Comparing The Little Mermaid And Hans Christian Andersen

The Little Mermaid showed multiple concepts of social psychology. Prince Eric decides he wants to find his own bride, not have one provided for him which leads to him and Ariel developing passionate love. The movie displays the ideals for males and females and what people define as physically attractive. These physical attractiveness ideals are found in Ariel, Prince Eric, and Triton. Ariel is not like the other mermaids since she dreams of being a human. Her father and Sebastian try to bring Ariel back into the merfolk community since she is resisting normative social influence. Ariel in the end of the movie had conformed to the human society, allowing the humans to tell her how she is supposed act by watching them having which in turn had an influence on her.

Our society, as a whole, has its fair share of strengths and weaknesses, literature tends to reflect these standards. In general, most works of literature almost seemingly emulate the situations and viewpoints of our culture at a particular period. The Little Mermaid, a Danish fairytale written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837, exhibits multiple examples of the general paradigms society was facing at the time. In the early 19th century women were expected to obey their husbands, have children, do household duties like cleaning and cooking, and find work as laundresses, dressmakers or nurses. Although Andersen uses a relatively progressive feminist view in his writing of the Little Mermaid, there are some dominant ideas of typical gender roles ingrained in the text. One quote from the novel reads, "...his old mother kept house for him." This excerpt implies the traditional, passive role of housekeeping for women while men occupy all noteworthy positions in society. Another passage states that Ariel and her sisters would not do anything productive but that "The whole day long they used to play in the palace."

When raising children, it is necessary to understand how to navigate their questions on life in a manner that is both appropriate for their age, yet is acceptable in their eyes in terms of an actual answer. According to Bruno Bettelheim, fairy tales are told to children as a way to allow them to symbolically address issues and challenges they might face. These fairy tales employ the use of characters and plots that children can place themselves in, thus allowing them to identify with the situation described. However, over time, some adaptions of the fairy tales differ from their subject matter. Jean Cocteau’s version of Beauty and the Beast differs from Walt Disney’s version, as it retains many of the theories that the Disney version omitted. Jean Cocteau’s version and Disney’s versions of Beauty and the Beast differ in their message by changing aspects of the symbolism and characters’ personalities.

“Fairytales tell children what they unconsciously know, that human nature is not innately good, that conflict is real, that life is harsh before it is happy and thereby reassure them about their own fears and their own sense of self” (Tatar). Many adults wish they had grown up in a fairytale family or childhood seeing this as idea,l but in reality the fairytale family is very similar to our modern mixed families and rings true with the pattern of abuse and change that so many children face in our society. Audiences tend to overlook the abuse and neglect that Cinderella endures at the hands of her evil stepmother and stepsisters and focus on the happily ever after ending with the handsome prince and the glass slipper. However, the struggle

There are a lot of people out in the world who are huge fans of Walt Disney. Disney is well known for their fairytales and their happily ever after endings, but do we know where these stories come from? Take “The Little Mermaid” for example. Everyone knows “The Little Mermaid” is about a mermaid who loses her voice in exchange for legs, so that she could be with the prince and in the end, they get married and live happily ever after. That’s Disney’s version of the story, but what about the original version? The original story was written by Hans Christian Anderson in 1836, and it is far from happily ever after. Anderson’s story is darker and much more gruesome than Disney’s version. There are some similarities and differences between the

According to Bettelheim, these stories have been much more than a promise that “the hero is rewarded and the evil person meets his well-deserved fate” (Bettelheim 306). Throughout his article, he unveils the hidden truths scattered throughout them that teaches the viewers more than simply to lift their heads and to smile at what they face. He spots the many little lessons taught throughout and then goes further to show how different children reacted in response to subconsciously picking up on the lessons. One such child used the premise of Rapunzel to help deal with the sudden lack of freedom she felt when a stepmother weaseled her way into her life. By using this story to sustain herself, she avoided the risk of going “badly astray in life” and possibly kept herself from trying to break up her parents’ marriage (Bettelheim 305). This is similar to what Tatar found in her own article when digging further into the meaning of fairy tales. She found that many viewers, such as one David Copperfield, began to subconsciously use “books not merely as consolation but as a way of navigating reality, of figuring out how to survive in the world rules by adults” (Tatar). This discovery has remained consistent throughout both of their observations, and appears to be a solid statement to describe the behavior taken on by the little girl in Bettelheim’s article after finding release and comfort in the telling of Rapunzel. This similar breakthrough in both of their articles just barely skims the surface of the true importance beyond these fairy tales. The true meaning being revealed that they teach children how to face the adult world they will soon be entering

From the moment the world introduced us to television, we have been bombarded with images of fantasy and “happily ever after’s.” Perhaps the most well known corrupter of reality lies within the Disney franchise. Disney’s, The Little Mermaid, follows a typical fairy tale format in which all goals and dreams are achieved. Its counterpart, however, moves to the beat of a different drum. Hans Christian Andersen’s, The Little Mermaid, portrays a more serious plot much different from Disney’s loveable adaptation. One may conclude that the most these two stories have in common is their titles, but a deeper theme runs throughout both of these fictional plots. Despite these two stories’ conflicting agendas and the

“The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen is one of the worlds most cherished fairy tales. Through the years, this story has inspired its fair share of different adaptations and spinoffs, as well as intertwined itself in popular culture. Although it is widely considered a children’s story today, upon close examination, we can find various elements of literary devices and themes, all of which provide the seasoned reader with a deep connection to the story. To honor the tradition of story-telling, it is essential that a short summary of the story be given.

Is there more than one way a person can interpret a story? The answer is yes because every person has a different view on what something they are reading might mean.A joyful person might read a story and think it was inspiring; whereas, a person who is snobby may think the story was agonizing. The difference in stories is shown in both Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and the Disney version of his story. The three major differences are how the little mermaid portrays herself, the moral of the story, and the mood that both versions set. All these provide evidence as to how people can change a story, and how they interpret it.

Imagine if the Little Mermaid, Ariel, had her tongue cut out instead of her voice taken away, or Pinocchio hanging himself. All the fairy tale you think you know are all different than the original. People always believed in happy endings; Cinderella getting her prince, Sleeping Beauty waking up and even Beauty getting her beastly prince. Each story had a purpose, but to know its real purpose you need to know the original stories; the difference, the similarities and the influence they had on people.

She is also conveyed as being so impotent and inept that her redemption through the physical, mental, and emotional act of salvation by her father, King Triton, and the Prince, who can also be argued as abusive, serves as a fundamental component in reinforcing Disney’s misogynistic beliefs. This is vividly displayed in Triton’s claim of the ocean, as ‘my ocean,’ therefore somehow rationalizing ‘his rules.’ This initiates a very problematic adoption of ethos in its audience of growing and developing girls and boys because they consequently accept this unidentified form of gender abuse and oppression and hence appoint these repertoires of distorted ethics as the standardized norm. Once this happens, it is imminent that any later prospective and ambitious desires to subvert this arbitrary system of power and oppression will become virtually

As young children, many of us enjoyed classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Thumbelina, and more. These stories had a great impact on our childhood as we loved to hear about the main character’s adventures and how we can connect the events that happened in these stories into the real world. But, have you ever wondered what these stories really mean? That Cinderella might not be the charming, romantic story as we know it or that there is a deeper, philosophical meaning behind Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass? Even though there are many other examples, there is one story that we are all familiar with. The Little Mermaid. In Disney’s portrayal of the little mermaid Ariel’s dream of becoming a human and marrying the man of her dreams are fulfilled and she lives happily ever after. However, in Hans Christian Andersen’s story this little mermaid did not have such a happy ending as the man that she had loved and longed for did not return the same feelings for her, in fact, he was already in love and was getting ready to marry another woman. Throughout the story the main character has undergone many obstacles to try to win the heart of the prince, and gain an immortal soul just like the humans, but that unfortunately ended tragically. As a result, this lead me to look deeper into this classic fairy tale and come up with a psychological reading of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.

Facing the dangerous route to the sea witch’s residence, “her heart was beating with fear, she almost turned back.” But by reminding herself of her goals, “her courage returned.”(68) She was not the helpless, vulnerable, little princess in her father’s palace, rather, she turned into a strong-minded woman who bravely sought for the truth about her nature and who willingly endured unimaginable pain for love. The sea witch warned her about the terrible consequences of her decision: “every time your foot touches the ground it will feel as though you were walking on knives so sharp that your blood must flow.”(68) And more severely, if she failed to marry the prince, “the first morning after he has married another, your heart will break and you will become foam on the ocean.”(69) Even though her voice trembled and her face turned white as a corpse, she answered, ”I still want to try.”(69) However, the little mermaid’s painful efforts did not come out as she expected. The prince treated her as his lovely pet and she, who sacrificed her voice for legs, could not reveal the truth that she was the girl who saved him. Yet the little mermaid held on to her beliefs, “I will take care of him, love him, and devote my life to him.”(72) And so she did. As the prince fell in love with the neighboring princess, it seems that the little mermaid’s journey was going to come to a dreadful end. At the most frustrating moment, on the edge of death, she danced for the prince to please him and refused to kill him for her own life. Her devotion and selflessness shows her transformation from a sentimental, imaginative, and impulsive mermaid girl to a rational, faithful, and mature human. In the end, Andersen indicated her transformation by granting her a chance to obtain the immortal soul, a soul that only human could have. At the end, the little mermaid “kissed the bride’s forehead and smiled at the

The inquisitive mind of a child is one of imagination and exploration. The lines between reality and fantasy can easily be crossed when imagination takes flight and one is left to think about everything that is outside of the norm. Dreams of attaining the unrealistic seem only to be a subtle hurdle in life instead of a barrier preventing one to obtain a final goal or destination. Despite these attainments as being foreseen as the ultimate goal, individuals somehow accept aspects of the journey that may not be as glamorous or even desirable sometimes even those that could be avoidable. Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of “The Little Mermaid” is that of a young child who dreams of not only experiencing the parts of life that seem to be better than

Andersen’s, "The Little Mermaid" title might have hid as a children’s story, but the context is written more for adults. In the article written by Lauren Duca, Duca explains how Disney’s adaptation was made in a different light. Disney’s writers wanted children to view adventures in a positive light and allow for children to go off the beaten path. “These films are almost a right of passage. It’s a way for kids to process difficult things in the world. There are always light moments along with the dark. To me, it’s sort of a nice contrast” (Duca). The reworking of the story changed the end to make the story more children appropriate. In the original stories ending, the main character receives no love, and this lack of development can upset children, because all children want to