Why the Wolves are the True Heroes in Beauty and the Beast
Some may say that the Beast is the hero in this “tale as old as time”. Others will argue that Belle is the true hero, as she is instrumental in breaking the spell. While others still may say that it was love that saved the day by bringing our two protagonists together and ending the curse over the castle. However, I argue that the true hero of Beauty and the Beast is none other than the wolves.
What? The wolves? Yes, the wolves. No, that’s not a typo. No, I’m not crazy. Yes, I’m serious. And I’m going to show you exactly how the wolves are in fact the true heroes of this story.
First, though, we need to figure out who the real villain is here. So, who are our contenders?
- The Beast
- The witch/enchantress
- Gaston
Gaston is the obvious choice here, so we’ll start with him. A rugged, boorish man who lives for the hunt — for wild game and wives. He repeatedly tries to woo Belle and ultimately fails, learning of her love of the Beast. In a last-ditch effort, he has Maurice committed to an asylum and then locks both Belle and her father away as he riles up the town to pursue and kill the beast. His motivation is apparently to marry Belle, though he sure goes to a lot of trouble and undermines his own efforts. Gaston’s true motivation and ultimately his demise is his ego. Gaston lives to please himself, which is quite obvious through song and dialogue throughout the movie(s).
Even though Gaston has less-than-desirable traits and is villainous in his vengeful pursuit of the Beast, he is also a tragically flawed character. Yes, he tries to kill the Beast, but he does so in an effort to protect and enlarge his own ego. Gaston might be dangerous and egotistical, but he’s not the main villain here.
Next we have the Enchantress who casts the spell that starts off this whole story. She turns the prince into a Beast and curses the rest of the servants because the prince was selfish and had no love. A bit harsh, perhaps? Still, the prince had it coming. We don’t know very much more about the enchantress, so it’s hard to say what her motives are. Trying to teach a moral lesson? Is she just a loose cannon of magic? Just had a bad day? Whatever her motivations, the enchantress merely provided a catalyst for this story. She’s certainly no villain, though.
Lastly, we have the Beast. Sure, he’s selfish, rude and has no charity when we first meet him. He definitely has his villainous moments throughout the story. But ultimately he changes for good and learns to love. He can’t be the villain if he becomes the good guy in the end, can he? Perhaps, but in true Disney fashion, he is one of the protagonists, so he’s out.
OK, so then who’s the villain here? Is there one? Do we even need one? The villain in this story is actually identified by Belle: circumstance (or, as Belle puts it, “this provincial life”). Yes, circumstance is the villain. That might seem strange to some of you, but if you examine what happens in Beauty and the Beast, you’ll see this to be true. Belle feels trapped in a boring farm life without adventure. Her circumstances are keeping her from living the life of her dreams. Circumstances are also keeping the Beast from finding true love to break the curse. Circumstances are keeping Belle and the Beast captive in their… well, in their circumstances. They’re stuck and that captivity is the villain of the movie.
Well, how do the wolves play into this whole thing? “Belle and the Beast break themselves out of these circumstances by finding love in each other,” you might be thinking. And you’d be right, except you’re wrong. No, on their own, the Beast would still be stuck in that castle, alone and angry. Belle would be trapped in the provincial life, wondering when she would find adventure. That’s where the wolves come in.
You see, Belle was trapped by her father, even with his best intentions for her happiness. She was trapped by the townsfolk, by the town and by a lack of being able to act for herself to get out of a situation that brought her no joy. The Beast was trapped by magic and by his self-doubt and selfishness. Both of these characters had to be rescued from these circumstances by a hero. Nobody knew about the castle to rescue the Beast and nobody was going to compete with Gaston to rescue Belle. So the wolves, knowing the plight of both of these characters, decided to take action.
It started when Belle was singing out in the town and in the fields around her town. The wolves overheard and decided it was time to take action. They live near the forgotten castle and also knew the condition of the Beast and his servants. They saw the perfect opportunity to bring these two lost souls together. So they contrived a plan. They knew that Belle would do anything for her father, so when Maurice became lost in the woods they guided him to the castle to seek shelter. They knew the Beast would be angry and keep him as a prisoner. The wolves, knowing that they needed to lead Belle to the castle, told the horse to return and get her.
Belle, upon seeing the horse without her father, knew that something was wrong. Everything was going according to the wolves’ plan. She rode back to the castle without incident. The wolves, of course, wanted her to discover the castle and her father. They weren’t trying to eat her, as many people think. If this were their primary objective, they would have taken down and eaten the horse and then eaten Belle when she ventured into the woods to find her father. No, these wolves wanted Belle to reach the castle safely to meet the Beast. They were offering Belle a life of adventure and freedom.
After Belle decided to take her father’s place in the castle, the wolves left them alone. As far as they were concerned, their work was complete. Belle and the Beast would fall in love. Belle would have freedom from a common life and the Beast would break the spell and be human again.
However, when the Beast became angry and frightened Belle away, the wolves knew they had to take action. In a last-ditch effort to keep the couple together, the wolves tried to scare Belle back to the castle. What they didn’t plan on was that the Beast would come and try to rescue Belle. However, when the Beast did show up, the wolves changed their strategy. What if wounding the Beast could bring Belle closer to the Beast through caring for him? It was a swift and rash decision, but the wolves decided to go for it. They went after the Beast, harming him just enough that he would be forced to submit to Belle’s care and Belle would feel guilty and be forced to take care of him.
And it worked! With very little planning and communication, the wolves were able to bring this couple together for good and save the day. They fell in love, broke the curse and found a life of freedom and adventure. The wolves, the unsung heroes of the day, faded back into the forest. They needed no thanks or recognition for their acts of heroism. They defeated the villainous circumstances that had engulfed the lives of our protagonists until the wolves intervened and brought victory into this story about captivity and freedom. The wolves, not true love, not Belle or the Beast, were the true heroes of Beauty and the Beast.
Images, names, characters: copyright Disney
