How the Little Mermaid is Crucial to the Symbolization of What Many Endure for the Acceptance of Society in Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”
A multitude are not familiar with the written story of “The Little Mermaid” but plenty of people would recognize the film version created by Disney film studios. While there are some differences in plot, the personalities of the young girls from the two versions come out as practically identical. These adventurous young women crave the need to understand more about a life that they have never experienced before. Yet throughout both versions, a consistent concept appears that identifies as one of meanings of the term monster. Anyone spotted as even remotely different from what most people …show more content…
The definition of deus ex machina is a resolution achieved through an utterly unexpected twist. The little mermaid’s fate entailed, “She looked once more at the prince, then threw herself down from the ship into the sea, and felt her body dissolving into foam” (Andersen 109). Instead of killing the prince to save her own life, the little mermaid accepted her fate and jumped into the sea to meet her death. Throughout the whole narrative, the little mermaid struggles for the actual welcoming from not only the people but also from herself. The young mermaid desired humanity and all the forms it came in whether it be legs or a soul. She was discontented with herself and thought transitioning into a human would please her. The little mermaid wanted so urgently to be human that she forgot her true self and thus lost her chances for the prince and a soul. The plot twist not only shows how discontented the mermaid is with herself, but also symbolized the fact that despite the mermaid adjusting her appearance, she would never truly possess the acceptance of the humans. Anyone seen as strange or peculiar usually undergo a hard time refining people’s minds once the people have formed an opinion about them. The little mermaid’s physical appearance may not show any differences from the humans, but deep down she could never portray a human. The author also utilizes this character to show even if people do not notice anything physically eerie, subconsciously they still recognize the character’s behavior as bizarre. This doomed the little mermaid from the start and ultimately set her up for failure unlike if she had accepted her differences and loved herself despite them. The term “don’t judge a book by its cover” applies to this concept of no matter what is displayed on the outside the inside could be completely different. However, another example of deus ex machina was shown in
A multitude are not familiar with the written story of “The Little Mermaid” but plenty of people would recognize the film version created by Disney film studios. While there are some differences in plot, the personalities of the young girls from the two versions come out as practically identical. These adventurous young women crave the need to understand more about a life that they have never experienced before. Yet throughout both versions, a consistent concept appears that identifies as one of meanings of the term monster. Anyone spotted as even remotely different from what most people …show more content…
The definition of deus ex machina is a resolution achieved through an utterly unexpected twist. The little mermaid’s fate entailed, “She looked once more at the prince, then threw herself down from the ship into the sea, and felt her body dissolving into foam” (Andersen 109). Instead of killing the prince to save her own life, the little mermaid accepted her fate and jumped into the sea to meet her death. Throughout the whole narrative, the little mermaid struggles for the actual welcoming from not only the people but also from herself. The young mermaid desired humanity and all the forms it came in whether it be legs or a soul. She was discontented with herself and thought transitioning into a human would please her. The little mermaid wanted so urgently to be human that she forgot her true self and thus lost her chances for the prince and a soul. The plot twist not only shows how discontented the mermaid is with herself, but also symbolized the fact that despite the mermaid adjusting her appearance, she would never truly possess the acceptance of the humans. Anyone seen as strange or peculiar usually undergo a hard time refining people’s minds once the people have formed an opinion about them. The little mermaid’s physical appearance may not show any differences from the humans, but deep down she could never portray a human. The author also utilizes this character to show even if people do not notice anything physically eerie, subconsciously they still recognize the character’s behavior as bizarre. This doomed the little mermaid from the start and ultimately set her up for failure unlike if she had accepted her differences and loved herself despite them. The term “don’t judge a book by its cover” applies to this concept of no matter what is displayed on the outside the inside could be completely different. However, another example of deus ex machina was shown in