Female

# 2: The female disobeys the wishes of her father when it comes to men. He usually believes that he is no good for someone like her. The male character helps her in rebelling against his approval. After the father accepts him, she passes from his care or 'ownership' into the husband's.


Beauty and the Beast (1991) is definitely one of my favourite movies. Its another fairy tale that Disney made a musical to suit its audiences. A young girl (Belle) is considered odd by the rest of the townspeople. After her father Maurice (who is also considered loony) is held prisoner by the Beast (a former prince who was made horrible because of his selfishness) she goes to rescue him. She offers herself in exchange for the freedom of her father. Her father objects but has no other choice. The Beast must win the love of Belle to free himself (and his household servants) from the spell before an enchanted rose withers and dies.


Everyone considers Belle a bit strange because of her love of reading and how she is always walking around town with her nose stuck in a book. These comments don't affect her much. She seems to be happy lost in her own little world. She gets upset very easily and is very emotional. But she demonstrates her strength and compassion by staying with the Beast and eventually, being able to love him despite his grotesque appearance. Belle provides the whole moral of the story, that true beauty is not only skin deep. Though Belle is one of the more believable characters, the same gender roles apply to her as well: when she gets upset she throws herself down and cries pitifully; she tucks the single strand of hair that pops out back in place; she lowers her eyes bashfully when she makes contact with the Beast. She fulfills her role by taking care of him (healing his wounds) and teaching him how to behave like a gentleman.


The Beast is a very violent character. He loves her and wants her to love him in return so he can break free of his animal form. He has an extremely harsh temper and commonly bellows and throws furniture around to scare Belle. His voice is sometimes more threatening than his appearance. To win Belle's love, he tries to act civil towards her, and eventually finds it easier as she starts to care for him in return. But even until the end, he remains very insecure of himself because he thinks that she will never love him because of the way he looks. The entire movie is based on loving by looks, the Beast being the only exception. He does, however, transform back into the typical Disney prince once Belle confesses her love for him.


The evil character in this movie is Gaston. Gaston is a very egocentric, aggressive, and overbearing hunter. He is, again, the ideal male with the muscular body, cleft in the chin, and hairy chest. He wants Belle to be his wife so badly that he resorts to treachery. Gaston says things like "The most beautiful girl in town, that makes her the best!" showing the obvious shallowness found throughout the movie. His companion also remarks "No beast alive stands a chance against you Gaston, and no girl for that matter." You would expect Gaston to be the handsome prince that saves the day but he is the real Beast of the film. He pressures Belle, stalks around her house, tries to send her father to an asylum, and almost murders the Beast.


In conclusion, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite movies besides the violent and sexually aggressive attitudes found in the male characters. By dismissing her father's wishes, Belle finally gets to live her own life and find out what she really wants, which results in her living the fairy tale and becoming the Beast's princess. Her father approves once he sees how much this means to his only daughter, and how she broke the spell.


Part III: The perfect replacement mother figure

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