The Little Mermaid - Essay

Down Where It’s Wetter Isn’t Always Better

When you think of fairy tales, the first thing that comes to mind is Disney. Whether it is Cinderella or The Little Mermaid, Disney has taken the original story and molded it into a stereotype followed by younger girls. That is that they would find the man of their dreams and live happily ever after. Most people would know that living a happily ever after isn’t necessarily always true.
Take for example The Little Mermaid, in the Disney version, “[Ariel] is initially controlled by her father Triton…who eventually hands her over to her [eventual] husband Prince Eric. Never really free, Ariel is allowed only to transfer her allegiance and abode from one male to another” (L.Dundes and A. Dundes, 120). Does this sound like the example you’d want your daughter to follow? I certainly wouldn’t, it is typical feminism and typical of Disney. I think that girls should follow Andersen’s version of The Little Mermaid.   In it Ariel portrays a much more masculine fit role that is just making her a strong female. She goes out of her way to do what she believes in and in the end, gives up the most important thing she had, her life, to save the one she loved. I think that is a much better ideal to follow because unfortunately sometimes your Prince won’t come and sweep you off your feet.
Same Mermaid, Different Stories As a common theme in Disney movies ,we get a story that has been in history for quite some time and then edited to appeal to young kids. The Little Mermaid was a story originally written by Hans Christian Andersen. In his tale you don’t have dancing fish and catchy songs. You have a heart wrenching tale of love and beliefs.   The Ariel in Andersen’s story   “always been quiet and thoughtful. [After her first human world experience ][n]ow she grew even more silent.   ( The Little Mermaid 5). She was very controlled and not free to do what she wanted. She never got to see the human world until her 15th birthday.
Her...