MovieChat Forums > Beauty and the Beast (1991) Discussion > Gaston was the hero of the film

Gaston was the hero of the film

posted 3 years ago by [deleted]
3 replies | jump to latest

This link explains it perfectly:

https://shawnsteggink.medium.com/gaston-is-actually-the-hero-db1bc8b3901

Agreed

Bull!
Okay, it is true that Gaston represents the virtues of a different era.
The problem is though that this doesn't mean that he was the right man for Belle.
It is made clear that he doesn't care about what she wants.
Beast though is shown as being able to learn how to appreciate her for who she is.
Actually, it is not even quite true that Beast imprisoned Belle.
She volunteered to take her father's place and still was close to running away.

[–] Chris822cats (374) 3 years ago

That article is absolutely spot on! I've been making the argument since the early 2000s that Gaston isn't really a villain and it seems now the general consensus is that Gaston is a flawed hero.

[–] strntz (10856) 3 years ago

General consensus? A handful of loons out of millions of viewers doesn't constitute a "consensus" no matter whose definition you use. Let's face it, this was a satire piece anyway.

But let's summarize:

Gaston was a jerk who was willing to have Belle's father committed to an insane asylum as punishment for not marrying him.

Gaston had no interest in Belle's feelings or interests. He threw her precious book in the mud.

After begging the Beast not to kill him, and even knowing Belle was trying to protect the Beast, Gaston still back-stabbed him killing him (the rose/witch's magic/end of curse saved him) after the Beast spared his life.

Gaston used antlers in all of his decorating..