Analyzing the Male Characters of Beauty and the Beast

The Disney and DeBeaumont versions of "Beauty and the Beast" differ in theme, overall tone, and character profiles. The differences in the characters between the two versions are a result of the numerous changes in society and the different time periods in which they were written. The characters, in both versions, are also used as aids in getting across the authors' different messages about society. The male characters of the DeBeaumont tale act dignified, compassionate, and sensible as opposed to the Disney version in which there is a crazy-but-loving father, an egotistical man, and shallow townsmen. In the DeBeaumont version the author created the male characters to act as those characters would be expected to act in society. In the Disney film version of "Beauty and the Beast" each male character represents a group in society by over-emphasizing the characteristics of that group.

In Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Gaston, a simple townsman who wants to marry Belle, is handsome and muscular, but he has no inner morals or deep emotions. Gaston likes Belle because of her beauty, but he does not like that she reads and is educated because he thinks a woman's place is as a housewife (Disney). In the movie, Belle, the story's heroine, does not like the narcissistic Gaston and she refuses to be his bride (Disney). Disney uses Gaston to represent the type of men that may be pleasing on the outside but are just conceited and empty on the inside. Belle, by choosing not to marry Gaston, shows the viewers to stay away from these types of men because it's what is on the inside that counts (Disney).

In DeBeaumont's version of "Beauty and the Beast" there is no role similar to Gaston's. Instead, Beauty's brothers represent the average young man. In the little we see of the brothers, they act as most woman of the 1700s wish for bachelors and older brothers to behave. They are compassionate towards and protective of their sister. When Beauty tells her brothers of her plan to be killed by the Beast in her father's place, they respond, "No sister... We will find this monster, and we are prepared to die under his blows if we are unable to slay him" (DeBeaumont 36). DeBeaumont uses the brothers, along with the Beast, to help illustrate how DeBeaumont feels proper men should act towards females in their family or communtiy.

Even the average townsmen, in DeBeaumont's story, act respectable and cordial towards Beauty. "There were a number of gentlemen who would have been happy to marry Beauty, even though she didn't have a penny" (DeBeaumont 33). The townsmen are used to further illustrate how men and boys are expected to behave in a middle-class society. While the townsmen in the Disney film version are confused, angry, shallow, and regard Belle as odd because she is educated (Disney). In the movie, the average townsmen are disregarded by Belle and are shown as being insignificant in her life. The townsmen help to encourage young girls to read by illustrating an exaggerated version of how uneducated people act.

In the Disney film, Maurice, Belle's father, helps to convey the message that there is more to a person than first meets the eye. Maurice is a man who is passionate about his work and daughter. The town misunderstands Maurice's intentions and sees him as a crazy outcast. The town laughs at him when he claims that a Beast is holding Belle captive. Even though no one takes him seriously, Maurice is still determined to save his daughter with or without help (Disney). It is Maurice's love and support for Belle that gives her the strength and encouragement to fight the townsfolk and Gaston to save the Beast (Disney). Although Maurice may be seen by some as foolish and thoughtless, Belle helps the viewer to recognize her father as loving and compassionate.

In the DeBeaumont version of "Beauty and the Beast," the father represents an average man and typical father. He is a merchant with good sense, gentleness, and intelligence. Unlike in the Disney version, he shows neither extreme compassion nor eccentric quirks. He has the qualities that DeBeaumont thought was important for a father to have. A father should be levelheaded, loving, and wise and he should care for all of his children equally. The children reading the story should be able to compare their own father with the one in the story. This will help the children readers to relate better to Beauty.

In the DeBoumont version of "Beauty and the Beast" all the males characters act appropriately and sensible. The author constructed their roles based on how individual men in her society act or are expected to act. The writer did this to make the protagonist, Beauty, comparable to her intended readers and to show the readers how the she felt proper men should conduct themselves. Compared to the men in the DeBeaumont version, the male characters in the Disney version represent varied groups in society. The men in the Disney film portray prejudged groups in American societies. These characters show the viewers that first impressions cannot tell you everything about a person. Gaston, the townsfolk, and Maurice show this message when they were all wrongfully judged by their society. The contrasts in the male character roles between the two adaptations of "Beauty and the Beast" are due mainly to the different functions of the roles in each version.