The Respected Servant The respected servant is a common motif in literature. In many works, a character from a lowly position gains the respect of the audience by the end of a story. For example, the humble miller’s daughter from "Rumpelstiltskin" becomes a queen, and the reader respects Huckleberry Finn’s Jim by the end of the novel for his determination and humble insights. A literary "servant" usually either physically elevates from his or her lowly position or at least is respected as a person of worth.

Babette’s Feast has two such instances of this "respected servant" motif. The first that occurs in the film is Philippa. She is the pious minister’s daughter who sings and takes singing lessons from Achille Papin at the beginning of the film. She, along with her sister, is the epitome of obedience and submission with regard to her father. She is quiet and passive, having the typical humble daughter’s attitude. As the story progresses, so does Philippa’s relationship with Monsieur Papin. In a powerfully romantic scene, the two sing an operatic duet about two lovers. The music and translated words were the background of the longing looks that passed between Philippa and Papin. The scene undeniably demonstrates that the two, despite Philippa’s modest piety and strictly-monitored male relationships, are in love. The minister suspects this, and Philippa, afraid of her father’s disapproval, breaks off the relationship.

Philippa’s servant role in her family and in the film causes her lifelong singleness. She squelches her chance for true love by assuming a submissive role. When Babette comes sent by Papin, though, this servant-daughter has the viewer’s respect because she has remained faithful, though only in her heart, to Achille Papin. She suffers as a servant, but she is a hero figure because of her strong convictions and faithful love.

Babette’s Feast’s other respected servant is Babette herself. Babette comes to the sisters from France and Achille Papin after her husband and child die in a military scuffle. She speaks little of herself, and Papin’s somewhat hurried and simple letter stating that "Babette can cook" hardly helps to elevate her in the sisters’ eyes. Babette becomes the cook and house servant for the minister’s daughters, learning to cook in the simple and drab manner of the poor women, which the viewer learns is quite a contrast to the elegant French restaurant in which she used to cook. After years of quiet servitude, Babette longs for the days when she cooked with the best ingredients with no thought of their cost. It is only after she wins a lottery and has a great deal of money that she is able to finally show the sisters her true talent and self through her magnificent feast.

Babette’s role as a servant in the sisters’ household is obvious. She cooks and cleans with little comment and no money. Because the viewer can see, unlike the sisters, that she lives a humble life despite her past life, she gains the viewer’s respect. The fact that Babette is willing to work for two women who do not know her true ability and who are not capable of allowing her the means to show them makes her a hero to the audience. Babette is a servant by her own choice, but she develops into a respected character in the audience’s eyes.