The Beast within Ourselves: A Struggle of Balance between Civility and the Untamed

The naturalist, activist, and author Terry Tempest Williams writes, “Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from. ” Historically, the tale type of Beauty and the Beast has shied away from Williams idea that wildness is inherently human. The well-known Disney version, inspired by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont story, focuses on rescuing Beast from his primitive nature and thus, rewarding him with civilization. Recently, authors have begun to explore the nastier, less polished, side of humanity within the context of Beauty and the Beast as seen in Angela Carter’s “Tiger’s Bride.” The Beauty and the Beast fairy tales explore in various ways the relationship between human civilization and propriety on one hand and wildness and ostracism on the other hand. While the canonical western version of Beauty and the Beast idealizes civilization and demonstrates the taming influence of Beauty’s duty, self-sacrifice, and virtue, a deeper look at the tale and some of its alternative versions reveals an equally compelling glorification of the wilder side of human nature: Beauty’s acceptance of Beast represents the necessary integration of the grittier, uglier aspects of humanity in order to achieve a fully authentic human experience. When people think of Beauty and the Beast, the association they generally have is with the Disney