What God Meant You to Be

In the short story Babette’s Feast we are presented many different ideas. One of these ideas that is consistently repeated throughout the short story is the one about what that the characters are “meant” to be in life. This concept is based on what characters think God meant other characters to be, which is obviously going to vary based on different character’s opinions. However, my question is if the characters ever questioned themselves about what they want to be instead of what they thought they’re meant to be.

One example of this idea is how the two sisters Martine and Philippa, after being raised by their father who instilled them with rigorous religious instruction, thought that they were meant to serve God. Throughout their entire lives all they ever worried about was serving God and staying away from worldly pleasures. They especially stayed away from any material goods because they thought “the earth and all that it held to them was but a kind of illusion, and the true reality was the New Jerusalem toward which they were longing” (21).

Philippa, the younger sister, even had a chance to become a great singer because of her amazing talent, but she rejected it because she thought that that wasn’t what she was meant to do. This is where my question of the characters ever wondering what they wanted to do comes in. Did Philippa ever question whether she wanted to be a singer? Or did she automatically discard that idea because she thought that’s not what she was meant to do? Also, if she did question herself about what she truly wanted, would the answer have been that she wanted to be a singer? And did she not go on with this desire of hers because she thought it would’ve been looked down upon because it wouldn’t have been what she was meant to do? My personal conviction is that she didn’t even question what she wanted because throughout her life all she was ever told was that she should serve God so there wasn’t even a question about what she should do. Serving God was all she knew.

This concept is repeated towards the end. There we see that to Babette cooking is an art. Because of this when she wins the lottery, she makes a great feast for the sisters and their guests. At first Martine and Philippa think that Babette wasted a fortune in preparing a simply dinner, but to Babette that was never a waste of money. She wanted to do it so she could express herself through her art. Before Babette hadn’t been able to do it because she hadn’t had the money to buy the ingredients that she needed for the feast, so when she finally had the money she did not think twice about spending it on that. After the feast is over, the sisters finally understand its importance to Babatte. At this point Philippa tells Babette, “Yet this is not the end! I feel, Babette, that this is not the end. In Paradise you will be the great artist that God meant you to be! Ah!” she added, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Ah, how you will enchant the angels!” After preparing this feast we know that Babette fulfilled what she wanted to do with her life, the question is if the sisters ever achieved a sense of fulfillment.

Satisfaction at its Best

"Then Martine said: 'So you will be poor now all your life, Babette?'
'Poor?' said Babette. She smiled as if to herself. 'No, I shall never be poor. I told you that I am a great artist. A great artist, Mesdames, is never poor. We have something, Mesdames, of which other people know nothing.'" (58)

Isak Dinesen’s short story, Babette’s Feast, reminded me of something very important. In his short story, Dinesen tells about an old French cook whom, after losing everything, finds herself at the doorstep of the home of two elderly sisters in a small Norwegian town named Berlevaag. Babette was never really understood. She didn’t speak their language very well, if at all, and she came from a place completely different than the sisters were used to. After winning the lottery along with 10,000 francs, she decides to spend it all on a dinner for 12 in honor of the Dean’s hundredth anniversary. She goes all out and prepares a delicious French dinner for them all and is more than happy to do so. At her dinner, everyone is themselves. They do things out of the ordinary for them. They talk and laugh and reminisce about the past. Babette’s Feast changed things for them. It brought out who they truly are. And, it brought out who Babette was – an artist. No one had ever understood her until the dinner was over and they saw her in her element. Although she was tired and restless, she had a great satisfaction that she accomplished what she wanted to. She was a great artist.
Dinesen’s story reminded me of my middle and high school years at The Chinquapin School and the history behind the school. One man (and his wife, of course) stumbled upon an idea after having learned so much somewhere else. They introduced this idea to a group of kids that had never been introduced to anything like this before. The founder “went all out” when starting the school. He wanted it to be a place where teenagers could be themselves and not have to hide behind those students in Public School who weren’t as willing to work for a better future. And although it was a hard task, it was what he wanted to do and he was satisfied when he accomplished it. Just as we as seniors will be satisfied with our accomplishments come graduation day. We’ll be tired and restless, but we’ll have a great feeling of satisfaction that we finished what we worked so hard in the 6 or less years that we’ve been here.
Babette’s Feast was a great reminder of what I’ve been working so hard for these past 6 years. The way Babette gave up so much just to do one thing for others and herself and the fact that she felt a great satisfaction by doing so made me remember everything that I’ve given up to be at Chinquapin. Although it may not equate to 10,000 francs, to me the things I gave up were of great value. Babette’s Feast reminded me of the great person that Chinquapin made me become. I became a great person and will continue to grow as time goes by.

Works Cited:
Dinesen, Isak. "Babette's Feast." Anecdotes of Destiny ; And, Ehrengard. New York: Vintage International, 1993. Print.