Little Mermaid Fairytales

Fairytale’s are short stories that have been passed down through generations by word of mouth. Originally the short stories developed for the entertainment of adults. Throughout the years, by withstanding the test of time, fairy tale’s have been written down into children’s short stories. Fairy tales impact children because these short stories are what creates their imagination at a young age. As children age into adults, they remember the stories their parents told them at “bed time,” and they begin telling the same stories to their very own children. The never-ending cycle of fairy tale’s brings back one’s vivid, childhood imaginations. All fairy tales have different ways of withstanding time, such as Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little …show more content…
Throughout the story, the Little Mermaid is being guided by her grandmother. Her grandmother serves as a mother figure to the younger sea princess, and she initiates her granddaughter into the world on the surface of the sea, “When you have reached your fifteenth year,” said the grand-mother, “you will have permission to rise up out of the sea, to sit on the rocks in the moonlight, while the great ships are sailing by; and then you will see both forests and towns” (Andersen). Therefore, the Little Mermaid’s grandmother is her mentor. The Little Mermaid, herself, is the white goddess. She is the most beautiful of all six daughters, and she consists of no flaws, “They were six beautiful children; but the youngest was the prettiest of them all; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea” (Andersen). As beautiful as she is, the Little Mermaid has always only been interested in her own world and her beautiful garden, in which she grows red and dark blue flowers. Both, blue and red, are archetypal colors that are emphasized to foreshadow the future events of the short story. Red is the color of sacrifice, and it shows that the Mermaid will sacrifice herself in the name of love. Blue is the color of heaven and the sea, to show that when the Mermaid sacrifices herself in the name of her failed love with the Prince, she becomes …show more content…
The youngest Sea Princess follows her heart by becoming human to unite with her true love, the Prince, “You want to get rid of your fish’s tail, and to have two supports instead of it, like human beings on earth, so that the young prince may fall in love with you, and that you may have an immortal soul” (Andersen). She is aware that this decision comes with hindrances, such as, losing her voice and having a sharp pain in both of her legs, yet she continues to follow her heart. The Little Mermaid also faces a psychological issue due to “love at first sight.” Because she is not able to marry the man she loves, she makes the impulsive decision to kill herself, “She cast one more lingering, half-fainting glance at the prince, and then threw herself from the ship into the sea, and thought her body was dissolving into foam” (Andersen). The psychological value of this tale is that love is everything, and without love, life is not worth living. The world around us is not perfect, just as love in this fairy tale is not perfect. “The Little Mermaid” teaches us that everyone has someone who loves and cares for them. No matter how upsetting and difficult a situation may be, one should always ask his loved ones for help. Growing into adulthood, this story teaches us that one should always follow his heart. Reading