Mermaid Tails Vs. Hairy Legs

Mermaid Tails vs. Hairy Legs “What would I give if I could live outta these waters? What would I pay to spend a day
Warm on the sand?” The Little Mermaid, Ariel’s desire to become human and have legs outweighed any other desire she’d ever had. She was going against her own kind in order to have legs. She seemed to be the perfect daughter, but Sigmund Freud would disagree. Freud expressed that every individual’s personality consists of an ego, id, and superego. Each of these traits makes up an individual’s behavior and traits. While viewing The Little Mermaid, we as viewers become aware of how Freud’s idea becomes a reality. This essay will also include symbolisms found from watching The Little Mermaid. The definition of symbolism is “the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature, are, etc.” (Merriam-Webster) According to Freud, “id is the most basic part of the personality, and wants instant gratification for our wants and needs. If these needs or wants are not met, a person becomes tense or anxious”(Your Dictionary). When progressing through the film, Ariel seems to be being controlled by her primitive desires toward Prince Eric. Ariel is portrayed as a sixteen year old rebellious teenager. She goes against her father King Triton’s wishes and visits the surface. While on …show more content…
She wants to become human, and discover new things. But if she becomes human she will never be with her family or friends again. This inner struggle is represented by id, ego, and superego. Is Ariel willing to do whatever it takes without consequences? How can she leave her family behind and the life she knows for the unknown? Along with id, ego, and superego we also have symbolism. With symbolism we are able to read between the lines and get a further understanding of what the story was trying to tell us. Without both these theories we wouldn’t have the story we viewers have