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.

Fulfillment

Isak Dinesen’s Babette’s Feast proves that people need religion to believe in something perfect outside of themselves. On earth everything seems incomplete and people are left not fully satisfied. The two sister’s Phillipa and Martine, although beautiful never gets to be with their lover. It seems to bother the men more than the sister’s whom view we do not really see. Even though General Loewenhielm had everything he wanted, he still began to worry about his immortal soul. Phillapa’s lover states in a letter, “As I write this I feel the grave is not the end, in paradise I shall hear your voice again” (30). In heaven he is reunited with the thing he desires the most. Heaven brings people full circle and satisfies their needs and desires.
The general declared in his noble speech, “In our human foolishness and short-sightedness we imagine divine grace to be finite...But the moment comes when our eyes are opened, and we see and realize grace is infinite” (52). Only in heaven can a person feel complete and truly satisfied. When we get caught up in the world, we can’t see beyond the physical. The two old ladies for example hated each other for so long but somehow forgot their differences while at the special dinner for the late Dean’s birthday. The dinner somehow for a moment brought the satisfaction of heaven in the small yellow house of the two generous sisters. The general thinks, “This woman is now turning a dinner into …a love affair of the noble and romantic category in which one no longer distinguishes between bodily and spiritual appetite or satiety” (51) The general, the man who felt spiritually hungry, felt fulfilled when eating the food prepared by Babette. The Dean’s, father of the two sisters, saying goes, “The only things which we may take with us from our life on earth are those which we have given away” (51). The things we give away is our talent and that is the only thing we are allowed to take with us to heaven. This is why Babette is able to use her talent to create a sort of heaven on earth. Phillapa’s lover desires most to be reunited with the sound of her voice. Just to hear her special talent again will satisfy him.
The general tells his lover as he parts, “In this world anything is possible” (54). People must believe this because it is comfort to the sadness of never seeing a loved one again. The general said this to his beloved Martine as he left and promised that he would be with her if not physically, spiritually. Being with her in spirit and therefore believing in God makes their reunion possible.

It Doesn't End Here

“Ah! How you will enchant the angels”(30).

In Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen, there seems to be a feeling among the people that they have faith that the other will be successful and valued far beyond what they think. The quote above is used twice in the short story. Achille Papin says this about Phillipa, referring to her beautiful singing. Then on page 59, Phillipa says this herself to Babette, referring to her cooking skills. Dinesen uses a few different ways, besides this quote, to show that the characters, Achille and Phillipa, prophesied that the others will do well in life and after.
The two characters Achille Papin and Phillipa, especially Achille Papin, show they have faith that the other certain characters will do well by giving them excessive compliments. When Achille first hears Phillipa sing, Dinesen says that at that point he understood all. This is big hyperbole because how can someone's singing truly explain everything to one. Achille continues to exaggerate his amazement at Phillipa's singing. He even explains how her singing brought him to another world and because of this he, himself, could not even enjoy the kiss from her. He could not remember it. This exaggerated praise shows that Achille believe that her talent could take her anywhere and impressing people won't end even after she is in heaven.
Dinesin shows Phillipa's appreciation for Babette and faith that she will continue to do well in the way he expresses her body movement. He says that she put her arms around her, and she silently looked at her for a moment. This shows that Babette's gift had truly touched her to her heart.
The two characters have one common way to show that they are truly pleased with the other person and believe that they will please others forever. They use the quote above. It shows how that they have faith that this person's gift is so exceptional that people will never get tired of it or not be pleased by it. Achille believes that the gift of singing that Phillipa has will please the angels because it is so pleasant. They even refer to her as an angel herself. Phillip uses the same line that Achille used on her to explain to Babette that her gift is so great that it will please the angels above.
Also, Dinesen uses a theme of being taken outside of yourself when treated to these two gifts. Achille talked about how he was not himself when he kissed Phillipa. He was so caught up in her heavenly singing that he did not remember experiencing it. The brothers and sister who experienced Babette's dinner had the same feeling after that ate her dinner. They could not remember what they had eaten. The did not remember the experience, but they knew that they were changed.
This, among other ways, is how Dinesen shows that and why others think that their gifts are so heavenly and will please the angels in heaven.

Work Cited
Dinesen, Isak, and Isak Dinesen. Anecdotes of Destiny ; And, Ehrengard. New York: Vintage, 1993. Print.