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Okay, I have just reread the story, and enjoyed it all over again.
For me, it is about living and enjoying this life that we have, as opposed to denying oneself "the pleasures of this world". Most importantly, it is about the need for the artist to express him- or herself: "Give me leave to do my utmost!"
We are left to imagine the pain of Babette's great gift being reduced to cooking split cod and ale and bread soup, and her need to recollect the past when she sat in the kitchen with what was obviously her recipe book.
And I loved the symmetry of the last paragraph of the story with the ending of the letter from Achille Papin.
It is a beautifully subtle story and I can recommend reading it more than once.
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