Brave enough to see it: Perrault, Andersen, Disney and the Stigma of Inevitable Heteronormativity in Fairy Tales
‘Fairy tale’ is a genre of storytelling that is deeply ingrained into our persons and cultures. In this essay I will expose the idea that heteronormative ‘happy endings’ are their inevitable conclusion. My main points of reference will be Charles Perrault’s Little Red Riding Hood, both Hans Christian Andersen and Walt Disney’s versions of The Little Mermaid, as well as Disney’s more recent film Brave. My aim is to uncover whether or not the genre can be defined by this single motif, particularly by highlighting versions that do not end this way. I will assert that fairy tales are in fact not undeniably heteronormative. The fluid nature of the tale sees that they conform to …show more content…
One such example is Ursula, who is described by Elizabeth Bell, Lynda Haas and Laura Sells as being “a drag queen who destabilises gender as she performs it” (1995, 13). She is portrayed as queer, dark and curvy, in complete opposition to the pale and skinny form of Ariel. However, at the end of the film Ursula is killed – not by Ariel whom may have the most reason of any, but rather by Eric as he pierces her engorged form with a ship (The Little Mermaid, 1989). I argue that this destruction of the villain who is perceived as something ‘other’ speaks volumes about the sanitisation of Disney on their audience. Eric, the example of a strong male who is wealthy and desirable, is the one who destroys the character who sits almost isolated on the edge of society. I find that this resembles a patriarchal view of society, one that Eric remains at the top of after struggling against the sea witch. He wins, and Ariel – whose dream to be a part of the human world changes to a desire to be with Eric – only further exacerbates this in her
‘Fairy tale’ is a genre of storytelling that is deeply ingrained into our persons and cultures. In this essay I will expose the idea that heteronormative ‘happy endings’ are their inevitable conclusion. My main points of reference will be Charles Perrault’s Little Red Riding Hood, both Hans Christian Andersen and Walt Disney’s versions of The Little Mermaid, as well as Disney’s more recent film Brave. My aim is to uncover whether or not the genre can be defined by this single motif, particularly by highlighting versions that do not end this way. I will assert that fairy tales are in fact not undeniably heteronormative. The fluid nature of the tale sees that they conform to …show more content…
One such example is Ursula, who is described by Elizabeth Bell, Lynda Haas and Laura Sells as being “a drag queen who destabilises gender as she performs it” (1995, 13). She is portrayed as queer, dark and curvy, in complete opposition to the pale and skinny form of Ariel. However, at the end of the film Ursula is killed – not by Ariel whom may have the most reason of any, but rather by Eric as he pierces her engorged form with a ship (The Little Mermaid, 1989). I argue that this destruction of the villain who is perceived as something ‘other’ speaks volumes about the sanitisation of Disney on their audience. Eric, the example of a strong male who is wealthy and desirable, is the one who destroys the character who sits almost isolated on the edge of society. I find that this resembles a patriarchal view of society, one that Eric remains at the top of after struggling against the sea witch. He wins, and Ariel – whose dream to be a part of the human world changes to a desire to be with Eric – only further exacerbates this in her