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Beauty and the Beast
Contest Essay 12

Republic series "Beauty and the Beast" was presented with an aura of hope, mystery, and romance. It was less a fantastic story of misfits living under the streets of New York - or a beautiful woman and an ‘ugly’ man than it was a love story, unfolding like a rose.

The most common element of "Beauty and the Beast" renditions in the past has been the underlying darkness: the Beast is ugly, dangerous, untrustworthy, a killer. Our Beast, Vincent, had his darkness, but he also had his own intellectual struggle to learn more, to conquer his fears, to live a fulfilled, peaceful, life. Our Beauty, in Catherine was a mature adult, not a child trying to spare her erring father’s life.This, too, shaped the story. While other versions of the tale have dwelt in growing up, in attaining maturity, and therefor love, our story dwells on growing wiser, more tolerant, and more giving.

Previous tellings of the tale were sweet, fanciful, light, and entertaining, but only fleetingly. Republic’s tale - our tale - was the very embodiment of lessons learned, and yet to come, of togetherness reminiscent of the Apache Wedding Prayer’s line: Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will shelter the other.

Vincent and Catherine sheltered each other…and us. That made the difference.

zenobia@sd.cybernex.net

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