The little mermaid is a short story written in the early 18th century in Denmark about a young princesses curiosity to learn about another world. Beautifully constructed, Anderson creates a universe of wonder and hidden relatable themes throughout the chronical that we will be exploring in this article including the plot, the characters, themes, etc. I would recommend this book to anyone with a passion for tragedy and a love of literature, it’s great for all ages but to really grasp a deeper meaning I would say it’s more suited to people 13 and over.
the plot of the little mermaid is dark and tragic. The little mermaids will to gain an immortal soul causes her immense physical and emotional pain until eventually killing her, but instead of becoming sea foam ( as explained in the book) she becomes a daughter of the air where she can earn one. Although some would argue that the plot was about her love of the prince and his betrayal, I would say it was about her longing for immortality. This is because in the beginning we are told that mermaids don’t have immortal souls and can never reincarnate but humans do and can explained by her grandmother, “we have no immortal souls, we can never live again.”, this creates a longing in the princess for more than 300 years of life ( mermaid life span) and for her soul to be immortal, because of this she feels isolated in her kingdom as she wanted to live on, “so i must die, and be dashed like foam over the sea… Tell me dear grandmother, are there no means by which i can obtain an immortal soul?”. Her grandmother tells her that the only way she can gain an immortal soul is if she marries a human who loves her and in doing this he gives her part of his. At 15 she meets this man when she rises to the surface of the sea and although this man loves her, he doesn’t marry her. So heartbroken she has a chance to live if she kills the prince with a cursed dagger but would rather die then know she lost her love. so she sacrifices herself knowing she could never live again but is saved and can earn her immortal soul because she was of such pure heart . Beautiful and heart-touching the little mermaid is about losing one thing but gaining another, it’s a story about values and loyalty even if one is not.
The characters in The little mermaid are all oblivious to her suffering, all apart from one. The sea witch (enchantress), although portrayed as wicked, wasn’t really the cause of her pain. The little mermaid wanted to achieve her ultimate goal (immortality)at any cost and the sea witch was merely there to help achieve it but she did however enjoy the little mermaids misery as she was a twisted character, more of a trickster than evil. you know this because she laughs when she explains how she will go through excruciating pain with legs. Another leading role in her journey is the prince. The prince is probably the most vain and careless in the whole story, he was the real villian in disguise as he didn’t seem to notice how his actions affected the little mermaid and in the end he lost her killing her in the process. The characters symbolise how alienated the little mermaid was from everyone around her, almost unnoticed which to many people in our society today relate to, she didn’t feel connected to her home, so from a young age turned to the world above her which is why she so longed to see it in her youth before she turned fifteen.
There are many different themes woven into this folktale but the main theme that shines through is love. The Little Mermaids curiosity drove her to want something more than she all ready had, but her love for the prince and the land drove her to risk everything in search of returned love. This love caused her much pain including her death but in doing so gave her a another life (when she was told by the sea witch if she didn’t marry the prince she would die and even when given another chance, she chose his life over hers but because of her pure heart, she was rescued by the air sisters) which in christianity represents reincarnation and rebirth (her chance to gain an immortal soul). Anderson’s theme of love holds a very well known message “love conquers all”.
In conclusion, The little mermaid is a stunning chronicle with twists and turns throughout the story leaving you wanting more. Great for adults and children alike, it gives us a glimpse of our existing realities and teaches us that if we match our actions with our integrity, no matter how difficult the situation we will be ok in the end. The Little Mermaid is a story about ones love of curiosity and the people around them and how it guides you to your goals through hard struggle. A perfect lazy Sunday read for someone who understands that we are never to old to read fairytales (; .
“The more one knows fairy tales the less fantastical they appear; they can be vehicles of the grimmest realism, expressing hope against all the odds with gritted teeth.”
-Marina Warner