Beauty and the Beast by Madame Le Prince De Beaumont, Little Mermaid by Andersen and Cinderella by Perrault

2225 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The little mermaid fairy tale analysis

Young girls are often stuck in a world of make believe, they are fed fairytales, dream up unimaginable views of reality and believe everyone will find their prince charming. This unrealistic perspective is formed through their experiences with different fairytales. As G.K. Chesterton tells the fairytale are a realistic world for children, “Fairy tales are more than true — not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten”. Fairytales lead these girls to believe that in order to find true love there is some sort of intense journey one must go on. This idea of a journey for love has created a specific ideology for what love is and how to achieve it. In the text Beauty and the Beast by Madame Le Prince De Beaumont, Little Mermaid by Andersen and Cinderella by Perrault the authors all deal with the same plot on how love is achieved. The direct correlation between the three fairytales analyzed will prove that there is a sacrificial journey needed to find true love and this mystical journey is mostly targeted at young girls because they are the most easily influence. Three main plots connect each fairytale; self-sacrifice, family sacrifice, and identity sacrifice. Self-sacrifice will be proven through what the characters sacrifice themselves Family sacrifice shows how the characters sacrifice those whom they love for a better life. Finally, happily ever after will prove that no matter the hardships these characters are faced identity sacrifice will show how the characters loose who they are in order to find true love. The specific focus on young girls will show how these plot settings are targeted to influence their innocent minds. The main correlation of these fairytales can be proven in plot co...

... middle of paper ...

...ales-do-not-tell-children-that-dragons-exist-children-already-know-that-dragons-exist-fairy-tales-tell-children-that-dragons-can-be-killed/>.
Kingsley , Heather . "Fairy Tale Analysis the little Mermaid." Humanities 360. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
LePrince de Beaumont, Jeanne-Marie. "Beauty and the Beast." University of Pittsburg . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .
Neikirk, Alice. "Happily Ever After (Or What Fairytales Teach Girls About Being Women)." University of Hawaii . N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
Perrault, Charles. "Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper." University of Pittsburg. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Beauty And The Beast 'And The Pig King'

    2033 Words  | 5 Pages

    Fairy tale is a story that features folkloric chapters and enchantments, often involving a far-fetching sequence of events. Fairy tales have been around for thousands of years, whether it comes from Grimm’s Fairy Tales which is what most people consider the “classic” or “traditional” fairy tales to Disney movies, the idea of the fairy tale fills our society with lessons and examples of how we should behave and live; fairy tales teach the same things in different ways, or teach different things with the same tale. A couple of these tales are “Beauty and the Beast”, by Jeanne-Marie Leprince De Beaumont and “The Pig King”, by Giovanni Francesco Straparola. They are both tales about falling in love with someone despite their appearance. The similarities and differences between “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Pig King” is captivating while still depicting a similar tale. They are similar in the way they find love and their love story but they also share a similar behavior pattern in the way the girls behave towards the prince. However, the two tales do display a difference in the attitudes of the princes and their actions towards their love

    Read More

  • Comparing Perrault's Cinderella with Disney's Cinderella

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Walt Disney’s Cinderella is adapted from the original fairy tale written in 1697 by Charles Perrault. There are some key differences between Walt Disney’s Cinderella and Charles Perrault’s Cinderella. In Charles Perrault’s tale, Cinderella’s father is not dead, but the father is controlled by the stepmother. Cinderella’s younger stepsister is much more polite than the older stepsister, who calls Cinderella Cinderwench. The king in Perrault’s tale hosts a two day Ball, which Cinderella attends with the help of the fairy godmother. During Cinderella’s preparation for the first night of the Ball, Cinderella helps the fairy godmother find a coachman when the fairy godmother could not find one. Cinderella’s glass slipper comes off on the second night of the ball. Similar to Walt Disney’s Cinderella, the prince in Perrault’s story announces to marry a woman whose foot will fit in the glass slipper. Unlike the Walt Disney’s tale, Cinderella is not locked up in the attic and the stepmother does not physically attempt to stop Cinderella from trying the slipper. Instead, the step sisters ridicule Cinderella when Cinderella suggests trying on the glass slipper. Cinderella wears the slipper and takes out the other slipper from a pocket which Cinderella puts on the other foot. Suddenly, the fairy godmother appears and transforms Cinderella’s ragged outfit to a magnificent gown. After the transformation, the step sisters recognize Cinderella as the unknown beautiful princess who attended the Ball and beg for forgiveness. Cinderella forgives the step sisters and marries the step sisters to the great lords of the castle. The prince marries Cinderella, however, Perrault does not mention about the prince and Cinderella living happily ever after.

    Read More

  • Cinderella : A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts, by Bruno Bettelheim

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most children experience agony and hope as they face the struggles of sibling rivalry throughout their childhood. This situation has been experienced by children, of whom may or may not have siblings, for hundreds of years. Several stories represent this crisis, including the Biblical story of Abel and Cain which was written over 3000 years ago. Abel of whom was forced to be Cain’s ash-brother. Cain had developed an intense feeling of jealousy of Abel when his offering to the Lord was rejected while Abel’s was accepted. This caused him great agony, but he wasn’t the only one. The fairytale “Cinderella” encompasses the ideas of sibling rivalry as well as the agonies and hopes that correspond with it.

    Read More

  • The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    The inspiring tale of The Little Mermaid conveys to readers that one does not need to change themselves to please another as well as do, by any means, follow your dreams; they will come true if you truly do believe in them. Sixteen year-old, Ariel, is an adventure-seeking mermaid that has been constraint and by her father to remain isolated under the sea and never look beyond into the outside world. She soon then rebels against her father’s demands when she falls deeply in love with Eric, a mortal man and pleads to the portentous witch Ursula, to transform her into a human. Agreeing to this, Ursula’s only charge in return was that Ariel gives Ursula her (Ariel’s) beautifully haunting voice. Voiceless, Ariel leaves everything she was acquainted with, her only motivation being her love, to a foreign land for a sole purpose; to gain the affection of her true love. Ariel’s sacrifices and tiring efforts are reciprocated when Eric returns the same affection towards her, both mute and ultimately, the mermaid....

    Read More

  • Disney and Traditional Stereotypes

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    A little girl sits on the floor with her gaze fixed on the television screen in front of her, watching magical images dance before her eyes and catchy songs flow through her ears. Even though she had seen it at least twenty times before, she still loved The Little Mermaid just as much as she did the first time she watched it. As she watched it, she longed to be a beautiful mermaid with a curvy body and wonderful singing voice like Ariel. She longed to be saved by the handsome Prince Eric, and fall in love and live happily ever-after like Ariel did. In today’s society, women strive to achieve equality between the sexes. Despite the tremendous steps that have been taken towards reaching gender equality, mainstream media contradicts these accomplishments with stereotypes of women present in Walt Disney movies. These unrealistic stereotypes may be detrimental to children because they grow up with a distorted view of how men and women interact. Disney animated films assign gender roles to characters, and young children should not be exposed to inequality between genders because its effect on their view of what is right and wrong in society is harmful to their future.

    Read More

  • The Little Mermaid: Hans Christian Andersen vs Walt Disney

    2433 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” published in 1837, contains many patronizing nineteenth-century attitudes towards women, a value system that at least acknowledges the legitimacy of femininity shapes the fairytale. Unfortunately, Walt Disney’s 1989 film version of “The Little Mermaid” eliminates the values that affirm femininity in the original story (Trites 145)

    Read More

  • Disney Beauty Criticism

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    People that grow up watching the classic Disney Princess movies, which give us false hope that every simple quiet girl will end up marrying a prince. The Beauty and the Beast being one of those movies, teaching us that if you fall in love with a hairy like creature he will turn into Mr. McDreamy. The bubbly Disney version of the Beauty and the Beast usually does not allow scholars to find a deeper meaning. Believe it or not, Disney did not create this classic tale. In fact, Charles Perrault wrote a darker version of it almost three centuries before. Perrault’s twisted feminist version has hidden messages and meanings still puzzling scholars today. Some say that at the end of every fairy tale he would put a rhyme that would be a hidden message to little girls. The messages presented caution about not trusting strangers or to stay true to who you are. Unlike Disney’s anti- feminist version, often characterizing girls as the damsel’s in distress, Perrault’s gives girls the look of independence. He shows young girls that they do not always need a prince charming by giving Beauty the decision that could change her life.

    Read More

  • The Little Mermaid Comparison

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    In both Hans Christian Andersons “The Little Mermaid,” and Disney’s version of the story, the main character— a young and beautiful mermaid— waits anxiously for her fifteenth birthday to venture from her father’s underwater castle to the world above the water. As the story carries on the mermaids priorities change; her modest and selfless nature is revealed towards the end in Andersen’s version. However, Disney’s version encompasses a rather shallow ending and plot throughout. The theme found in comparing the two versions reveal that Andersen’s substance trumps Disney’s entertainment factor in fairy tales.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast: Beauty and Beast

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most modern fairytales are expected to have happy endings and be appropriate for children, nonetheless, in past centuries most were gruesome. Consequently, fairytales have been modified throughout time. The stories “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and “The Summer and Winter Garden” by Jacob and Wilherm Grimm share similarities and differences. The two stories are distinct because of the peculiar year they have been written in. LePrince de Beaumont’s story is written in London of 1783 and Grimm’s in Germany of 1812. At the time, wealthy people in London, were educated and had nannies who would read to their children; whereas, in Germany, the Grimm brothers created their own interpretation into a short story. Because many high class parents in 18th century London would not be able to spend time with their children, nannies would read “Beauty and the Beast” to them since they were intended for children and considered appropriate. In “The Summer and Winter Garden,” the Grimm’s’ story was mostly based to entertain misbehaved children and teach them the valuable lesson that everyone should be treated with kindness. The Grimm brothers’ goal in rewriting this short story is to better children’s behavior which worked quite well. Since these stories have been re-written for children, it would be safe to say the reason why parents expose the two stories to their children is because they both portray the same moral: good things happen to good people. The two interpretations of “Beauty and the Beast,” although written in separate countries, share important similarities and differences even though the authors have different interpretations and came from different cultures.

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes in Fairy Tales

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fairy Tales have been around for generations and generations. Our parents have told us these stories and we will eventually pass them down to ours. In this time of age the most common fairytales are Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and The Beast and many more. Children idolize their favorite character and pretend to be them by mimicking everything they do in the stories. The character’s behavior is what is viewed as appropriate in society. These fairy tales show a girl and a boy fall in love and live “happily ever after”. The tales in many people’s eyes resemble a dream life that they would want to have of their own. However, have you ever really looked at what makes up a fairy tale? Many things are unrealistic but the most unflattering aspect of these tales is how women are depicted in them. Fairy tales give an unrealistic view to how women should look and behave in real life.

    Read More

  • Feminism and Fairy Tales

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a society unbridled with double standards and set views about women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, “To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales”, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present “cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.” Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supported by versions of the cult classics, “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. Charles Perrault’s “ The Little Glass Slipper” and the Brothers Grimm’s “ Snow White” exemplify the beliefs that females are supposed to be docile, dependent on the male persona and willing to sacrifice themselves. In many cases, when strong female characters are presented they are always contradicting in these characteristics, thus labeled as villainous. Such is the case of the Cinderella’s stepsisters in Perrault’s “Cinderella” and the stepmother in the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White.” These female characters face judgment and disapproval when they commit the same acts as male characters. With such messages rooted in our beloved fairy tales it is no wonder that society is rampant with these ideals about women and disapprove of women when they try to break free of this mold.

    Read More

  • The Many Versions of Cinderella

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each person in the world has heard of Cinderella, no matter what kind of version it may be. Cinderella is the one fairy tale story that has been popular and will always be the one tale that has to be told to children. Words and story lines might be twist and turn, but in the end the knowledge of the story will be learned in similar ways. As we all know when one story is told another is created, when one is at its best then another is at its worse. One version will always be better than another, but no matter what version it might be the story will be told.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Fairytales

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    I am writing this paper because I was assigned to write it as a class project. Along the way I realized the importance of sharing the real meanings of all these stories. Stories are important because in the society we live in things are constantly changing. Fairytales change but the base of the story always remain the same no matter how many times it has been retold. It’s important to reveal the true meanings of these stories, even with its dark characteristics, because the world is dark .Children need to know that there are people that have told stories relatable to what they are going through. Fairytales help the development of children; it helps their maturity as they confront someone else’s tough situations, instilling hope of a more positive ou...

    Read More

  • Use of Supernatural Elements in Literature

    3356 Words  | 7 Pages

    Perrault, Charles. "Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper." . N.p., 8 Oct 2003. Web. 1 Oct 2013.

    Read More

  • Beauty And The Beast

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    A person can take a story and look at it from many ways. Fairy tales represent the transformation of young people. Beauty is transformed into a young woman; she passes through the stages successfully and in turn is able to love. Every story teaches a lesson and in this case more than one lesson is taught. Not only is the lesson of sexuality and maturity taught, an even more important lesson is taught. Beauty and the Beast shows that true love comes from within the inside and if it is meant to be it will prevail.

    Read More

More about Beauty and the Beast by Madame Le Prince De Beaumont, Little Mermaid by Andersen and Cinderella by Perrault

Open Document