Why on earth is Gaston the villain of Beauty and the Beast?

[Terabith]

The beast kidnaps an old man and then accepts his daughter to take his place as a hostage forever, until she falls in love with him.  (Why isn’t this movie based in Stockholm?). Why is the villain the man who tries to save her?  I mean, I get that Belle dislikes her, and he is a jerk, but he’s not literally holding people hostage.  He doesn’t know the Beast is a man.  It just makes little sense.  

[maize]

He does hold her father hostage (have him remanded to an asylum) in order to try to manipulate Belle into marrying him. 

[Terabith]

8 minutes ago, maize said:

He does hold her father hostage (have him remanded to an asylum) in order to try to manipulate Belle into marrying him. 

Oh, I had forgotten that part!  I was thinking that was the beast.  Okay, yeah, he’s not the hero. Never mind!

[Dmmetler]

I think it's less that he's a villian...and more that he's just plain a total egotistical jerk. And every woman (and most teen girls) have run into at least one of those in our lives. 

 

I was in college when BatB came out, and definitely found Belle relatable, as the bookish girl who just doesn't fit in and prefers fantasy to reality, and for whom living in a castle with a literal monster was preferable to what she'd previously had. Honestly, had someone offered me a castle full of books with talking furniture, I probably would have gone for it, just keep the hairy guy away from me! 

 

 

[catz]

My kids and I like to watch stuff like this and discuss how everyone is dysfunctional and would do well seeking the help of a mental health professional.

BELLE!  GIRL!  You can do so much better than all of this.  🤣

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

Listen, if some Beast offered me a castle with a huge library, a charming, mothering teapot, and entertaining silverware, I’m moving in.

The Beast started off mean, but changed. Gaston was never going to change. Both the Beast and Gaston started off the same in the beginning; both so in love with themselves that they cared nothing for anyone else. Beast happened to meet a witch who wasn’t putting up with that, and perhaps thought that there was possibility of change(as she gave a way out; if he learned to care about others he would then he would turn back). Gaston was never going to change.

And of course this is Disney; Villeneuve’s version is quite different.

[Terabith]

I also can’t get over the witch turning all the servants into furniture.  They were innocent!  

[Katy]

14 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I also can’t get over the witch turning all the servants into furniture.  They were innocent!  

They were enablers. Who are often just as guilty as the bad.

[historically accurate]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

They were enablers. Who are often just as guilty as the bad.

Is it enabling if it's your boss though? They depended on him for their livelihood, so could they influence him as much as needed?

ETA: I've never really thought this hard about Beauty and the Beast though - normally, I just sing along and drool at the library...

Edited April 16, 2023 by historically accurate

[catz]

6 minutes ago, Katy said:

They were enablers. Who are often just as guilty as the bad.

But they were servants that were treated poorly.  Ruling class enslaving the peasants.  

Parents were the true enablers.  They most certainly also treated the servants badly as well.

Edited April 16, 2023 by catz

[Katy]

2 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

Is it enabling if it's your boss though? They depended on him for their livelihood, so could they influence him as much as needed?

ETA: I've never really thought this hard about Beauty and the Beast though - normally, I just sing along and drool at the library...

They raised him and enabled him to act that badly because they pitied him. They were equally responsible 

[Katy]

5 minutes ago, catz said:

But they were servants that were treated poorly.  Ruling class enslaving the peasants.  

Parents were the true enablers.  They most certainly also treated the servants badly as well.

I’m going by the narration at the beginning of the movie. Not an accurate reflection of the pre-revolutionary French economy. IE: in real life, sure. In this story, no. 

[Katy]

Okay, my memory is apparently from the live action version because the cartoon backstory isn’t nearly as elaborate. You’d think I’d know this better. It’s one of my children’s favorite Disney movies. Also bc of the library.

 

[Katy]

Live: 

 

[Terabith]

Yeah, I am not sure it’s fair to hold employees accountable for the behavior of their employer?  His parents, I would say, yes, but some of those folks were low level employees.  I haven’t seen live action version though.  

[Katy]

2 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Yeah, I am not sure it’s fair to hold employees accountable for the behavior of their employer?  His parents, I would say, yes, but some of those folks were low level employees.  I haven’t seen live action version though.  

The live action version has a scene, I think it’s being explained to Chip how this came about. Honestly one of mine plays this movie so often I tune it out, but I’m sure it’s explained that they felt sorry for him because his dad was awful and that made him worse. 

[Katy]

If you click through to the live action clip there’s an interesting theory in the comments that the Beast is based off Louis the 15th. 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Katy
Clarity

[mathmarm]

The rose was going to bloom until his 21st year?!! I never realized that the Beast was a teenager at the beginning of the animated film.

[Faith-manor]

5 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

Listen, if some Beast offered me a castle with a huge library, a charming, mothering teapot, and entertaining silverware, I’m moving in.

The Beast started off mean, but changed. Gaston was never going to change. Both the Beast and Gaston started off the same in the beginning; both so in love with themselves that they cared nothing for anyone else. Beast happened to meet a witch who wasn’t putting up with that, and perhaps thought that there was possibility of change(as she gave a way out; if he learned to care about others he would then he would turn back). Gaston was never going to change.

And of course this is Disney; Villeneuve’s version is quite different.

Me too. I mean, I am pretty certain the enchanted piano and I would get along just fine. Lumiere is a fun dude, and my teapot provides conversation, nuturing, and friendship. I'm good. Plus I have wardrobe that doubles as a body guard. Fair exchange for dealing with the Jack Nicholson attitude. 😁

Edited April 16, 2023 by Faith-manor
Typo

[Condessa]

Except that the Beast was only 9 in the animated version when he was cursed.  The rose would bloom “until his 21st year”, and it isn’t quite there yet.  Your 21st year is the year between age 20 and age 21, so he isn’t yet 20 years old when Belle is taken hostage.  And Lumiere sings that night “ten years we’ve been rusting” to her, so he was only 9 at the time of the transformation.

 

 There’s never any mention of parents, so who was raising this bratty kid?  Were they around but not mentioned in the intro and just died since, or were they already dead and he was such a brat because he was being raised by servants who just gave him whatever he wanted to placate him?  And that was one harsh sorceress to transform a nine year old kid into a monster for his misbehavior.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Condessa

[vonfirmath]

23 minutes ago, Condessa said:

Except that the Beast was only 9 in the animated version when he was cursed.  The rose would bloom “until his 21st year”, and it isn’t quite there yet.  Your 21st year is the year between age 20 and age 21, so he isn’t yet 20 years old when Belle is taken hostage.  And Lumiere sings that night “ten years we’ve been rusting” to her, so he was only 9 at the time of the transformation.

 

 There’s never any mention of parents, so who was raising this bratty kid?  Were they around but not mentioned in the intro and just died since, or were they already dead and he was such a brat because he was being raised by servants who just gave him whatever he wanted to placate him?  And that was one harsh sorceress to transform a nine year old kid into a monster for his misbehavior.

Yeah. The story does not quite hold together as in "He deserves it" when you realize how young he was

Its normal for a kid that age to be self-absorbed.

 

[Moonhawk]

Molly had taken the position at the castle because there was no more room in the cottage after the new baby came, she could send a bit of money home time to time, and go home every fortnight. And the castle smelled much better than Johnnie's pig sty, who wanted to be the pig farmer's wife? And at the castle every servant girl got a bit of lace on their mobcap. Real lace! Good bye, stinky pig wife.

"Just stay out of the way of the master," was the refrain of all the other servants on her first day of the castle. He was a kid and prone to tantrums, but what kid wasn't? She'd seen enough in her own home. And with no parents, it really was to be expected. The butler and senior servants were giving a gentle hand: the deference due his station, but quiet counsel when he was calmer to listen. It would take time, but he'd get there. 

Her second day in the castle, the boy prince had sneered at the state of the cutlery. So now her task was to polish it all, every last spoon and fork. Polish, polish, polish. How many spoons and forks did one person need, even if they live in a castle? The housekeeper assured her it would only take a few days, and she could drink all the tea she wanted while she sat there.

So so sat there she did, and kept polishing, polishing, polishing. Polish through lunch. Polish through supper. Polish through dinner. Polish through whatever commotion was happening in the first front vestibule, even though half the kitchen staff had run off to eavesdrop; she still got lost two hallways past the back stair, so she didn't even bother to get up. And this silver wasn't going to polish itself. Polish, polish, pol---

When she thought back on it later, how she wished she had been polishing a bowl, or a cup, or even a spoon! Instead, here she was. A butterknife. A butterknife! How embarrassing! Her brothers had always teased her for being all flats and angles, what would they say if they could see her now? She thought about it through her tears, or she'd be crying if she could, anyway, and privately swore if she was ever a girl again she'd go straight to the village and see Johnnie and sleep with the pigs if she had to til he gave her another offer.

A butterknife! Oh! Why a butterknife?!

[Miss Tick]

1 hour ago, Moonhawk said:

A butterknife! Oh! Why a butterknife?!

Oh @Moonhawk 🥰

[Quarter Note]

2 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

Molly had taken the position at the castle because there was no more room in the cottage after the new baby came, she could send a bit of money home time to time, and go home every fortnight. And the castle smelled much better than Johnnie's pig sty, who wanted to be the pig farmer's wife? And at the castle every servant girl got a bit of lace on their mobcap. Real lace! Good bye, stinky pig wife.

"Just stay out of the way of the master," was the refrain of all the other servants on her first day of the castle. He was a kid and prone to tantrums, but what kid wasn't? She'd seen enough in her own home. And with no parents, it really was to be expected. The butler and senior servants were giving a gentle hand: the deference due his station, but quiet counsel when he was calmer to listen. It would take time, but he'd get there. 

Her second day in the castle, the boy prince had sneered at the state of the cutlery. So now her task was to polish it all, every last spoon and fork. Polish, polish, polish. How many spoons and forks did one person need, even if they live in a castle? The housekeeper assured her it would only take a few days, and she could drink all the tea she wanted while she sat there.

So so sat there she did, and kept polishing, polishing, polishing. Polish through lunch. Polish through supper. Polish through dinner. Polish through whatever commotion was happening in the first front vestibule, even though half the kitchen staff had run off to eavesdrop; she still got lost two hallways past the back stair, so she didn't even bother to get up. And this silver wasn't going to polish itself. Polish, polish, pol---

When she thought back on it later, how she wished she had been polishing a bowl, or a cup, or even a spoon! Instead, here she was. A butterknife. A butterknife! How embarrassing! Her brothers had always teased her for being all flats and angles, what would they say if they could see her now? She thought about it through her tears, or she'd be crying if she could, anyway, and privately swore if she was ever a girl again she'd go straight to the village and see Johnnie and sleep with the pigs if she had to til he gave her another offer.

A butterknife! Oh! Why a butterknife?!

Moonhawk, this is absolutely precious!  Thank you for posting and giving us such a laugh.  Please keep sharing the funnies that you come up with.  🙂 

[Grace Hopper]

This story has never made sense to me. 

[Clarita]

I always thought the enchantress thing wasn't so much that she was justified in what she did, but more an admonition for bratty kids that you never know who you are going to offend and what they will do to you.