Arens1

AlyssaArens
Dr.KendraParker
ENGL11303
20April2015
IWonderWhySheDidntSeeItThereBefore?
InDisneys1991film,BeautyandtheBeast,BellesingsSomethingThereashereyes
areopenedtothetendernessandlovingnatureofBeast:
There'ssomethingsweetandalmostkind
Buthewasmeanandhewascoarseandunrefined
Andnowhe'sdearandsounsure
IwonderwhyIdidn'tseeittherebefore.(BeautyandtheBeastnp)
AnymovieviewerthathasviewedtherashnessofBeastthroughoutthemoviewouldunderstand
hownaiveBellehasbecome.BelleadmiresBeastdelicatelyfeedingthebirds,andsuddenly
changeshermindabouthischaracter.ThisisthesameBeastwhocapturesherfatherandrips
apartherfamily,locksherintohiscastle,andverballyabusesher.Surprisingly,Belles
ignoranceisnotjustacinematicmistakemadebyDisneyfilmwriters.Accordingtothe
DomesticAbuseShelterofFloridaKeys,awomanwillleaveanabusiverelationshipseventimes
beforesheleavesforgood(InformationonDomesticViolencenp).LikeBelle,womenin
theserelationshipsalsoattempttolookbeyondtheabuse,thinking,Truethathe'snoPrince
Charming,butthere'ssomethinginhimthatIsimplydidn'tsee(BeautyandtheBeastnp).
WomenwhoholdontothishopethatDisneydeliversthroughBeaststransformationarethe
womenwhoendupstayinginabusiverelationships.Thesewomen,however,oftentimesdonot

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receiveafairytaleendingwithalovingprince.Rather,theyendupwiththesamebeasttheyhave
toleratedallalong.TheissueofdomesticviolenceintherelationshipofBelleandBeastin
DisneysBeautyandtheBeastromanticizesabuseinrelationshipsandproclaimsafalsehopefor
change,leadingyoungAmericanwomenintotheideathattheyshouldtoleratetheabuseoftheir
partnersratherthanseekhelp.
TherelationshipbetweenBelleandBeastinBeautyandtheBeastromanticizestheissue
ofdomesticviolence, which lets young women believe that theyshouldenduretheir
circumstancesofabuse.Whenlookingatthestatistics,domesticviolencedoesseemliketobea
commonissue.IntheUnitedStates,4,774,000peopleexperiencephysicalviolencebyan
intimatepartnereachyear(30ShockingDomesticViolenceStatisticsThatRemindUsIt'sAn
Epidemicnp).Althoughdomesticviolenceismostoftenrecognizedasphysicalabuse,
accordingtoKathleenBairdinIdentifyingDomesticAbuseAgainstWomenandChildren,
domesticabuseincludessexual,emotional,andpsychologicallyabusivebehaviors(Baird27).
Disneyisnotnecessarilywrongforexposingtheiryoungaudiencetotheactualityofdomestic
violence.Rather,theissuelieswithinthewayitisispresented,inwhichthewomansimplyputs
upwithherabuser.Inthebeginningofthefilm,Bellesfather,Maurice,isbeingchasedbya
packofwolvesandfindshiswayintoBeastscastle.WhenBeastfindsMaurice,hetakesno
mindtohistraumatizingstoryandinsteadthrowshiminthedungeon.Bellearrivesatthecastle
tofindherfatherimprisonedbyBeast,inwhichsheofferstotakehisplaceifherfatherisableto
leave.Beastacceptsherofferandimmediatelysendsoffherfatherwithoutallowingthemtosay
goodbye,rippingherfamilyapart.DespiteBeastsattemptstobeagentleman,hecontinuously
failsandretreatstoyellingatBelle,withphrasessuchas,ComeoutorIllbreakdownthe

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door!orGoaheadandstarve!Ifshe[Belle]doesnteatwithme,thendoesnteatatall!
(BeautyandtheBeastnp).Belletriesstandingupforherselfmultipletimes,withsassyorbold
comments.However,sheultimatelyresultstotheideathatitisherresponsibilitytobringoutthe
tenderheartednessthatliesdeepdowninBeast,suggestingthateveryabusivemanisactuallya
loving,romanticprince.Thisgiveswomentheideathattheyneedtotoleratetheabuseandseek
outthebestqualitiesintheirprincesthattheysimplydidntsee(BeautyandtheBeastnp).
BelleandBeastsrelationshipsuggeststhatwomencanusetheirbodytopleaseaman,
whichmakeswomenmoreatrisktobevictimsofdomesticabuse.Itisevidenttotheaudience
thatBeastisacrueltyrant,shownbyhisobscenewordsandactionstowardBelleandherfather.
However,thereissomethingaboutthefigureofawomanthatsoftenshim.WhenBeastfinds
Bellesfatherinhiscastle,heimprisonshim.Ontheotherhand,whenBelletakestheplaceof
herfatherinBeastsdungeon,Beastupgradeshertoacomfortablebedroom.Hesoftlyasserts,
Thecastleisyourhomenow,soyoucangoanywhereyouwish... ifthere'sanythingyouneed,
myservantswillattendyou(BeautyandtheBeastnp).AlthoughBeaststillhashismomentsof
physicalandverbalrage,heisfarmorehospitabletoBellethanheistoherfather.Despitehis
temper,BelleandBeastdevelopafriendshipthroughoutthecourseofthefilm.Recognizingher
loveforbooks,hegivesheraccesstohisentirelibrary.Furthermore,whenBellefinallyagrees
togoingtodinnerwithBeast,itishisgrandandelegantattemptatimpressingherwithhislooks,
food,anddancing.BellesignoranceasshefallsforBeastspursuitisreflectiveofwhatabuse
victimsalsoexperienceastheytrytopleasetheirpartnersandendtheviolence.AlthoughDisney
portraystoviewersthatBeastreallyisinlovewithBelle,thereasoningbehindtherelationshipis
questionabletothosewholookbeyondthemagicandromance.Belle,justaseventeenyearold

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girl,hastokissBeastinordertoturnhimintoaprince.Thisisespeciallydisappointingfor
viewerswhoadmiredtheindependentmindthatBelleexhibits,especiallyinthebeginningofthe
film.SheevenwithstandsthetrickeryofhandsomeGaston,whoclaimsBelletobethemost
beautifulgirlintown(BeautyandtheBeastnp).However,whenBellefeelsthreatenedbythe
wrathofBeast,sheconformsherselftobephysicallypleasingtohim.Thisvoicestoyoung
womenthatalltheyneedtodoinordertomakeamanlovethemistothemasintimacyinthe
formoftheirbodies.Womenwhoareabusedbytheirpartnersoftenturntotheemotionaland
physicalconnectiontheyhavewiththeirabusers,whichmaymakethemfeelhealthilyconnected
totheirpartnersagain.However,thisonlyputswomenmoreatriskforabuseinthefuture.They
becomesubmissivetotheirabusersandbyofferingtheirbodies,itgivesmenafeelingofcontrol
andownership.Belleswillingnesstogiveofherselftopleasetheprinceisapoorrepresentation
ofhowwomenshouldrespondtoabuse.
Bellesresponsetothedomesticabusesheexperiencesleadswomentobelievethat
copingwithabuseiseasy,whichdiscouragesthemfromleavingrelationshipsandseekinghelp.
AlthoughBellelivesherhappilyeverafterwithherhandsomeprince,storiesofrealwomendo
notturnoutinthesameway.InGiveMeShelter:TemporalPatternsofWomenFleeing
DomesticAbuse,authorsKathrynS.OthsandTaraRoberstonstatethelongerawoman
withstandstheabuse,theworseitgets:addictionscomeintothepicture,childrencausemore
stressupontheaggressor,andtheabusersgainmorecontroloverthevictims(Othsand
Robertson249260).DisneydoessucceedbyportrayingtotheaudiencethatBeastactuallydoes
realizehiswrongdoingandthatthereisachangeofheart.Inactuality,physicalseparationisthe
mosteffectivemethodtostoppingdomesticabuse(FeldandStrausqtd.inOthsandRobertston

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249260).Womencanseparatethemselvesbyenteringsheltersorsafehousesthatoffer
counselingandotherservicesthatallowthewomentobecomeindependent(BowkerandMaurer
qtd.inOthsandRoberston249260).Ofcourse,Disneydoesnotdisplaywhatalongand
stressfulprocessitwouldbetoescapeanabusivepartner.Rather,theysuggestthatwomen
toleratethepainandseekoutthegoodqualitiesintheirabusers,allwhileofferingthemselves
physicallytokeepthemenhappy.Ifwomenweretoactuallypracticethismethod,whichsome
do,therewouldnotbeafairytaleending.Disneyshouldbeencouragingyoungwomentostand
upforthemselvesandwalkawayfromabuse,evenifitmeansseekingoutsidesourcesofhelp.
Intheend,thiswillprovetobemoreeffectivethanwillwaitingaroundforabeasttochangeinto
amagicalprince.
TheDisneyfilmBeautyandtheBeastproclaimsafalsehopefordomesticallyabusive
relationships,asseenthroughtheinteractionsofBelleandBeast.Theirrelationshipgives
youngerviewerstheideathatbeingniceandpleasingtoanabuserwillmakethemchangetheir
ways.IntheUnitedStates,womenoftentimesdothisbyofferingtheirbodiestotheirabusers,
withhopethatemotionalandphysicalintimacywillmakethemenlovethem.However,this
makeswomenmoresusceptibletoabusebecauseitoffersmorecontroltothemen.Although
DisneyattemptstoempowerthecharacterofBelle,thefilmistoodramatizedbythefactthatshe
toleratesacompletelyabusivemonster.Inarealworldscenario,awomanshouldbeseeking
helpbeforeshetriestosolveanabusiverelationshiponherown.Ratherthansticktothetypical
fairytaleending,Disneyshouldlooktoeducateitsviewersinawaythatwouldadhereto
practicalscenarios.

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WorksCited
Baird,Kathleen.IdentifyingDomesticAbuseAgainstWomenandChildren.PrimaryHealth
Care16.5(2006):27.Web.18April2015.
InformationonDomesticViolence.DomesticAbuseShelter,n.d.18April2015.
http://www.domesticabuseshelter.org/infodomesticviolence.htmWeb.
Oths,KathrynSandRobertson,Tara.GiveMeShelter:TemporalPatternsofWomenFleeing
DomesticAbuse.HumanOrganization66.3(2007):249260.Web.18April2015.
Vagianos,Alanna.30ShockingDomesticViolenceStatisticsThatRemindUsIt'sAnEpidemic.
TheHuffingtonPost,23Oct.2014.18April2015.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/23/domesticviolencestatistics_n_5959776.html
Web.