removed by Rome for being excessively brutal. At the same time, the account bears the ring of truth when I think of other beastly people who have been both repelled by, and drawn to, people of great love and light. Was there something about this Jesus that made a man as cruel as Pilate stop and wonder if he was missing something? Although we will never know what transpired in Pilate’s chambers, the gospels depict a compelling account of his unexpected yearning for innocence in the presence of true innocence. Pilate was not the first or the last to be drawn to the mystical presence of Jesus—a man of both Love and Light who has inspired followers all around the world.
Light Calls to the Darkness
Light calls to darkness, rising with the moon and sun each day. Love calls to hate, pulling forth the love that has created us since the dawn of time. Hope calls to fear, shining in the darkness of despair. Had Pilate heeded this call, he would have released Jesus, despite the crowds’ cry to crucify him. But the familiar pull of power and cruelty wins the day, sending Jesus to his death, despite Pilate’s misgivings in the presence of this unusual man. In his curious questioning and confused response to Jesus, I see the spark of the man Pilate was created to be—a man capable of reflecting the divine image within, rather than the beast he chose to feed and become.
We are all created in the divine image, created in the force of light and goodness. This is not a fairy tale. Nor is this simply George Lucas’s depiction of “the force” in Star Wars. This is the creation story of the human community—the sacred and mythic tale of earth’s formation, spoken in the first two chapters of Genesis. This is the gospel that John proclaims when he speaks of the Word and the Light that shines in the darkness. This is the story of the Spirit of God that was in the beginning and continues with us here and now in the person and spirit of Jesus, the Christ.[53] This is the gospel that testifies to the light shining in the darkness—a light that no darkness can overcome.
As creatures created in the very light that has shined since the dawn of time, we are naturally drawn to the light. If we choose to dwell in darkness, or wander in caves and tunnels, we may lose sight of this light, but the light remains. Even if we try to extinguish the light that shines within us, a spark remains that can never go out. Even if we feed the beast of fear and anger and hatred, and even if our eyes grow dim to the light within and without, still the Light remains—calling us and drawing us forth to the Source of that light, which is our true home.
No wonder Beast is drawn to follow Belle. She is a reminder of the being he once was, and truly is. She shines the light that calls him back to the Light from which he came. She is the personification of the very love the enchantress warned him was missing in his heart. As a person of love and light, Belle reminds Beast that he too is a creature of love and light. He simply has lost his way. As light and darkness flow through our lives, we choose where to focus our attention. When we follow the light, the path to life-giving transformation grows clearer, and the path becomes smoother. But when we surround ourselves in the shadows of fear and doubt, anger and despair, the light may fade from view. In Song for Someone, U2’s Bono and the Edge say it this way, “If there is a light you can’t always see…. and there is a light, don’t let it go out.”[54]
At some level, Beast knows that if he turns to the light and notices its beauty and power, he will open a door to self-awareness, revealing that he too is a being of light, with the same potential for self-giving love. And so, Beast follows Belle into that dark wood as she tries to escape, knowing somehow that there are lessons to be learned—lessons of self-giving and transformative love, lessons that may help him break the enchantress’ spell.
In his pursuit of Belle, Beast glimpses this truth as he discovers a bit of light within himself. When she is endangered, Beast jumps into the fray and risks his very life to save hers—not to bring her back to captivity, but simply to save her life. In this act, Beast is the one sacrificing himself for another as he falls wounded to the ground on the road to impending death in the cold and dangerous wood.
Light Wins
As the wolves run away and Beast collapses, Belle prepares to ride away from the woods and reclaim her freedom. But as she glances back at Beast, the light and love that make her who she is hold her back. In that moment, Belle develops an empathy and compassion for a being she hardly knows and certainly dislikes. Her ability to befriend and love Beast gradually begins to grow. After all, Belle is not God; she is simply human. Belle may have a great reservoir of love and may be capable of heroism, but she remains in her humanness, with all the potential for growth and maturation that entails.
Here in the dark wood, Belle makes the life-changing decision to sacrifice her freedom for the sake of her captor. Returning to the castle, she bravely nurses his wounds, as Beast growls and protests with each painful treatment. As Belle attends to Beast with the same care she would have offered her father, the love and light within her glows more brightly. As Belle learns to love someone she dislikes and hardly knows, her compassion and love deepen, revealing the truth of Jesus’ words that loving our enemies matters. Loving those who love us is easy; it is loving those who mistreat us that defines agape, the love of God. When we love our “enemies,” the very act of loving opens us to higher levels of transformation and self-giving love—leading us into a brighter world.
Light wins when we embrace the light, and watch the shadows flee before it. Light wins for Belle, who would have simply traded one form of captivity in the castle for another form of captivity in her provincial town. And light wins for Beast, who would have died in that dark wood. Without Beast’s intervention, Belle might have shuttered the light within her; and without Belle’s decision to take him back to the castle, Beast would have remained imprisoned by the darkness shrouding the light within. But light overcomes darkness for both of them. As Belle tends to Beast’s wounds, the seeds of gratitude and friendship begin to grow. Light wins as Beast’s ability to love blooms, revealing his better self, his human self. Light wins as this odd pair embark on an unexpected friendship.
Eros Is Not Enough
And so a deeper path is forged, and a journey toward higher transformation begins. As Beast opens his heart to tenderness and compassion, love stirs and gradually changes his life, revealing the path to reclaim his full humanity. A sweet inner story begins, and the audience anticipates the fairytale ending that is surely just around the corner. Belle comes down to dine, clothed in beautiful royal gowns. Beast dresses up and starts acting like a gentleman. They laugh, they play, and their friendship grows. Like those early images of Jesus’ teaching and healing, we like this part of the story. We hum along as Belle, Beast, and the servants sing of this surprising turn of events in “Something There.” We laugh at snowball fights, cross our fingers
and hope for the best. As love emerges, the spell will surely soon be broken. Watching love’s bloom stirs us, romances us, and pulls us to rejoice in love.
Watching love flower is a beautiful gift, as we see the transformative power in loving and learning to love. But we have only scratched the surface of love’s power. The deeper message comes from heeding the call of self-giving love and sacrificial service for the good of others. This call to self-sacrifice is a unique aspect of Beauty and the Beast—an aspect that doesn’t fit the mold of other Disney fairytale love stories: Girl meets boy; girl and boy fall in love; an impediment to their love arises and is overcome; girl and boy share true love’s kiss and live happily ever after. In these fairytale love stories, true love’s kiss seals their journey and ushers in their happily ever after. Not so in Beauty and the Beast; for this is not actually a story about eros, or romantic love. In Beauty and the Beast, romantic love is a by-product of agape, a much richer, sacrificial love—a love that leads to personal and communal transformation.
Having Belle and Beast fall romantically in love may seem like the key to breaking the spell—the servant’s certainly think so—but the power of mutually self-giving love will be needed on this journey toward transformation. Mrs. Potts has it right when she explains that the spell cannot be broken simply by Beast finally learning to love—Belle has to love him in return. Belle cannot decide to love Beast any more than Beast can decide to love her. Both must be transformed by love itself. Perhaps Mrs. Potts is the wise crone who knows that true love (agape) is much more than just a romantic dance and a gentle kiss.
The true love of which Jesus speaks is a love of self-sacrifice for the sake of another. This true love is just beginning to emerge for Belle and Beast. Their courtship is in full bloom, but their experience in self-giving and self-sacrifice for one another has only just begun.
An Unexpected Twist
After days of conversations, loving interactions, and an especially romantic night of dancing and dreaming together, Belle and Beast retreat to the ballroom balcony beneath an exquisite, starlit sky. Just when we expect to hear a declaration of love and perhaps even a marriage proposal, Beast inquires after Belle’s happiness in the castle. Perhaps “doing for Belle what Beast would have Belle do for him,”[55] Beast wants to know more about her yearnings. He asks from a position of mutuality and equality, without assuming that his royal gifts are any more important than her peasant heart.
During their courtship, he has given Belle many fairytale endings: beautiful gowns, scrumptious meals, romantic music, and servants to attend to her every need. For Belle, an inquisitive lover of books, the best gift Beast has to offer is his magical library—a library containing thousands if not hundreds of thousands of books. Given this fairytale life, Beast perhaps hopes to hear that Belle is happy in her life at the castle. Even viewers who have seen these films many times yearn to forget what they know in order to hear Belle express joy in her new life and affection for this attentive creature at her side.
But this is no ordinary, romantic fairytale. This is a story of lives being transformed through the power of self-giving, even sacrificial, love. For this type of story, a typical fairy tale ending is not sufficient. And so our story continues, bringing more and more people along in the journey toward transformation, and challenging both Belle and Beast to even greater heights of love and self-sacrifice.
In Disney’s romantic fairy tales, the princesses’ parents and family are absent, forgotten, or seemingly tangential. Not so in Beauty and the Beast. In our story, Belle’s loving heart fully embraces the father who raised her. It is her father that comes to mind when Beast asks Belle if she is happy there with him. Wondering where he is and what he is doing, Belle laments in the 1991 film: “If only I could see him one last time.”[56] With joy that he can meet her request, Beast offers Belle his magic mirror, allowing her to see her father.
For Belle, even a magical life in the castle would be tinged with sadness without the one who raised and cared for her. When she looks in the mirror and sees that he is alone and in danger, Belle yearns to rescue and care for her aging father, regardless of the luxuries she leaves behind to do so. Compared to the greater sacrifices she has already made, this one may be easily overlooked. But in a world that values material belongings and financial wealth over family and life-giving relationships, this sacrifice is worthy of notice. After all, Jesus speaks more about money and the distribution of wealth than he does about prayer and worship—calling us to prioritize love above all else, even the things of this world. There, on the ballroom’s balcony, Belle prizes love of family above the wonders and gifts of this magical castle. Surprisingly, we see that Beast does as well in the loving decision he makes.
Much to the dismay of the castle staff who are eagerly looking forward to returning to their human form, Beast releases Belle to return to her father. Now that Beast has finally grown to love Belle fully and unselfishly, he puts her heart’s desires and needs above his own. Beast sets her free, as all true love does. God’s love invites, but never coerces. In love’s invitation, we find ever greater and deeper union with the Source of all love and light. In giving up any hope for his future life as a prince, Beast displays the sacrificial love that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel of John. There is “no greater love” that Beast could have shared with Belle than releasing her to return to the father she loves.
Becoming Who We Truly Are
The first time I saw the film, I wanted Belle to declare her joy in castle living, and her love for Beast. I wanted her to take Beast with her as she searched for her father. I wanted Belle to find her father and bring him back to the castle, so they could all share in this magical new life. I had not yet grasped that this was not just a fairy tale, this was a gospel tale—a story of good news, a story of lives transformed by love, a story where shortcuts make for long detours.
Stories have purpose, and this story’s purpose is woven around the transformative power of sacrificial love. But if this purpose is to emerge and play itself out in the characters of our story, everyone, including Belle and Beast, has more growing to do. In the midst of this plot crisis, we are reminded that opportunities for heroism do not go away—there will be plenty more right behind them. Moreover, if a hero stops acting heroically, he is no longer a hero. If a hero rests on her laurels when others are in need of her assistance, she is no long a hero. Offering occasional acts of self-giving love can only take us so far. Growth in sacrificial love expands when we take more than just a few moments now and then to give selflessly for others. As our self-giving actions flow from the center of our being, we grow into the beautiful beings we truly are, the beautiful beings we are created to be, and the beautiful beings we are meant to become.
There is an already/not yet dimension to becoming who we are. If this sounds paradoxical, rest assured, it is. It is the realization that mystery lays at the heart of all transformation. The true self is always present, even when operating out of the smaller, ego self. In Judeo-Christian terms, we all bear the image of God within us—an image that cannot be tarnished, corrupted, or destroyed. We are who we are in God’s eye, and nothing more—or less! Looked at from one perspective, Beast does not need saving—he already is the beautiful creature God has created. But Beast cannot see it, and certainly does not act in accordance to who he really is; and so, Beast needs to become who he truly is, and who he is meant to become—because by almost any outward measure, he’s not there yet.
When asked the simplistic question, “Are you saved?” a theology professor of mine expresses the paradox we see in Beast: “I was saved; I am being saved; I will be saved.” Beast was saved by the love that knit his true self together in his mother’s womb, and by the image of God that resides within him. Beast is being saved from his smaller self by the transforming effects of self-giving and sacrificial love. Beast will be saved as love’s transformation becomes complete and he lets go of his small self to reclaim his true self. As Mufasa says to Simba from t
he clouds in The Lion King: “Remember who you are.”[57]
With each moment of growth toward fuller, freer loving, we reflect more brilliantly the sacred image of God within us. And as we travel this heroic, miraculous path of love, and as our light shines more brilliantly, others are able to glimpse, however faintly, the same light within themselves. In such seeing, many are drawn to travel this road with us. And so it is with Belle and Beast as their story continues, even as they travel different roads.
Inner Transformation Carries a Pain All Its Own
With Beast’s blessing, Belle rides away from the castle to save her father. In that moment, we see Beast fading away in grief and despair. By releasing Belle to find her father and return to her old life, Beast has seemingly given away his best chance for life and happiness. But even as Beast gives up his own needs and dreams, his beastly appearance no longer reflects his inner life—for that life has become a thing of beauty. Beast has opened a door for larger, more expansive dreams to emerge, but he cannot see it. In opening himself to love, he has opened himself to a suffering unlike any he has known before—for he has lost the one he loves. The pain of his inner transformation, without the accompanying joy of returning to human form, makes death seem preferable to going on as if nothing has changed. For everything has changed. And yet, he will remain a beast in the eyes of the world.
There is a strange truth about self-sacrifice: When we give of ourselves freely and abundantly from hearts of deep love and attitudes of pure grace, our hearts expand, strengthening us and transforming us into brighter, more beautiful beings. But there is another equally strange truth about self-sacrifice: Others will likely see this transformation in us before we do. Beast cannot fully see his beautiful transformation as he laments Belle’s absence, knowing he will always be haunted by a love that almost broke the spell.