Lust, Loss, and Immorality in the Little Mermaid Essay

When examining The Little Mermaid from a feminist perspective, it becomes clear that the little mermaid is a misogynistic tale that glorifies a woman’s dependence on men and the objectification of women.

The Little Mermaid is an example of how woman were seen in society. In the fairy tale, women are characterized by appearance rather than personality by both men and women. The little mermaid mentions “But if you take my voice, what shall I have left?” (Anderson 226). In this quote, the little mermaid believes that she cannot just be herself to win the prince’s heart. The prince also looks at women the same way because of how he talks to the little mermaid. He asks her, “You’ve no fear of the sea, have you, my dumb child?” (Anderson 229). He treats her as if she is still a small child just because she cannot speak. The tone helps shape the whole story into a feminist piece. Anderson relays the moral of

The next discussion about “The Little Mermaid” is the other archetypal characteristics present in the story. One of the main archetypal characteristics in the story would be “the lover”. The whole theme of the story is about love and how a person can go on a outrageous adventure to reach the one she adores. “Inside, she

Long ago under the sea, there lived a royal mermaid family in a beautiful kingdom. Queen Ryell bore six flawless daughters to King Adron, however, one was not ordinary. She was the youngest mermaid and never fit in with the rest of the girls. She possessed long blonde curly hair with bright blue eyes. She was unique in her own way and talked to everyone she caught sight of. Although she was curious of what was outside of the Kingdom gates, she obeyed her parents and never departed. Her name was Luna.

In the film The Little Mermaid by John Musker and Ron Clements, a theme that continually portrays itself is how woman are seen in society. In this film, women are defined by their appearance instead of their inner-self or personality by men and women. It also displays that woman are not treated fair. This is expressed in the film through multiple song lyrics and scenes. Ariel, the little mermaid, experiences many occasions where woman in a society are seen differently than men. In the film, Ariel was given an option to live under the sea and live life under the rule of her father, or be on land with her Prince Eric. Although this is clearly not laid out, a man figure is always above Ariel and could convey an idea that

It can be said that the movie of The Little Mermaid has the fundamental elements of the literary piece as it follows the story of a young mermaid princess, coming of age and falling for a human prince. Some challenges that are presented through both the film and the literary piece are very similar. For example, Ariel which is the name of the mermaid princess throughout the film grows up without a mom as does the character from the story by Anderson. In both plots the mermaid's father is the king of the sea making her one of the princesses as they both have multiple sisters. However, there is a distinctive similarity between the original mermaid story and the most recent story setting connecting them thoroughly. The key element of both stories is demonstrated through the introduction of the human prince that became the main reason for the mermaid searching for a way to become human. Connecting straight from this point comes the next similarity that ties in the conflict for both scenarios. During the two stories the same quest

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.

Hans Christian Andersen’s story, “The Little Mermaid” talks about a girl who saves a young man from drowning and falls in love with him, and she later learns that the young man she saved was a prince. In this world women believe that they are not capable of doing nothing or being nothing without a man in their lives. Disney’s film, “The Little Mermaid”, by Ron Clements and John Musker, present a version that makes an appearance for children, so it is harder to catch on where a woman needs a man in her life whether it is her father or a husband. In the Disney film the director makes the mermaid (Ariel) look so vulnerable and weak for a young woman. Women now these days say that they were made to believe that they have to depend on a man because they will not make it without them. In the story the author made it seem like all women cannot do want they want or that they are limited to do and say certain things because they are women. Women grow up to believe and to think that they need a man because that is how many men and society made women and young girls look like. So, part of this faulting it the men because they beliefs are that women cannot do what they do or that women and young girls belong at home to behave right and look pretty for the men. Andersen is a good example of Feminist and Gender criticism because women should believe that they can make it without having to rely on a man. Women should start believing that they are as equal as a man whether it’s at a job, relationship, at home, and in society because we are not meant to be looked at as a fragile and weak woman, we are supposed to show everyone that women should be equal to men on all types of levels. Andersen examines representation of gender, dependence, and cultural stability to explore notions of equality in gender.

I'm sure you've heard the story of Ariel, the little mermaid with crimson hair, a captivating voice, and mesmerizing blue eyes, and of how an evil sea witch stood in the way of her and the love of her life. However, you haven't heard my side of the story—the story of what truly happened, I am this so-called villain; I am Ursula.

The Little Mermaid is a perfect depiction of the typical teenage heroine who is striving to find happiness in her own life, but is restricted by the wicked femme fatale who attempts to destroy all that is good, and sabotage the heroine’s happy ending. Our teenage heroine in this case would be Ariel, the 16-year-old daughter of Triton, the king of the ocean. While Ariel comes from royalty and is praised for her beauty, youth, and innocence, her bright and independent self undergoes a physical transformation that leads her to become a mute doll who is focused on seizing a kiss from the prince, and winning his heart. On the other hand we have Ursula, who was exiled by Triton to live a lonely and miserable life. Ursula undergoes her own transformation where her evil ways allow her to steal Ariel’s voice for herself, and use it to seduce the prince to marry her in order to demonstrate power and control. Although Ariel and Ursula both desire their own form of happiness and success, Ariel’s desire and the lengths she’ll go to acquire love represents a stereotypical society of powerless women who depend on men for their survival. As opposed to Ursula, who seeks revenge and the crown of Triton but ultimately fails; her failure demonstrates the power of men that will always dominate over women in the end, but her attempt represents the ambitious women out there that want more than just love.

(Alice Bradley Sheldon) uses the mythical object of a mermaid made of garbage to bring the reader into her world of fantasy in the story as well as to serve as a warning about the future. Tiptree describes the mermaid as one that is made of “all sorts of pieces of plastic, rope, styrofoam, netting, crates, and bolts— much of it clothed with that torn translucent white polyethylene for skin…” (Tiptree p. 384). Although the mermaid lacks mobility, it is able to reach out towards the man who found her. The town that the narrator of the story presides in is described by the following quote: “The effluvia of half a dozen hotels and the town behind ran out of pipes that were barely covered at low tide; only a few parrot-fish, who can stand anything, remained by the hotel-side restaurants to feed on the crusts the tourists threw them from their tables” (Tiptree p. 374)

The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The tale is about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a merperson to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The tale was first published in 1837 and has been adapted to various media including musical theater and animated film.The standard of this classical story has been set to be the Disney Movie titled the same

It rises up through the clear, pure air beyond the glittering stars. As we rise out of the water, and behold all the land of the earth, so do they rise to unknown and glorious regions which we shall never see” (Andersen). Anderson shines a new light onto mermaid, as the little mermaid is displayed selflessly; a radical twist to the common nineteenth century

Once upon a time, on an island far away, there was a princess named Ariel in the kingdom of Atlantica. Ever since Ariel could walk, she was attracted to the ocean. Everyday at night she would go to the shore, she would collect seashells as her little dog Flounder trotted along. One day when Ariel was older she and Flounder had decided to go down to the beach. When they went into the water a big wave had hit them, a couple feet away she saw something. As she got closer, she could hear the cries of a man. She had approached a handsome merman was struggling to get back into the water. Ariel pushed him into the water to save his life. After that day, Ariel would keep going on and on about him, “Oh, how wonderful he was,” Ariel always thought. As annoyed as Flounder was he never said anything, constantly she would groan and mumble wishing she was a mermaid. She would never think about what she had, all she ever cared about was what was missing from her life. One day without anybody, she snuck out to the woods to see the wicked witch. All the wicked witch ever wanted was King Triton’s crown. She knew that his weakness would be Ariel she made a plan by making Ariel think she was helping. When Ariel walked into the dark, gloomy house of the witch, she began to feel like this was wrong, yet she continued on. “Ursula,” Ariel yelled, “come out I need your help.” Ursula came out and cackled,” yes honey, what do u need,”she said in a deep mysterious voice. Ariel