Lessons from the Tale as Old as Time

                Now that the craze over the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast is over, I would like to take this opportunity to take a look at the classic with new eyes, away from the internet storm. It has been a tremendously long time since I saw the original animation, so watching the remake with fresh eyes opened my mind to new perspectives and thoughts, some of which I would like to share with you today. So without further ado, let’s dive into the Tale as Old as Time.

Beauty within the Beast and the Beast within the Beauty.

             First, we find the concept of an inconsistency between the internal and the external. We discover that the Beast had a softer, kinder side to him, buried deep inside. This is made all the better by the fact that this hidden beauty was cultivated, not preexistent.

We see this same concept played differently in the character of Gaston, a beauty everyone could see and a beast only Belle and her father could. It is interesting to note that the Beast was once like Gaston in this manner. Part of what makes this story amazing is how the interplay between ‘beauty’ and ‘beast’ was presented at opposite ends of the spectrum in two opposing characters.

Lesson #1: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain…” (Proverbs 31:30a). It takes discernment to see the true heart, both of others and, especially, of ourselves.

Why Am I Odd?

            Early in the tale, Belle was portrayed to be “odd” in the eyes of her fellow townsfolk, so much so that some were quite hostile toward her. Why was she so out of place? What sets her apart from the others was a different value system. She valued adventure; others did not. She valued knowledge; others did not. She valued the beauty of the heart as opposed to the beauty of the face; others did not. And it’s difficult, is it not, to be different from everyone else? Belle sometimes felt it too, wondering why she was…odd.

            To tell the truth, I can relate to this feeling, as I think many of you could as well. For much of my life, I’ve wondered why I felt I couldn’t belong anywhere. I tried surrounding myself with like-minded people, but I soon realized that we weren’t so like-minded after all. New friends came into my life time to time, and each time, I had hoped to find someone I could connect with. Repeatedly disappointed, I’ve often been tempted to compromise who I am for the sake of being a part of something. I’ve been tempted to change who I am for the sake of being accepted. I’ve often desperately asked God why He made me the way I am, and if there was anywhere I could truly belong. I felt I was the only one who was so…odd.

            Lesson #2: Who you are is more important than who you’re with. Many of us struggle with being accepted, and we are tempted to compromise our values for the approval of others. But to focus on pleasing man is to sacrifice our authenticity before the Lord. Here’s the question for us: are we willing to let go of our relationship with man for the sake of our relationship with God?

The Curse and the Mirror

            The Curse was a mirror. While seemingly contrary to the previous point, we also find the concept of a consistency between the internal and the external. The Beast started off as a person like Gaston, handsome but heartless. Being a beast on the inside, the prince’s curse was that his outward appearance was transformed to reflect it. The enchantress’ spell did not change who he was, but, in fact, revealed it for everyone to see, especially himself.

“…the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his…window to the outside world.”

            The Mirror was a curse. A bittersweet gift from the enchantress, to be specific. Every time the Beast got to see the outside world, the window closed with a regular reflection, a reminder of who and where he was.

            Question: Are we able to see who we are, or do we need someone else to help us see?

Because we are naturally incapable of seeing who we really, truly are, maybe we need Someone to open our eyes and show us exactly that—and He did. He first gave us the Law, a constant mirror into our souls. He then gave us His Son, and our perverse, unholy nature stood in stark contrast to His holy life. He gave us His blood, and our sins were painted explicitly on the canvas of Calvary.

Lesson #3: “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul…” (Psalm 19:7a). Not only do we need discernment, but humility and courage are also necessary to face the reality of our own hearts. We often avoid the things that God is telling us about ourselves because we don’t like it. Especially in our “feel good” culture, we often decide to turn a blind eye to the uncomfortable self-reflections. Are we willing to approach the throne of judgment and grace, beat on our chests in anguish, saying, “Woe unto me, for I am a sinner!”?

Who would the Beauty be without the Beast?

“I was innocent and certain. Now I’m wiser but unsure.”

            Of course, Belle’s encounter with the inhabitants of the castle changed her forever, but I keep wondering what kind of person would be if the whole adventure had not taken place. What would she not have known, learned, seen, or believed? What would she have continued believing?

            The whole experience, in my opinion, did not primarily change her into someone she was not, but helped her grow in who she already was. Though already loving, she learned to love the one whom no one loved. Though already kind, she was challenged to extend kindness to the one who did not deserve it. While already brave, she grew to be fearless. She grew wiser.

            The tale began with a girl; it ended with a woman. She began with dreams of Prince Charming and fancy in lands beyond her “provincial town”; she later found that “Prince Charming” was not entirely like the one she always envisioned. She learned that love has the power to change hearts, and that patience is needed to see that change.

             Lesson #4: “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (Jonah 4:10-11). As Belle grew in wisdom, beyond the walls of her tiny town, she found that many things weren’t as she had once thought. She probably would never have known the realities of the world had she not gone beyond her comfort zone…had she not gone beyond what she had always known.

Ravi Zacharias pointed out that Jonah’s problem in the above passage was that he was not in touch with his surroundings. He was only concerned about his own comfort and his desire to see Nineveh destroyed. But the LORD was rebuking him, asking why he had more concern for a plant than for a city who was spiritually lost.

The question for us is: Are we willing to move beyond ourselves and be in touch with the world around us? I am absolutely convinced that a wealth of wisdom is to be found beyond our personal walls, in places where we can see the pain, hear the cries, and touch the lives of the people around us. Whether on the other side of the world or in the house next door, reach out, for you will never know whom you may touch. And you may not know how much they need it.

“We Did Nothing.”

            “But he’s cursed you somehow. Why? You did nothing.”

            “You’re quite right there, dear. You see, when the Master lost his mother, and his cruel father took that sweet, innocent lad and twisted him up to be just like him, we did nothing.”

             I think we are often more responsible for many things due to our inaction than we realize. We ask ourselves often, “What did we do?” But hardly do we ask, “What did we not do?” I understand that it is important to ask the first question, but our self-analysis will not be complete until we ask the second.

             Before we go further, I would like to point out that I am not saying that the Beast was not responsible for his character. The belief that one is not responsible for his or her actions because of a terrible past or upbringing is a falsehood that is prevalent in much of today’s culture. Although the Beast was raised the wrong way, he was still responsible for what he chose to do and whom he chose to be. What I’m trying to say here is that both he and his elders held some of the responsibility.

Now back to the main point. For example, we fail to realize that a president or prime minister of a country is, more often than not, primarily a reflection of the people of that nation. More so in free countries like the United States than in other nations like North Korea, the president is a reflection of the nation’s residents. But if the president is not a true, accurate reflection of the people, then what have the people done, or more importantly, what have the people not done?

Lesson #5: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when something really isn’t our fault at all. If that’s the case, submit it to the Lord and pray for it. But if it is, we need to act and do what we need to. Constant self-analysis is important.

Where are the men and women of God? Have they fallen asleep? Have they finally been wiped out by the armies of darkness? Have they been broken and turned? Where, I ask? Let not the righteous fall asleep. Let them not be in slumber, for he who sleeps is as a burning coal that has lost its flame. Wake up, O saints of God! Arise, O children of the Most High! He who has eyes, let him see. He who has ears, let him hear. The Lord has a fire He wants to spread. Are we going to say, “Lord, I want to be a part of this plan!”? Will we be a people who does nothing, or will we be a people to does something?

These are some of the observations I’ve had ever since watching the new movie adaptation of this famous story. I never knew that so much could be drawn from a fairytale such as this. Of course, there were certain aspects of the tale, especially in the live-action remake, that I did not fully agree with or approve of, but those are beyond the purpose of this post. (If you would like a post that specifically addresses the issues I find in Beauty and the Beast, or if you would just like more story/movie analyses like this one, let me know!)

I hope you enjoyed “Lessons from the Tale as Old as Time.”

Blessings,

Nathanael Chong