If people pay to watch the show, it must mean something to them, unless we decide that such a large part of the population is just plain boring. That would be a stupid psychological conclusion. The truth is that we only do what is important to us, even when we don’t understand our own reasons (and that is the problem).
Beauty and the Beast is an instructive fairy tale that has a lot to say about our psychological reality.
Beauty is a “strange girl”, as her peers say. She is always with an open book in her hands that makes her imagination fly and see other places, people and wonders. She is so sensitive to that “other world”, which we can only call “inner world”, as indifferent to the outside and the glamor of it.
Who would Bella be today? A girl who likes to read and doesn’t fit in with her peer group, who has a critical view of Disney Channel and her stars. Someone who doesn’t like to spend their days in shopping malls. To average teenagers, this beauty would seem preposterous, certainly not considered “normal.” Her parents might even be concerned about her “introversion” while her classmates, mainly girls, would bully her mercilessly, since her roles different from her are like a slap in the face of she. Modern Beauty’s behavior would show her peers that what is so important to them can be seen in another way. And because the other girls may actually feel that their values aren’t as real as they think they are, they need to stifle and silence alternative voices, like Beauty’s. So, let’s kill (psychologically) the different ones.
In the musical everything shines with melody and joy because we are looking through the eyes of Beauty and we are merged in her world and challenges. But from the outside, Bella’s life would be miserable.
Beauties like this there are many out there. They may not look glamorous and they are surely not popular. When they are beautiful, they may believe that they are ugly because that is how the world sees them. They have beauty on the inside and often keep it tight to protect it, so they are shy, which doesn’t help with their “introversion” and “relationship issues”. These beauties fight a lonely battle and feel so desperately alone.
In the fairy tale, Beauty rejects Gaston, who is the representation of the system itself. Gaston symbolizes the common mindset and standard values. He is the reflection of the average male figure in a highly extroverted society. Thus, Gaston and his followers (men and women) are as blind to the inner world as they are insensitive to other points of view. For them, everything must fit into the established pattern. He wants Beauty not because he loves her, but to conquer and dominate the one for whom it means nothing.
By looking down on Gaston, Beauty is courageously setting the standards for the life she wants for herself. That’s what any “good girl” does in the process of individuating her. Bella wants to be herself and therefore it is crucial that she does not accept Gastón. He tells her that she will make all “his dreams of her come true”. But what dreams? Whose dreams? Deep inner dreams of beauty or stereotyped collective ideals? Gaston, as an expression of masculine banality shaped by thoughtless thought, would actually kill Bella’s dreams.
Beauty says no to Gastón and meets the Beast. That’s what happens when you deny giving in to media stereotypes. This person will have to face the Beast, the first unrefined, grotesque and terrifying step on the path of individualization. The Beast, as the story goes, is the other face of the beautiful person we show to the world. The Beast is a threat and a promise. Although people are not used to dealing with the desert within, the Beast represents that everything has been put aside, turned off, “forgotten” and ignored. Our true potential Prince Charming. The one that makes us who we are.
Beauty had dreamed of another life, which is possible, but it is not free, there is a price to pay and a battle to win. Many teens have from time to time the healthy feeling of rejecting the status quo and following their vision. However, fresh and young as they are, and mainly alone, they do not have the knowledge or guidance to achieve what they want and thus make their dreams come true. As we all know, life is not easy. One thing is to wish and idealize, another very different thing is to roll up your sleeves and work, and guess what, without an instruction manual. This existential dilemma often drags on for years and years, until people in their forties realize that they still haven’t achieved their dreams.
What is the path suggested by fairy tales? Introversion, perseverance, acceptance and love.
Beauty is lost in the woods, as any of us would be after rejecting Gaston/status quo (“What the hell am I going to do now?”). She is alone and scared, and as usual she is raining (along with our own tears). She needs a shelter. The forest is the place of unconsciousness, far from the civilized mind, the palace of the ego with its comfortable hackneyed reality. In the forest one is silent and observes. Instincts gain strength and sharpen. It’s time to feel. From the outside, a person in the woods will appear introverted.
The palace in the forest tells us that something big is happening there. The desert is fully alive and carries a profound message. This side of the world’s master of psyche is justly cursed by a wise witch. He is the result of a personality excessively open to the outside while ignoring the inside, which is: conscience, spirituality, ethics, meaning. The vain prince is doomed to die (of course, who wants a two-dimensional life?) unless he is capable of loving and being loved. Such a beautiful curse.
Who can love the ugly, rude and scary Beast? Just someone for whom the average mindset and lifestyle is uglier, ruder, and scarier. Beauty. Because what we reject is totally unbearable, because the idea of giving up our own personality and uniqueness is worse than dying, we face the Beast. The outer door is closed, all that remains is to move forward, that is: to go deeper. From the outside, a person on this journey will look very introverted and even depressed. It will be like a ship sailing through troubled waters. You will benefit from qualified and attuned help, although this is perfectly normal and you are reacting as expected to the stakes.
By being available and paying attention to the situation, as Belle is fully plugged into the prince’s castle, having no additional distractions, she finds her way into the Beast’s heart. It’s faster and easier to resolve a case when we dedicate ourselves completely to it. What seemed incomprehensible and terrifying, takes on a new face and finally the two lovebirds are close to breaking the spell and living happily ever after. From the outside a person seems to have regained her self-esteem and confidence. But the battle is not over. We still have to deal with Gaston. What are we going to do with this guy?
Protect us. The wondrous reality that we encounter on your personal inner journey remains invisible to the outside world, and worse yet, the extroverted and superficial outsider fears the mysterious inner side of the psyche. Therefore, once again let’s kill the different ones. And there goes Gastón and his followers full of pious beliefs stuck between the sin of one ego and that of another, to eliminate the Beast, that is, the one who dared to make his difference.
This last combat of the first scene of the individuation process contributes to its apotheosis and realization. Gaston seemingly wins, but actually frees the Beast. When everything seems to be lost, it is time for self-esteem and confidence to flourish to show that they are real. Once again, being positive at home is not enough. The world exacts its toll and in doing so gives us the opportunity to let our inner beauty shine through. The transformation is complete, the Beast has left the scene and made way for the Prince. Our future is already available to us. We have our own mind and project. The way is open, we marry our own Being.
