Beauty and the Beast

Fiction | Novella | Middle Grade | Published in 1740

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Roses

Roses play a key role in Beauty and the Beast. In Chapter 1, Beauty asks her father for a rose because she hasn’t seen one since they left the city and misses the flower’s beauty. Here, the rose symbolizes Beauty’s ability to find pleasure in simple things. Although she knows the rose will quickly wilt, she’d rather have something beautiful briefly than something gaudy that won’t fade. In addition, the rose represents how trivial things can trigger large emotions. In Chapter 2, the Beast threatens the merchant because he picked a rose. Although the fairy told the Beast to make this threat, it’s over-the-top and likely worked only because of the Beast’s frightening appearance. Had the merchant been unafraid of the Beast, he might not have taken the threat seriously. Thus, he may not have returned with Beauty.

The rose is also a catalyst for the story’s events. Because the merchant fears the Beast, he tells his children about the deal, which prompts Beauty to take his place because she feels responsible for the merchant being threatened given that the rose was for her. Later, in her dreams, Beauty recognizes part of the castle gardens after exploring them while she was awake. The rose, along with other flowers, symbolizes the mystery of the handsome prince in Beauty’s dreams and her struggle to understand his connection to the castle—and they foreshadow Beauty finding the dying Beast in the garden and returning him to health so that she can break the fairy’s curse.

The Magic Mirror

The narrative never refers to the magic mirror by a formal name, but it appears throughout the first part of the novel and is one of the many wonders Beauty discovers within the castle. The mirror allows Beauty to watch operas and theater performances as if she were really there, but she can’t interact with the scenes. The mirror represents the book’s theme The Many Types of Captivity. While the castle provides luxuries beyond any Beauty experienced before, it doesn’t give her the freedom to go where she likes when she likes. The mirror is her only window to the world beyond, and its amusements are a type of prison because they offer Beauty something she wants but can’t get any other way.

Additionally, the mirror symbolizes Beauty’s character arc. When she first finds the glass, the images it shows enthrall her. She returns to it often to see what it has to offer. Later in the book, Beauty becomes discontent with the mirror. She watches the different shows it offers, of which there appear to be a fixed selection. As powerful as the mirror is, it can only show certain things, and Beauty’s discontent shows how she grows tired of feeling like a prisoner. The mirror’s inability to please her indicates, too, that she’s distracted by her inner battle over whether she prefers the prince or the Beast. After the curse is broken, Beauty and the prince travel the world. The mirror is never mentioned again, suggesting that fabricated experiences can’t compare to reality.

The Ring

In Chapter 4, Beauty asks the Beast if she can return home for a brief time. The Beast is angry but agrees, giving her a ring that allows her to instantly travel between the castle and the merchant’s house. At first, this seems like a great and powerful gift, but on closer examination, the ring symbolizes the Beast’s hold over Beauty, though Beauty never sees it this way. The narrative doesn’t specify whether the ring has more than two uses but indicates that it will only work twice and will only transport Beauty between the merchant’s home and the castle. The ring is another way to keep Beauty imprisoned. While it won’t take her back to the castle unless she turns it around on her finger, it’s a reminder of the Beast and her promise to return. Without the ring, she may have forgotten the Beast and remained free of the castle.

In addition, the ring foreshadows the Beast and Beauty ending up together. The exchange of rings is typically part of marriage vows because the circular band symbolizes how marriage is unending. By giving Beauty a ring, the Beast is offering a contract of sorts. Once she returns from her visit, she’ll never leave again, which makes her stay at the castle unending, like marriage. While the ring isn’t a wedding band, Beauty accepts the Beast’s proposal shortly after returning to the castle. The next morning, the curse is broken and the prince appears in the Beast’s stead, showing how the ring led to Beauty and the prince’s happy ending.