The Little Mermaid Archetype

Once upon a time, deep under the water, there lived a small beautiful mermaid. She was fascinated with the world above her. Nothing would make her happier than to see what it would be like to live among the humans. One day, she rescued a prince from a shipwreck. She fell hopelessly in love with the dashing young Prince. The little mermaid sold her voice to the Sea Witch and traded her gorgeous tail for legs. Though his love for the little mermaid, the Prince could not marry her, he was betrothed to maiden in another kingdom. This broke the little mermaid’s heart so she gave up her life on land and in the sea.

The Battle between Good and Evil archetype is displayed through the little mermaid towards the end. She has the option to become a

mermaid again if she murders the prince. However, because of her love for the prince she accepts her current fate. After the wedding, she kills herself. The fate of mermaids who do not win the love desired they turn into foam. The little mermaid is saved and turns into air. The battle is won and in a bittersweet ending, she and the prince live happily ever after in their separate ways.
The Fall archetype is shown through the little mermaid’s transition from mermaid to human. She gives up her life under the sea, leaves her family behind, and chooses to live in pain. Even though she is able to live on land with the prince, she suffers severe pain. This would seem to be punishment for choosing to abandon the undersea kingdom. In the end, the prince marries and the little mermaid is left with eternal sorrow and a life not worth living.
With long luscious hair, a decorated tail, and a voice that belongs in its own angelic choir. The little mermaid is said to be the most prettiest and curious. She desires to know more about the human world. Since becoming infatuated with the Prince; she is determined to do bear with the pain that she will have to endure. Once on land, she feeds her curiosity with human things and the many differences mer-people and humans.
The Sea Witch casts spells, incorporates irony into her agreements with the victims, and lives in the dark parts of the kingdom. She has a villainous laugh that can depict her from being anything other than a trustworthy person. The Sea Witch does warn the little mermaid about the sacrifices that she will have to make. She is passionate about her work and is a mischievous in getting her way.
The Grandmother is a sweet and caring old woman who adores her granddaughters.

She takes close watch over the little mermaid and fascinates her with her knowledge of the human world. She helps her son, the Sea King; with maintain the kingdom since he is widowed. She is looked highly upon among the mer-people. She yearns for the littlest mermaid to come back home, but is forgiving when she doesn’t and the little mermaid decides to carry on with their moral tradition.

The theme in Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, is knowing how to follow your heart and dealing with the consequences after doing so. The little mermaid makes up her choice to be with the prince. She has to leave all of her sisters, her father, and her beloved grandmother behind. She trades in her tail for legs that hurt her to walk on. All for a prince who does not end up loving her like the way she had hoped. These consequences that come after lay out her fate by the end of the fairy tale.

The values that the little mermaid has can be seen as positive. She values happiness, even if it is not her own. In the beginning, she seems to be more focused on her own happiness until she is hit with the reality of the scenario that she got herself into. She sacrifices all she has ever known and refuses to hurt someone so she can get it back. The little mermaid is a selfless character and continues to want the best for the ones she

loves.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid has the same plot as Han Christian Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid”. Disney targeted its audience toward young families. It doesn’t include how the little mermaid is in pain when she is human or how the Sea Witch removes the little mermaid’s tongue and makes her lose her intellect. It focuses on the little mermaid, Ariel, selling her voice for a pair of legs so that she may live on land and live happily ever after with the handsome Prince Eric.
The mood in Disney;s The Little Mermaid is happy. With new characters that make the story fun, Ariel has trustee sidekicks who help her along the way, and the loving father who lets her live her dream. It is a wonderful happy-filled story that families can enjoy together. The classic battle that has good destroying all evil and every one living happily ever after!
Disney steps away from the intense drama that Andersen has in The Little Mermaid and creates a joyous outlook on a young lady who pursues her heart’s desires. This way that families can enjoy the timeless fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Disney shows how leaving one’s life behind takes courage and determination to make dreams come true. Andersen has a more realisitic outlook on life. He shows that not everyone gets a happy ending. Just because a person loves another doesn’t mean that those feelings will be reciprocated back. That is a hard lesson to learn and it is important that not only children, but adults are aware of that. This makes the fairy tale seem more real and easier to apply to reality.
Disney lets the audience escape from the bad and focus more on the good in the world. Though in life, not everyone ends up marrying a charming prince or use magic to become something they are not. Andersen lets them see the reality of life and that not everyone wins. It’s more realistic for the reader to understand. In life, the bad guy can win, but it’s up to the good guy to decide if that will stop them from being happy despite losing.
Andersen’s version is the better story out of the two. Though it can be intense for younger readers, it is more closely related to real life. Love may not be shown back, a dream or goal doesn’t always get reached, sacrificing ones happiness so that someone else may be happy is hard to do. These are important life lessons that Andersen teaches his readers. People cannot always live off the idea that in life, there is not always going to be a happy ending and that is okay.
In the end, Disney and Andersen both are wonderful fairy tales. Disney lets young audience members dream big and set big goals. Andersen helps them understand important lessons in life that they may have to face later on. Hopefully, the reader or viewer understands that choices that are made will have consequences and that life isn’t always fair.