The last time I watched Beauty and the Beast, I found myself thinking about the bookshop, Gaston's quite impressive vocabulary in the film, and his determination to marry the one young woman in town who values reading. So I've attempted to portray Gaston in a way that might explain his fixation on Belle, while still preserving the character in all his over-the-top, self-absorbed, chauvinistic glory.
~Princess Sparklefists
Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast in any way, shape, or form.
He had been watching her for a while now.
The inventor's daughter hadn't caught his eye immediately. When she and her eccentric father had moved to his town, he had assumed that she was just another girl. Pretty enough, maybe even prettier than the triplets that fawned over him at every opportunity. But girls were silly, shrill creatures that Gaston only appreciated when they were appreciating him.
The triplets had caught on years ago. This didn't surprise him in the least. Claudia, Laura, and Paula were some of the cleverest women Gaston had ever met. They had that feminine way of knowing just what the men around them needed and providing it without complaint, whether it was more beer, someone to listen raptly to the latest tale of his hunting exploits, or simply a look of admiration for his superior masculinity. They didn't interrupt (except with exclamations of wonder, perfectly timed during pauses in his narratives,) they always made sure that they looked appealing (was there anything worse than a woman who didn't take the time to make herself attractive?) and they were quick to value his opinion above that of anyone else.
All three were perfect specimens of women. Of course, being merely women, they had their faults. They were prone to gossip and lacked proper control of their emotions. Like children, they could start crying and wailing in the most ridiculous manner in a matter of moments at the hearing of bad news. He quite enjoyed them when they were flattering him, but Gaston found that he tired of them quickly.
For you see, Gaston was not all he seemed.
No, no. That's not it. Gaston was more than he seemed. The entire town was aware of Gaston's hunting prowess and skill in all manner of contests and sports. In the small town strength was the key to gaining status. Sure, the mayor and other officials held positions of import in the town, but Gaston had earned his through hard work and skill. The villagers looked to him for guidance.
But there was one skill Gaston could never reveal. Gaston was a scholar as well as a hunter. Had he lived in a large, bustling city he no doubt would put those puny little excuses for academics out of business. Gaston liked his town, though. He liked hunting every day and being worshipped by the townspeople.
Unfortunately, education was not valued in this particular town. In a place where people made their livings baking bread or raising sheep, education beyond the very basic was considered an indulgent waste of time and energy. He did what he had to and joined in the ridicule, soon becoming the most outspoken adversary of education that didn't involve hammers or gunpowder. Gaston took some satisfaction from knowing that there was yet another category in which he outclassed everyone around him, but, like the fawning admiration of the triplets, it grew tiresome after a while. He wanted someone to admire him for his brain as well as his magnificent physique.
Only one other person in town knew of his secret. The bookseller was a discreet man, perhaps owing to the fact that Gaston's purchases kept him in business. If he had to send Gaston's orders disguised in unmarked crates under cover of dark, so be it.
After years of supporting the mockery of continued education, it would be quite a scandal in the village if he was found out. Being Gaston, it was possible that his reputation could survive being found out, but things would never be quite the same. The villagers didn't see anything of value in reading, and though they would never say anything outright in the fear of being pummeled, Gaston knew that he would no longer be the paragon of manhood in their ignorant little minds.
That is where Belle came into the picture.
When she had first arrived in town Gaston hadn't paid her much attention except as a change of scenery. It was nice to have a new pretty face to look at, but he didn't think she would ever become any more than that to him. She was soon forgotten as the months passed by. During these passing months, Gaston had started to realize that it was getting to be time for him to settle down with a little lady of his own. It was his duty to continue his magnificent family line. He had a moral obligation to fill the world with as many of his offspring as he could. Six or seven sons should do it. And each would start families of their own one day, and the world would look back and thank him for his generosity in sharing his legacy with them. But first he needed a wife.
His interest in Belle was all thanks to the triplets. Gaston had overheard them gossiping one day as he sat drinking in the tavern. Paula-or maybe Laura, he couldn't recall-had mentioned "that strange inventor's daughter." Gaston was used to hearing jibes about the inventor himself from the other men who frequented the tavern, but he hadn't thought of the girl again until now.
"The inventor's daughter?" he asked offhandedly, not betraying any interest beyond something to hear while he nursed his ale.
"Oh, yes!" Paula/Laura squealed, obviously surprised and delighted that Gaston was joining the conversation. He usually ignored the girls when they gossiped about the villagers. She twisted in her spot on his lap to look at his face adoringly. The other two, seated on the floor to either side of his chair, hurried to fill him in.
"She's always got this dreamy, far off look-" one began.
"-and her nose stuck in a book," the other finished, making a face. Her sisters giggled.
"She hardly ever pays attention to anything that's going on around her. Thinks she's so much better than the rest of us just because she lived in a city."
"She barely even talks to anybody in town," her sister agreed, "except maybe the bookseller."
"The bookseller?" Gaston asked carefully.
"Uh-huh. She's always lurking around his shop. I swear she goes in there every day! It's so unseemly." She turned her gaze back up to Gaston. "You'd never catch me in that shop," she promised him.
"Me neither," her sisters chorused.
It was after that night that Gaston started observing the "strange inventor's daughter." He was used to tracking prey in the woods in all sorts of weather, but this was a different type of hunt. Gaston stopped tuning out the triplets' gossip, though he made sure not to show any outright interest in it. Mostly it was just a rehashing of Belle's anti-social behavior and uppity attitude. There was little more that he could glean through eavesdropping; the triplets only paid attention to someone when that person did something scandalous. Being remarkably free from outright bad behavior, there was only Belle's unforgivable indifference and unladylike reading to fall back on during slow news days.
Gaston was surprised when, after observing Belle in town, he found that there was really no call for his remarkable stealth skills. Just as he had been told, Belle was always absorbed in a book when she wasn't exchanging brief pleasantries with vendors in town. There was an awareness of the world immediately around her, but not enough to ever alert her to Gaston's presence even if he had followed three steps behind her. Belle navigated the town square nimbly, dodging carts and townspeople, without ever taking her eyes off of her book.
She was quite beautiful, he thought approvingly, when her face wasn't hidden behind the pages of a book. She did seem a bit aloof, but on the plus side he never saw nor heard of her gossiping like the other women in town. The most scandalous thing that could be said of her was that she read in public. He could certainly show her the error of her ways in that regard.
Being a woman, she of course couldn't be expected to be his intellectual equal-he chuckled at the thought-but she did show promise. Of all the girls in town Belle seemed the best candidate. She would be just smart enough to admire him and his superior knowledge, and would never let slip any hint about it to the townspeople.
Movement in the sky caught Gaston's attention. From his place in the shadows he aimed his blunderbuss and brought down his prey with one precise shot.
"Wow, you didn't miss a shot, Gaston!" his lackey Le Fou enthused. "You're the greatest hunter in town!"
"I know."
"No beast alive stands a chance against you!" Le Fou laughed. "And no girl for that matter..."
Seizing the opportunity to lay the groundwork, Gaston agreed. "It's true, Le Fou. And I've got my sights set on that one." He swung his weapon to point directly at Belle.
Le Fou was clearly shocked. "Th-the inventor's daughter?!"
"She's the one," Gaston said with certainty. "The lucky girl I'm going to marry."
Forgetting his place, Le Fou stammered, "But she's-"
"The most beautiful girl in town," Gaston interrupted smoothly.
"I know, but-"
Gaston's powerful voice cut over Le Fou's with an edge of warning. "That makes her the best! And don't I deserve the best?"
Almost cowering, Le Fou hastily agreed.
Ignoring the shorter man, Gaston launched into a fabricated account of how he had fallen in love with Belle the first time he saw her. Her superior beauty had marked her indelibly in his mind as the woman who was going to be his wife. Though far from the truth, Gaston knew Le Fou would eat it right up-as would the girls in town who always wheedled gossip from the little man. By the end of the market day there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that it had been love at first sight. The intervening months when Gaston hadn't known Belle from any other village girl would be forgotten.
Seeing no reason to waste any time, Gaston decided to begin his courtship immediately. Weaving through the crowded marketplace, Gaston dodged townspeople and their carts. He could see the back of Belle's head in momentary gaps in the crowd but he wasn't making quick enough progress. Deciding to change tack, he darted into a house and ran up the stairs and swung himself out of a second story window and on to the roof. Now he could clearly see her moving through the crowd. He leapt to the next roof, then the one after that, before finally landing gracefully on the ground beside her.
"Hello, Belle."
"Bonjour, Gaston," she answered. Gaston grabbed the book from the girl, twisting it out of her reach. "Gaston, may I have my book back, please."
"How can you read this? There's not even any pictures!" Gaston blustered, conscious of his image. He scanned the book quickly. It appeared to be a fairytale. He mentally scoffed. Well, what did he expect? Children's stories were nothing like the sophisticated works he preferred, but surely he couldn't have expected Belle to reach a more sophisticated level all on her own. His guidance could provide her with the capacity to understand the basics.
"You know, some people use their imagination," the girl returned.
"Belle, it's time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things, like me." Gaston continued to lecture her about how unnatural it was for a woman to follow these pursuits to see how she would respond.
"Why, Gaston, you're positively primeval!" Her sweet tone belied her scorn.
Hardly deferential, but her vocabulary was better than any of the other women in town. Surely once she was married she would settle down and show him the respect he deserved. Gaston tried to coax her over to the tavern to see his trophies. The offer had never been turned down by any woman, but Belle begged off, citing her father as an excuse. Le Fou made a crack about Belle's father and Gaston found himself laughing along with him out of habit. Upon Belle's indignant response, he backtracked, chastising Le Fou. His future father-in-law may be a loon, but it would do him no good to offend the girl he was going to wed.
Just then, an explosion sounded from Belle's cottage. Gaston and Le Fou laughed raucously as Belle ran home.
As his laughter subsided, Gaston felt certain that Belle was the woman who would give him the life he so desired. Belle was beautiful, intelligent, and loyal. She may be a bit of a diamond in the rough, but surely he could polish her up to his standards without difficulty.
He set off to go start the wedding preparations.