Erm so I completely understand now why my Disney teacher told me to watch The Little Mermaid before reading the fairy tale written by Hans Christian Anderson. How can the girl that we know and love that get's her happily ever after with the handsome Prince Eric actually become sea foam! While the fairy tale I admit is certainly more realistic, as it is arguably difficult to produce true love within three days time, it definitely put a damper on my mood and was much darker than I expected.
One thing that I thought was really interesting was the motive Ariel had for wanting to become a creature of the land in the fairy tale. While meeting a handsome prince was certainly a factor, Ariel is portrayed as wanting to obtain an immortal soul, something that only humans have, so that she can live on forever and not one day turn to foam. However in the movie, Ariel's motives seem a lot more shallow, as she is depicted as wanting to give up everything she has just for a man that she has only glanced at.
Honestly not gonna lie I feel like Ursula doesn't even seem to be that villainous in the Anderson fairy tale. While she does seem to possess the ability to practice dark magic and while it may have dire consequences, she didn't hide these dire consequences from Ariel. She blatantly tells Ariel that her wish will bring her sorrow and even details to Ariel that she will never return to the water again, see her family again, and may end up turning into sea foam. Ursula sells it straight to Ariel, yet Ariel refuses to listen to Ursula's caution and pursues her wish to trade in her tail for human legs. If anything, I think Ariel should be viewed as her own villain, not Ursula, seeing that Ariel's naiveness and ignorance are what ultimately get her in the end.
Another thing that is cool is to trace the maintenance of historical perspectives. Hans Christian Anderson wrote this fairy tale in 1837, and in this fairy tale we see prevalent gender constructions. For instance, when Ariel asks Ursula what she will have left if her voice is taken from her, Ursula replies with: her beautiful form, graceful walk, and expressive eyes. This is similarly reinforced in Disney's The Little Mermaid, as Prince Eric falls in love with Ariel solely based on her looks and appearance (they literally haven't even had one conversation) and their love is still seen as valid.
One thing that I found annoying with Ariel's persona in the Anderson fairy tale is that she was willing to hurt herself to please Eric. For instance, every time Ariel danced for Prince Eric or even walked with him, she felt sharp knives cutting under her feet. This idea that woman should be willing to sacrifice themselves and endure pain in order to please men they barely know was somewhat disturbing and contributed to the dark mood of the tale.
Okay, Ariel literally is given and out when she sees she is failing to make the prince fall in love with her (to kill him, drastic I know but still an out) and she refuses to do so! Like it may seem noble of her, but when you think about it, this is no childhood friend of hers or family member, it's a man who literally sends her mixed signals and then because of his dumb decision not to pick her decides her fate, death. Like Ariel, you literally sacrificed your life for a man WHO DOESN'T LOVE YOU! WHY WHY WHY!!!
And then she turns to sea foam. The end. How lovely an ending. It's funny because Anderson foreshadows this throughout the tale, for instance depicting Ariel amidst the sea foam while watching Prince Eric (hint hint). All in all, I felt that the fairy tale was well written, a bit too dark for my liking, and depressing as hell. I think I'll stick to Disney's happily ever after endings, sorry Anderson.
Peace Love Disney :)
No comments:
Post a Comment