It's a tale as old as time. A beast and a beautiful girl meet under the most unlikely of circumstances and fall in love. Sounds like it could only happen in a fairy tale and never in real life. No one meets under those circumstances and falls head over heels in love.
That may be the majority opinion, but I think there is a lot we could learn from "Beauty and the Beast" when it comes to love.
Whether it is Belle's love of books, the love for her father, the love the town has for Gaston, the love Gaston has for Belle or the love between Belle and the Beast, this movie covers every aspect, revealing what's true love and what it isn't.
The movie starts off with Belle being labeled as an outcast because she would rather learn through reading than join in on what everyone else is doing. Her love of reading and learning is so strong that she doesn't mind being called weird.
This shows us that we need to find something we are so passionate about and so in love with that no one could ever take it away from us. The moment you can't find something in life you are passionate about is when you stop living all together and start just existing.
The love Belle has for her father defies all obstacles. Not only does she go out to look for him after he never returned from a trip, she also sacrifices her freedom for his. She agrees to be the Beast's prisoner if he will let her father go free. When you love someone wholeheartedly, you'd be willing to protect them no matter what it does to you, and that is exactly what Belle did.
Now we have Gaston and the town. Clearly, Gaston is loved by everyone -- except for Belle of course -- and everyone follows his lead.
Is it really love they have for him, though?
It has been proven in a society that when someone who is very confident and carries themselves a certain way, a majority of the people will start to idolize that person.
Gaston obviously thinks highly of himself and thinks everyone else should too.
But, that isn't true love.
That is just society needing someone to take the lead and be that confident figure.
Even though Gaston is clearly attractive and buff, Belle sees right through all of that and knows that she will never love him.
Gaston says he loves Belle and is constantly trying to win her over -- or better yet, trying to force her to love him. He puts on the biggest show for her and really packs on the confidence and arrogance. He isn't really in love with her, though. When you are really in love, you don't mock your loved ones for doing what they love to do and you take the time to get to know them.
Gaston says, "it's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking," and he doesn't understand how she can survive without him. The only reason he is after her is because she is the one person who doesn't want him.
The best love lies between the Beast and Belle. After being his prisoner, Belle actually starts to fall for the Beast and sees that he really isn't as nasty as he seems. The Beast has just been shunned by society for so long, he has forgotten how to love and show his true self.
It wasn't until Belle showed him a genuine kindness that he started showing himself more.
When we find that true love, it'll reveal parts of us we may have long ago buried deep inside of us. It brings out the best in us just like Belle brought out the best in the Beast.
