The Gospel According to Beauty and the Beast

by Mary Scifres

  As Gaston begs for his life saying, “Please, I’ll do anything!” Beast places him back on the tower balcony with the simple command: “Get out.” Beast’s kindness is not a foolish one. He does not invite Gaston to dine with them or even remain in their presence. He merely spares Gaston’s life and returns him to stable ground, offering him safe passage away from the castle.[64]

  But no good deed goes unpunished, and as Beast and Belle reunite with joined hands, Gaston proves he is the true monster by fatally attacking Beast from behind—falling to his death in the process, the victim of his own bloodlust. As with Jesus and so many others who have shown compassion and mercy to their enemies, Beast is betrayed by the one who received mercy and loving grace. Belle tries to save Beast for the second time, pulling him to the safety of the tower, but Beast’s wounds are beyond her power to heal. As Beast lies dying, Belle sobs over her lost love. Beast has sacrificed his happiness by letting his beloved Belle go, knowing it will likely mean being trapped in his beastly form forever. This sacrifice has brought Gaston to the castle to kill him. When Beast sacrifices his revenge by sparing Gaston’s life, Gaston repays mercy with malice. Now, as Beast lies dying atop the castle tower, Belle holds on with gentle caresses and words of hope and healing. Still, her words are not enough, and she is forced to watch Beast die before her very eyes.

  Transformation: A Resurrection Story

  Even in the face of death, Belle’s love is not defeated and works a powerful magic all its own. Unlike other Disney fairy tales where romantic love saves the day, true love’s kiss is not the source of Beast’s salvation. The love that saves Beast comes from a much deeper well. Belle’s love not only encompasses the best of Beast, it includes every facet of his being, even that heartless adolescent boy who once rejected an old woman in need. It is said that God loves us, not because God’s perspective is limited to our best qualities, but because God’s sees the totality of who we are. We can only hate or despise others if we only see a slice of their lives. Belle’s love is strong enough to break the spell, bring Beast back to life, and transform her friend into a handsome young man precisely because Belle has learned to see with the eyes of her heart enlightened. Belle’s tears of compassion and words of love are sufficient to save the day and bring the one she loves back to life. Before our very eyes, Beast is transfigured and resurrected from a dead beast into a living, breathing man.

  In this magical scene, I am reminded of Jesus’ beloved friend Lazarus who lay dead in a tomb for many days before Jesus arrives. This is the occasion for scripture’s shortest passage: “Jesus wept.”[65] Did Jesus weep out of compassion for Lazarus’ sisters, out of grief for his friend’s death, or out of sorrow for his disciples’ lack of understanding? We know not why; we only know that he weeps over his departed friend. Weeping, praying, and calling Lazarus forth, Jesus brings a dead man out of a tomb where he had been lying for several days. This is no mummy that emerges, but a living, breathing man, covered in burial clothes—clothes that Lazarus’ servants must remove if he is to walk among the living.

  What are we to make of this tale of Lazarus’ resurrection? I am reminded of Ezekiel’s vision of a field covered in dry bones. When asked by God if these bones can live, Ezekiel responds: “God, you alone know.”[66] The truth is, we don’t know. What we know is that from a depth of love for a friend, Jesus calls forth life. What we believe and what we are willing to hope for make all the difference in the world. This is the power of the gospels and fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast. These stories convey a truth about the power of love and compassion—a power that can bring forth new life where death seems to hold sway.

  The miracle of Beast’s resurrection story is further enhanced by the enchantress’ reappearance in the 2017 film. Even though Belle proclaims the holy words, “I love you,” after the rose’s last petal has fallen, the enchantress offers a beautiful moment of gracious compassion as she infuses the dead rose with the mystical power of life, blessing the prince with the transformation of form he so richly deserves. Belle personifies this same care and compassion in her teary declaration of love—a declaration that elicits an explosion of magical light, transforming the prince from a lifeless beast into a living man.

  True to the fairytale genre, our story has a happy ending—with servants celebrating their return to human form, Belle and Beast dancing their way into marital bliss, and Belle’s father joining the castle family. The gospels follow a more complex path, as Jesus’ sacrifice leads to a long, arduous death and many days in the tomb before any sign of life emerges. But in the miracle of Easter, transformation and joy reign, as Jesus’ resurrection brings new life and new hope to everyone touched by his life.

  Learning to give of ourselves is a lesson that unites the gospels and our fairy tale. Beast’s transformation occurs because of this precious lesson, and in Beast’s life-giving transformation, others are saved, transformed, and blessed. This is the gift of sacrificial love and self-giving attitudes: We save others. We transform others. We bless others. And in the process, we are saved, transformed, and blessed.

  5.THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF COMMUNITY

  Not Just One Hero

  There is not just one hero in any life story. We are all blessed and gifted by a myriad of people who guide us, teach us, mentor us, inspire us, and even save and help transform us. Fairy tales are different, however. Most fairy tales have one knight in shining armor or one moment of miraculous transformation—a moment when good overcomes evil, a hero saves the day, and a happy ending is achieved. In the fairytale genre, Beauty and the Beast is rather unique in its journey toward transformation. For it is a tale with many heroes and saving moments—moments that impact entire communities as the story concludes. This is a complex tale. The enchantress’ spell is a broad-reaching one, and it will take more than one hero to effect the necessary transformations required to break it. After all, it takes a village to raise a child—or save a beast.

  The two communities in Beauty and the Beast are central to its story line. Both the provincial village and the castle community harbor agents of change, but they also hold characters in need of transformation. In the most powerful tales, communities are either formed or transformed by their heroes and villains. Disney’s classic fairy tales, however, seldom portray this communal transformation. More frequently, they focus solely on the hero and heroine, or prince and princess, who must find one another, escape evil, and seal their love with a happily-ever-after ending. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, meanwhile, provides a very different story line, weaving in poignant stories and songs from supporting characters and communities. These characters and communities are not window dressing; they are central to the story, adding richness and depth to the tale. Achieving a happily-ever-after ending requires more than the happiness and fulfillment of one young couple, it requires the happiness and fulfillment of an entire kingdom.

  Communities in Need of Transformation

  From the film’s prologue, we discover that the entire castle community is “groaning in travail,”[67] awaiting restoration. For Beast is not the only one under enchantment; his stewards, housekeepers, maids, cooks and even the castle dog share the prince’s fate, and are fully invested in Beast’s transformation. Only when Beast learns to love and to receive love in return can the lives of Beast and the servants be transformed and their humanity be restored.

  Belle’s little French village, in contrast, seems perfectly normal and predictable. A first glance might suggest that this quaint little town is simply a launching place for our story—the typical Disney backdrop with a gorgeous landscape and non-descript characters with no significant role in the story. But transformation and change eventually define both the castle and the village, bringing these communities front and center with important roles to play.

  There is an unusual kinship between Belle’s village and Beast’s castle community—neither is what is appears, and yet both are somehow related. Initially, Belle’s kind and simple village se
ems blessed—an almost idyllic small town in its clear self-identity and predictability. In the 2017 film, Belle’s father admits that their little village is a bit “small-minded,” but “small also means safe,” he explains.[68] Even knowing that this small village might not be a perfect fit for his family’s creative outlook, Maurice chooses this village as the perfect place of safety and security for raising his daughter.

  Beast’s castle community, by contrast, seems cursed rather than blessed. Trapped in a dark, dreary castle, forced to live as household objects rather than as human beings, this community is in obvious need of transformation. Seldom is a community’s need for its leader to grow to his or her heroic potential so clearly and poignantly portrayed. We can’t help but chuckle at the end of the 1991 film when Chip, who is no longer a teacup, asks his mother, Mrs. Potts: “Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?”[69] But his question reminds us how deeply tragic this story could have become had Beast not grown into his best possible self through the transformative power of love. As the 2017 film comes to a close, this potential tragedy is visibly portrayed as the servants-turned-household-items say their final good-byes to one another and fall into an enchanted sleep like Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom—forever to remain in their cursed forms. The enchantress’ spell acts like a Greek tragedy, claiming the humanity of everyone in the castle, even wiping the memories of loved ones in the village beyond. The spell impacts the entire kingdom, not just Beast and Belle.

  Bringing Community to the Forefront

  Sleeping Beauty is the only other Disney fairy tale that portrays a community under enchantment. But neither Disney nor Grimm helps us fall in love with Sleeping Beauty’s community. For the community is peripheral and plays no real part in the story. This community is quickly put out of mind as we watch the dramatic story of a beautiful princess, a wicked witch, and a handsome prince. Even when the entire kingdom is put to sleep, to awaken only when princess Aurora awakens, this community is barely seen. It certainly isn’t transformed by the experience: Aurora’s father, the king, is foolishly confused; her mother, the queen, simply smiles silently; and the kingdom’s residents fade into the background as Aurora and Phillip—her prince who has come and awakened her with true love’s kiss—dance off into the clouds of “happily ever after.” Even as the romantic ending for princess Aurora and prince Phillip is exalted and emphasized, the community’s century-long sleep is portrayed as nothing more than a trifle. This is hardly surprising, for in a world of fairytales, community plays virtually no role in the stories.

  Disney fairy tales usually focus on two individual characters who have a few sidekicks and supportive best friends of their own. Cinderella and Prince Charming are surrounded by members of his kingdom who stand mute and unmoving as the couple dance and fall in love. Even Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters fade to the background as she waltzes away to her happily ever after. In The Little Mermaid, Ariel and Eric save one another and seemingly unite two kingdoms, as they fall in love and marry. But those kingdoms are peripheral as the story of their courtship unfolds. Even in animal tales like Bambi and The Fox and the Hound, other forest animals are relegated to the roles of sidekick and background scenery.

  In sharp contrast to this fairytale pattern, the community of characters in Beauty and the Beast plays a predominant role in the Disney films. These characters remain popular and beloved 25 years after the animated film’s release. Walk past the Lego Store’s Beauty and the Beast display in Downtown Disney and you’ll see Lumiere and Cogsworth standing alongside Belle and Beast. Review any list of Disney gifts and artwork for Beauty and the Beast and you’ll see portraits of Cogsworth and Lumiere along with tea sets of Mrs. Potts, Chip and the other teacups. We have grown to love these characters every bit as much as we love Belle and Beast. We grin at their clever attempts to bridle Beast’s temper, and we cheer as they help Beast receive Belle’s friendship in hopes she can break the spell. Even as we laugh at their antics, we yearn for their transformation back into human form. The castle community stands front and center throughout the film. In the 1991 classic, Belle could not have returned to the castle in time to save Beast if teacup-Chip had not stowed away in Belle’s bag and used Maurice’s invention to break down the cellar door. There is nothing peripheral about these castle servants.

  As we watch Belle and Beast become friends, we smile with the servants in the warm glow of love’s slow bloom while they sing: “There may be something there that wasn’t there before.”[70] We grieve with them as Belle rides away, and cheer with them as they battle the villagers to protect their castle. We want this community to experience transformation every bit as much as we want Beast to do so.

  The Link Between Personal and Communal Transformation

  The need for transformation in Belle’s little village isn’t as obvious initially. Simple though they may be, the villagers seem safe enough. But when the villagers succumb to fear and bloodlust, disregarding any affection for Belle and Maurice, the village’s need for transformation becomes abundantly clear. Under the sway of Gaston’s rhetoric, these seemingly kindhearted villagers rise to violence, intent on killing the beast and destroying his castle—despite Belle’s assurances that Beast is kind and gentle. The villagers of this “safe, idyllic community” are eventually transformed into a hateful mob—a mob far more terrifying than a beast roaring in a mirror could ever be. We know this story well, for we have all seen people morph into the worst versions of themselves when threatened or challenged.

  This film rejects the simplistic portrayal of communities in earlier films like Sleeping Beauty. Neither the castle servants nor the village neighbors are static, muted, or even predictable as our story develops. Each community offers positive and negative examples and lessons; each community exhibits its own wisdom and folly. As the villagers become intent on killing Beast and his servants-turned castle objects, we are reminded how easily hate and fear can maim the spirit of a community—turning even the simplest and kindest of us into something ugly and monstrous.

  Compare the villagers’ descent into mob hysteria with the behavior of the castle servants. By all rights, these castle servants could have grown angry and resentful toward Beast over the years. After all, his selfish attitudes and behaviors had gotten them into this mess. Yet, their hearts remain pure, their love remains loyal, and they continue to serve faithfully and selflessly. In the 2017 film, Mrs. Potts explains that they stay with Beast to make amends for the years when they did nothing to prevent him from growing into the beastly young man he had become before the spell.

  Her explanation points to a key element in both Beast’s story and in real-life stories of transformation. Our communities can play a big role in personal transformation, both positively and negatively. A community can assist our ascent to higher levels of awareness and greater acts of love and compassion or can help facilitate our personal demise. The castle community chooses the role of helpful assistant as they nurture and strengthen the love growing between Belle and Beast. Eventually, they even protect Beast’s hearth and home from another community’s attack. The castle residents turn out to be heroes in our story, while the residents of Belle’s quiet village turn out to be rogues and knaves.

  Community is an equally important aspect of the gospel story. One of the most powerful impacts of Jesus’ ministry is the formation of a world-changing community. What began as a small group of Jews following Jesus grew into a politically and religiously significant community of Jews and non-Jews working together to live and teach the lessons of Jesus. As a world religion, Christianity has built and toppled kingdoms and influenced and transformed leaders around the globe. At their best, Christian communities have strengthened and changed the world for the better. At their worst, Christian communities have deepened divisions among peoples and nations. Jesus and his message, and the communities that follow both messenger and message, have become intrinsically linked. It’s hard to fathom successfully separating the two.

  Similar
ly, in our tale, the fate of Beast and his servants is intrinsically linked from the moment the enchantress places a spell upon the castle. This linkage points to the powerful truth that human transformation never occurs in a vacuum. When we change, grow, develop, and even transform, we do so in relation to other people in our lives. As the young prince becomes more and more beastly, his community does nothing to prevent his demise into cruelty and selfishness. But as this community embraces their role and responsibility as mentors and guides, Beast begins to grow more human again. As Belle befriends her captor, and as Beast develops kindness and compassion, the castle community embraces hope again—working ever more faithfully toward the transformation needed by one and all.

  Analogously, communities are impacted by even slight changes in the lives of its members. The greater these changes are, the greater these changes have on the community. Our own ability to transform is highly impacted by the relationships surrounding us, just as our personal transformation impacts the transformation journeys of the communities and individuals in relationship with us. Supportive friends may plead with us to “never change;” insisting that they love us “just the way we are.” (Think back to your high school yearbook messages.) At the same time, supportive communities can provide a foundation of strength from which we can develop and grow. The perseverance and loyalty of Beast’s servants support him through years of darkness and despair—laying the foundation that loving transformation was still possible. Their loyal support keeps Beast’s hope alive, ready to embrace its chance when a loving young woman stumbles upon the castle. Beast’s community builds upon this supportive foundation after Belle arrives by inspiring and encouraging Beast to foresee a better future, to perceive his best possible self, and to live into his potential with hope and courage.