Beast
Donna Jo Napoli
Cathryn Ogle
Main Characters
Orasmyn is a Persian prince with much honor and responsibility. He is the person on the cover of the book and he is the main character as well as the narrator. A majority of the book is devoted to Orasmyn during the time after his transformation. The authors goal with this was to tell the original fairy tale from the Prince’s perspective, and not even introduce Belles character until the end of the story.
Belle, Orasmyns love interest, is introduced when Orasmyn travels to a palace while still in his lion form. They meet and bond well together, but Belle cannot be told that Orasmyn is under a curse or it may not be undone if she were to fall in love with him. Belle and the prince go back and forth, trying to subtly show the love developing for each other, and after many attempts, they finally realize their bond. She is described as the only woman “brave enough to love him” because she sees past his frightening appearance.
Main Conflict
The conflict is introduced when the time comes to make a holy sacrifice. He led himself to doom when he chose a camel to be sacrificed that had a troubled past. The camel had been injured before, and was not meant to be sacrificed. It had a small scar on its back from being used for food before. Because he committed such an act, Orasmyn was cursed by an angry fairy. The curse, just as done in the original fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, turned Orasmyn into a beast; in this case, it was a lion. Orasmyn would remain as this beast until someone fell in love with him for himself without an explanation of his situation.
Quotes
“My throat tightens in worry, but the scar on her hump is invisible.” (19)
“I stand and face her. I am lion, I am lion, I am lion.” (63)
“For one enchanted moment I forgot who she was. I forgot who I was.” (194)
Historical Perspective
For many religions, spiritual rituals are constantly used. Sacrifices of animals, such as goats or camels, are often made to different religions’ Gods. Orasmyn is a muslim and is very dedicated to his religion, thus why he is devastated to kill an animal undeserving of sacrifice.
Persia is known for its abundance of roses over time. The author takes advantage of this while writing the book and constantly uses them as symbols to represent Orasmyn’s development over time
A well known portrayal of royalty is used in this book. Honor is a very important aspect to the Prince’s life, as it was during previous years to kings and princes. The Prince is very worried about his honor and reputation, as well as how he is viewed from a religious perspective.
Success Of The Book
The overall purpose of the book was to emphasize the importance of dedication and seeing beyond imperfections. Much like the original Beauty and the Beast, Donna Jo Napoli’s theme emphasizes the importance of looking past flaws in order see the true character. Belle falls in love with Orasmyn, not because of his appearance, but because of his charm and personality.
Author
Napoli took advantage of the constant appearances of the story of Beauty and the Beast. She found that Charles Lamb’s version includes the story of how the Beast was transformed and created an entire plot in hopes to emphasize his story. She also used the significance of roses and gardens in Persia and used it constantly as a symbol in her book. Referencing many other versions, Napoli created a great blend for her remake into Beast.
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