Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

“On the contrary, he used to smile at us over the dinner table and say how pleased he was that we were growing into three such dissimilar individuals; that he always felt sorry for families who looked like petals from the same flower.”

Beauty believes she’s much less attractive than her sisters. While much of society dismisses her other attributes as less important, however, her father cherishes her as an individual. He encourages her love of reading and supports her dream of becoming a scholar. He teaches Beauty that looks aren’t the most important thing in life. This lesson enables her to see beyond Beast’s outward appearance and appreciate his character, thus finding love and breaking the spell.

“The only comfort I had in being my sisters’ sister was that I was ‘the clever one.’ To a certain extent this was damning me with faint praise, in the same category as accepting my given name as an epithet accurately reflecting my limited worth—it was the best that could be said of me.”

Beauty’s society values cleverness in girls less than physical attractiveness, so Beauty sees herself as having “limited worth.” This poor self-image represents her character’s major flaw and persists for most of the narrative arc. As her inner beauty grows through kindness, trust, and faithfulness, it manifests as a matching increase in her physical beauty. This transformation culminates in Beauty’s ability to see herself as beautiful.

“What little he had available to him he used to try and cushion the fall for some of his best men; most of it was sent with the third mate from the Stalwart, to try and find the men he had left behind him and help them out of their difficulties.”

Roderick’s efforts to support his employees as he faces financial ruin characterize him as a man of honor and integrity. This fits with the novel’s overall portrayal of humans as kind and virtuous. Roderick’s character in particular shapes the character traits that Beauty values and comes to find in Beast. This creates some conflict as she has to choose between loyalty to her loving family and to Beast.