Babette's Feast

     In Babette's Feast, sisters Martine and Philippa are born into a highly religious Cristian sect which revolves around renouncing the pleasures of life on Earth and avoiding any sin. As such, the sisters are not allowed to have relationships, or even indulge in materialistic pleasure, like fancy clothing or elaborate food. However, as the story progresses, and more people from the 'outside' world enter into the lives of the sisters, their views on their religion slowly begin to shift.

     Although Lorens' status as a dashing officer in the Swedish army and Papin's claim to fame as a singer do get the ball rolling, the sisters', and in fact the town's, transformation does not fully occur until they taste Babette's feast. The amount of love and care Babette puts into her food for the people who took care of her is unparalleled, and her good intentions of providing the town a sensory pleasure that they have never experienced before truly awakens the inner human spirit of the town. No longer do strict religious standards govern the lives of the sisters, but rather the sisters can truly experience life for the first time. It is almost like Babette's feast is the opposite of The Last Supper, for this is the first supper that many of the townsfolk have really enjoyed thoroughly.