In the movie Babette's Feast the metaphor of water represents God's providence and how it is fulfilled in the lives of the protagonists. The opening scenes show the ocean that surrounds the island where the two sisters live. The women are faced with opportunities to follow their dreams and wishes: these opportunities are represented by the vast surrounding ocean. Even the sisters' pastor/father uses the water metaphor to show his daughter how God's will is different for different people. The scene when one of the sisters is looking out at the ocean is a way of vaguely foreshadowing the providential questions that will face them throughout the movie. Even Babette's character is faced with these issues, and it, too, is represented by water. Throughout the movie, the ocean serves as a symbol of the life choices that these Christian women must face.

For example, Martinia falls in love with a worldly army man, but even though she is in love, she knows she cannot marry him. Though it might be hard, she has to realize and accept God's will for her, and know that what is providence for her might not be providence for the soldier. A similar situation happens for her sister Philippa. The famous opera singer Achille Papin becomes her music instructor, and in the process of teaching her to sing he falls in love with her. He must discontinue her lessons because she knows that their paths do not coordinate. Even though she can sing, she chooses the path of humility down which her life has already started. In the words of their father, "... no river is like a rivulet." This statement is another metaphor for God's providence; it is another way that water represents God's will. The pastor is telling his daughter that the river that God has intended for Papin is not the rivulet that has been intended for Philippa. Furthermore, the ocean continues to represent God's providence in Babette's life when the French food for the feast arrives via the ocean representing the opportunities that are open to her. She has talent enough to pursue her earlier life as a chef but has chosen the simple life as a servant to Martina and Philippa. Though each woman is faced with the option to pursue another river, they each choose well and decide on the path that they believe God has intended for them.

The film Babette's Feast is not the only example of how water represents God's plan for life. For example, Jonathan Edwards' "lmages or Shadows of Divine Things" also shows a connection between rivers and the God who made them. pointing out how even though the rivers are different, they all end in the same place. In his passage about rivers, Edwards tells the way rivers represent God and his ultimate purpose. Even with different rivers, we all end up in the same ocean: There is a wonderful analogy between what is seen in rivers, their gathering from innumerable small branches beginning at a great distance one from another in different regions, some on the sides or tops of mountains others in valleys, and all conspiring to one common issue, all after those very diverse and contrary courses and are all at length discharging themselves at one mouth into the same ocean. When each of these women chooses the humbler life, the river, so to speak, of God's providence, they are acting out the call that all Christians are given in Matthew 6:19-21: Don't store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value and are safe from thieves. If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too.

The film Babette's Feast is not the only example of how water represents God's plan for life. For example, Jonathan Edwards' "lmages or Shadows of Divine Things" also shows a connection between rivers and the God who made them. pointing out how even though the rivers are different, they all end in the same place. In his passage about rivers, Edwards tells the way rivers represent God and his ultimate purpose. Even with different rivers, we all end up in the same ocean:

Martina, Philippa, and Babette make choices that appear to be based on this passage of scripture. They live a life of incredible self-denial, especially Babette who is ironically instructed by these humble women on how to cook bread with ale when she is used to cooking 10,000 franc meals with many exotic foods. She sacrifices her chance to go home to France to stay with these good Christian women. She even spends her lottery winnings on the people of the community to whom she has been serving water and bread all the while. Each woman knows that if she pursues the worldly options in front of her, they will soon fade and she will be left with nothing. But if the two sisters and Babette remember to store tip their treasures in heaven, they will be insured a lasting treasure. They know this when they make their decisions, and this reinforces their belief that their decision is right. They also know that the humble life is God's providence for them.

The manner in which the film represented providence is an effect that can only be achieved visually. It would be more difficult to show these powerful ocean scenes with words on a page than it would be to show the ocean on the screen and imply its symbolism in the film. In this way, the movie version has an advantage over the novel format. Although the same ideas could be portrayed with words, they wouldn't be as powerful as the scenes.

Also, another role that the ocean played in the setting of the story was the setting of the mood. In a way, the fact that the story is set on an island could represent the life that the women have chosen, the life of self-denial thus leaving them restricted, just as the ocean restricts the departure from the island. For these women, it would be best to stay on the island because they believe that it is God's will for them.

Emily Akins