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Originally Posted by minkajane  I was talking about the Disney version. He screams at her (at least once right in her face, when she put the cloth on his arm), knocks things around when she upsets him, denies her food if she won't eat with him, restricts her movement, etc. All very abusive behavior. But she just continues to be sweet and patient and suddenly he stops being abusive and then YAY! They're in love.
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Yells in pain and is actually physically an animal. The thing that gets me about "oh well, Edward's a vampire, so it's okay" is that Edward will never be human. Whereas Belle doesn't marry the Beast until he's human again.
I don't remember if Belle was present when he threw things around.
If she'd asked for food in her room, my guess is she would've gotten it. I suspect she wasn't hungry what with being homesick and all.
Restricting her movement? That one's a little hard to call in the time the story's set. Castle in the middle of a woods, in an era where it's a huge deal to go to a village 5 miles away, it's not like being kept in a house and not being allowed to go to the neighbors. Only visiting distant family once a year isn't that unusual and never seeing them again when wolf-filled forest separates you is pretty common. Plus, I think she could've ridden her horse off the grounds any time. It just wouldn't have been a good idea because of the terrain. But he didn't build the castle there to keep women in, the castle was there, then the surrounding area became unsafe.
Belle isn't changing how she acts because of his actions. She doesn't start walking on eggshells to avoid his temper. She's being patient and sweet because that's how she is not because she's scared she'll get hurt if she isn't patient and sweet.
Now, the Disney version does have Disney's typical problem of having the girl be goodness personified. If there was a bit more of Belle telling Beast "shape up, resist what your beast body is telling you" it would be better. OTOH, having the control all come from Beast with no expectation that Belle will love him if he does so makes it more likely that there was a true change from resisting the impulses of the beast form to not having the impulses.
Or not, it's been awhile since I've seen the Disney version. And Twilight is just so very very abusive that I may just be seeing other relationships as normal in contrast.
Oh, and finally, I don't think the relationship is portrayed as something to be desired. More, "isn't it nice for them?" Lots of little girls want to be Belle, but very few want to marry the prince Beast becomes.
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