La Belle et la Bête

By Srijani Jana

Edited by Nandana

As children, Beauty and the Beast wasn't just a fairytale; it was a dream woven in golden threads of wonder. It was a world where enchanted castles glimmered with secrets, roses bloomed with magical promises and love carried the power to soften even the hardest of hearts. As a kid, I used to dwell in Belle’s innocent curiosity and we all held her lantern of curiosity, her kindness teaching us that true beauty lies within. To us, she was more than a character, she was the bravery to look beyond fangs, the wisdom to see through fur and the courage to love where others would turn away.

But growing up transforms the way we perceive the story. What was once simply a tale of romance now unfolds as a tale of forgiveness and of courage to embrace what is imperfect and flawed. The Beast, with his scars and shadows, becomes less of a monster and more of a reflection of the broken parts we all carry. And yet, adulthood also brings questions that childhood never bothered to ask. Would the Beast have loved Belle the same way if their roles had been reversed? Was his love born of gratitude, desperation, or did he truly capture the essence of her soul? These doubts may cloud the fairytale, adding hues of realism to a once naive perspective.

Still, perhaps not everything must be weighed so heavily. Not every thread of magic requires unraveling. Sometimes, it is better to see with the eyes of a child; to believe in roses that bloom under moonlight and transformations that spring from love alone. Because at its heart, Belle’s story is not about beasts or spells, but about patience, about the slow and quiet alchemy that turns fear into tenderness and estrangement into connection. It is a reminder that even in our flaws, there is something luminous, something that can be cherished, something that love can gently transform.

In the end, Beauty and the Beast remains more than a story. It is both a memory and a lesson, a reminder that beauty is not always immediate, that love is not always grand, but that both can be found in unexpected places if we choose to look beyond the surface. And perhaps that is the greatest magic of all: to see not just with our eyes, but with our souls.