Category Archives: Week 8: The Victorian Standard

The Real Little Mermaid without a name

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In the chapter “The little Mermaid” where the tale is about a mermaid with no name with a story and that being a mermaid is difficult because people know that you are different and people don’t really approve of you as being somebody. Also for wanting to escape her home life and having the desires of having good relationships with her sisters as well. In this version of the Little Mermaid has shown themes of the true nature of these Mermaids.

In Both versions the story contains same desire to escape from the ocean and the consistency are described as being alien to everyone else who is considered to be normal and nothing is wrong with them. Each of the mermaids have a different way of seeing things of why they are for example, The eldest princess has gotten to the age of fifteen to see the surface and what it led to is that wanting them to see what is on top of the ocean surface and it everything the eldest princess dreamed of. While the others princess have similar reactions to this except for one which was the fourth princesses wanted to remain into the deep ocean. In modern versions the portrayal of this particular scene was the that it only one of those princess that was depicted to the Little mermaid Disney movie. While the modern Mermaid movies was only light hearted story about a Mermaid to wanting to live outside of the ocean and in Hans Christien Anderson’s version of the story is much more in touch with the depictions of what people thought of Mermaids and more of inside view what it is really like for living a life of a Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid, or Aerial

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By becoming an aerial, a daughter of the air, is the little mermaid saved or sentenced to 300 years of suffering? Either way, she has attained a soul at the end of her sentence, a soul that is not tied to a man who treated her like an animal. 

Like most, I grew up watching and loving Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and Prince Eric was the sweetest and most handsome to me. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I read how he treated her like a pet, and gave her “leave to sleep on a velvet cushion before his door (124).” It was heart-wrenching to read of her dehumanization by the prince and the way he expected her to be happy at his marriage. 

I can see how Han’s Christian Anderson wrote this story as insight into life as a queer man in a society that punished it through moral and religious doctrine encoded into rule and law. Living a queer existence meant living a life in hiding, and even if love found a way to flourish, it would not be socially accepted. The little mermaid must make constant sacrifices to appeal to the prince and the people of his kingdom, and she is often warned: “Your fish’s tail, which is a beauty amongst us sea-folk, is thought a deformity on earth, because they know no better.” However, I appreciated this clarification and assurance by her grandmother; that humans’ lack of knowledge was not the fault of the little mermaid, and how this was Anderson’s way of commenting on queerness as something beautiful and misunderstood due to the fault of society, not the individual. 

Nonetheless, I can not excuse the actions of the prince in this tale, because he was completely in power, and never under the spell of the sea witch (although I’m not 100% sure what happened with the bride being mistaken as his savior). He had complete autonomy and flaunted it in the face of The Little Mermaid, whom he took advantage of because she could not speak for herself. He paraded her around, essentially kept her as his pet, and likely intended to keep her as his mistress if she had not become a daughter of the air. He was despicable, and I’m glad she got the soul that she wanted without any help from him, but despite him.

Gossip– Mutual Aid Among Women

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The 1989 Little Mermaid exhibits a trait shared by many of the classic Disney Princess movies. Ariel must be exceptional to be the main character; she must outshine the other female characters– her sisters, and certainly the female villain. Belle must be contrasted against Gaston’s three admirers. Cinderella must be contrasted against her stepsisters and stepmother, even Tiana, in 2009 The Princess and the Frog must stand out against her silly blond best friend.
I’m not sure what this trope means– the systematic elimination of competition from stories centering on young women– and Hans Christen Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, though removed by time and genre, is no exception. His little mermaid is “the prettiest of them all” (108) and separated by her quiet and thoughtful nature, and her disinterest in collecting shipwreck treasures.
However, I was struck by a key role given to her sisters, and associated young women.
When the little mermaid loses track of her prince after rescuing him from the shipwreck, her sisters come to her aid;

“At length she could resist no longer, and opened her heart to one of her sisters, from whom all the others immediately learned her secret, though they told it to no one else, except to a couple of other mermaids, who divulged it to nobody, except to their most intimate friends. One of these happened to know who the prince was.” (116)

Besides being comedy gold, complete with subversions of expectations, tone shifts, and a rule of three– this passage struck me as surprisingly respectful to the institution of gossip as a critical information network among women. Although it could have been treated as inconsequential, or used as a parable warning against the dangers of secrets or gossip– it is a key vector in the plot, connecting the little mermaid to her lost love.

Week 8: To make of the world below

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While reading Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, what stood out to me in this tale is just how different the underwater world is compared to the terrestrial world. Since the underwater world remains largely unexplored, we can only make of its supposed beauty through what we think lies below. That the depths of the ocean hides a world that is completely alien to the land above.

In the beginning, the narrator reminds us that the ocean is “so deep … that no rope can fathom it; and many church steeples need be piled upon the other to reach from the bottom to the surface.” (108) Just how deep is the ocean, and how much of it have we not explored? Humans are not capable of breathing underwater, so we have to rely on submarines and scuba tanks to explore only a part of it. Even then, the crushing depths make exploring the bottom of the ocean almost impossible. Even in reality, there are thresholds set in place by Nature that we literally cannot cross, even if we wanted to.

In the next paragraph, the narrator tells us that the ocean must not “be imagined that there is nothing but a bare, white, sandy ground below,” and proceeds to describe its environment: “The soil produces the most curious trees and flowers, whose leaves and stems are so flexible that the slightest motion of the water seems to fluster them as if they were living creatures.” (108) This exemplifies the alien nature of the ocean, and it also implies that even the depths are connected to terrestrial life. The “trees and flowers” can be made out as coral, but it is described in a way that makes them seem as though they are a part of a forest. The fish are likened to birds, further demonstrating the parallel between sea and land.

However, both of these worlds are separated by water as stated before; humans and aquatic beings are incompatible with water and land respectively. There are things in their world that we desire but cannot have due to the nature of their world, and vice versa. Alas, we can only describe what lies at the bottom of the ocean, and we have yet to see the beauty of it in the distant future.

Week 8: The Little Mermaid

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After reading the Hans Christian Andersen version of The Little Mermaid, I realized that this story has quite huge differences in comparison to the other Mermaids in previous stories we have read. For starters, the most obvious difference that stood out to me was the little mermaid’s infatuation with the upper world, “There was nothing she delighted in so much as to hear about the upper world” Pg. 109, which Mermaids such as Melusine, seemed to have honestly cared less about the humans and their ways of life. For example, she would lock herself up in her own make-shift fish tank, away from Raymondin, and the rest of the human world. The little mermaid on the other hand, yearns for her rite of passage at fifteen so that she can go see the upper world.

As I was reading the story what came to mind was how there seemed to be several themes of coming into womanhood, or in the case of the story, mermaid-hood. The little mermaid’s garden seems to represent her innocence, and over time, the end of it. Her garden consisted of, “[…] the youngest planted hers in a circle to imitate the sun, and chose flowers as red as the sun […]” Pg. 109, which could hold a symbolic meaning of her innocence, the red flowers being representative of her menstrual cycle. Not to mention, there is a, “[…] pretty statue, representing a handsome youth, hewn out of pure white marble that had sunk to the bottom of the sea […]” Pg. 109, which could be interpreted as a form of lust for her. I say this because as she gets older and officially reaching the age of maturity, fifteen, she started to feel lustful towards other beings like the Prince she rescued, or the marble statue within her garden, “The mermaid kissed his high, polished forehead, and stroked back his wet hair; she fancied him like the marble statue in her garden […]” Pg. 115, the garden signifying her “deflowering”.

The Separation Between Nature and Humanity

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While reading The Little Mermaid, I focused on how the mermaid’s life changes throughout the story. She falls in love with a human prince at first sight and gives up her voice to the sea witch in exchange for a potion that allows her to obtain human legs. I believe this story is not just a tragic love tale but a description of how the mermaid, as a part of nature, goes through a painful process to enter human civilization. Among all the elements in the story, the potion plays the most important role in this transformation.

At the beginning of the story, Andersen describes the sea where the mermaid lives as “Far out at sea, the water is blue as the prettiest cornflowers, and as clear as the purest crystal.” Through this line, the author portrays the sea as a pure and peaceful place, an environment untouched by human desire. However, the mermaid does not remain in that serene world. Instead, she tries to reach the human world. When she visits the sea witch to obtain the potion, the witch warns her, “Your tail will then disappear, and shrivel up into what human beings call neat legs. But mind, it will hurt you as much as if a sharp sword were thrust through you.” This scene reminded me of the traditional image of ancient mermaids who were often drawn with two split tails. In old depictions, such mermaids held their tails apart, showing both temptation and natural vitality. Yet in Andersen’s story, the splitting of the mermaid’s tail shows the painful moment when a natural being is separated from nature and absorbed into human civilization. In this way, the story highlights the growing distance and tension between humans and the natural world. In the end, the mermaid sacrifices herself to save the prince. This final act shows that nature ultimately yields to humanity and that their relationship is far from equal or balanced.

In conclusion, The Little Mermaid can be read as more than a love story between the mermaid and the prince. It shows a relationship between humanity and nature that is maintained through the sacrifice of one side. The story criticizes the human desire to dominate nature and reveals how that ambition destroys nature’s purity and harmony.

My Dumb Foundling

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The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen sets the blueprint for many inspired mer-tales to come with countless adaptations and retellings. With its vivid imagery, and descriptive details of the colorful world in the deep ocean it’s hard not to get captivated with the world-building. This is the first instance this semester where I get to read in detail about a mermaid’s life underneath the sea, before they start assimilating to life on land. In this famous tale, the little mermaid is not only nameless, but voiceless for most of half of the story. She is infantilized throughout the story, whether it be because of her youth, and or because she has been silenced in trade for a chance of true love and a soul. The prince refers to her as “his little foundling” who dances for him in excruciating pain. He looks down on her again cloaked in affection, loving her “as one loves a dear, good child.” Um, yuck! The infantilization of the little mermaid reflects modern day humans and our view of the natural world. We see nature as things to conquer, as something to contain, as obstacles to subdue, but also simultaneously to look after… almost as if treating nature as a pet. Nature is treated as something separate from ourselves, and The Little Mermaid further supports these ideologies with its themes. The little mermaid similar to Undine and Melusine, does not contain a soul unless wedded to someone who loves them truly. The religious themes continue to be carried in the story, having humans be immortalize because they have a life after death. This implies that there is a heaven for them because of their connection to religion. The little mermaid through actions shows her kindness and good deeds, she literally saves a mortal’s life and decides not to kill him in trade of her own life- yet it still isn’t enough for her to have a soul because of an elemental creature’s disconnect with religion.

Exposure

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In the eyes of the little mermaid we are amazing species that can “…fly across the sea upon ships, and scale mountains that towered above the clouds; and the lands they possessed— their fields and their forests— stream held away far beyond the reach of her sight.”(118) hold a much higher value in comparison to her own life. As she is saying this while herself being apart of a specie that can live up to 300 years underwater and become one with the sea. Anderson uses this part of the story to reflect on moments where one might show appreciation for the capabilities of different creatures(or people) while simultaneously downplaying our own. What we feel we are lacking in can turn into an obsessive desire that we must obtain, for only then will we be content with who we are.

The little mermaid continues this idea when discussing with her grandmother the afterlife for humans sorrowfully comparing her end of life “I would willingly give all the hundreds of years I may have to live, to be a human being but for one say, and to have the hope of sharing int he joys of the heavenly world.”(118) The yearn to have a soul—to live beyond the enclosure of the water, is strong enough to direct the little mermaid into wanting to give up the life she would have.

Comparing this to the human relationship to other creatures on the planet who live in the air, live in the water, etc., I think Anderson in this part of they story at least— shows gratitude and appreciation towards other creatures. Showing sensibility to the others that we share the land with, even if we might wish we could fly or live in the water, helps with our understanding of the environment.

The Boundary Between Sea and Land in ‘The Little Mermaid’

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In Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is built in a world full of boundaries–between sea and land, voice and vision, loss and desire– is built. The story of the mermaid carries emotional power that lies not only in its romance but in its fixation on its land crossings. From the opening description of the ocean floor being “as clear as the purest crystal. But it is very deep–so deep…no rope could fathom it” (108), Andersen establishes a paradox that moves the story; transparency does not mean it’s accessible. If a boundary is visible, it doesn’t always need to be crossed. The mermaid’s world glitters with boundaries, thresholds that she can see but cannot touch, like amber windows, marble steps, and water so clear it hides nothing yet conceals everything.

Every transition in the tale costs something. The mermaid’s ascent from sea to surface allows her to see the human world, but she remains unseen, able to save the prince only by disappearing before he wakes. Her second crossing–from sea to land–turns her body into a painful border. The sea witch’s warning that every step will feel “like treading upon such sharp knives” (121) transforms any bodily movement itself into a form of self-sacrifice. Losing her voice is another boundary breached; in losing her voice, she gains access to the human world. The prince reads her “speaking eyes” (122), but his interpretation fails, and she’s now seen as a human but fundamentally misrecognized.

Andersen repeatedly shows that language falters at the surface. The mermaid’s sisters sing above the waves, but sailors hear only noise from the storm–sound that is distorted by the border she tries to cross (112). The story’s build reinforces this pattern through a concept of half-space, like balconies over canals, and staircases leading into water, but they never merge. Even the prince’s ship becomes a literal threshold between belonging and exile.

In the end, the mermaid’s transformation and joining with “the other children of the air” (130) traces back to the mermaid’s longing for desire, which always comes with sacrifice. Each ascent–from sea to land to air–brings both a vision and loss. Andersen’s lasting sadness comes from this paradox that his heroine lives always at the glass between worlds, where beauty and pain both coexist. Fulfillment comes not through breaking boundaries, but through the long, slow softening of them.

Voice, Sacrifice, and Humanity

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While reading The Little Mermaid, the moment that stood out to me was when the little mermaid gives her voice to the sea witch in exchange for human legs. I thought that this part of the story shows how her desire to gain a human soul and to love the prince requires her to lose her most important part, her ability to speak and express herself. The sea witch says, “You have the loveliest voice of all the inhabitants of the deep, but you must give it to me.” By giving up her voice, the mermaid loses her identity and becomes silent in the human world. She cannot express her feelings or tell the prince the truth that she is the one who saved him. The pain she feels when she walks“as if she were treading on sharp knives”represents the price of her dream. From this, I thought that the author connects her physical pain with the emotional and spiritual suffering that comes from wanting something beyond her world.

Even though she is silent, she is not weak. Her silence becomes a kind of strength. She continues to love and care for the prince without expecting anything in return. When she has a chance to save herself by killing him, she refuses and chooses to die instead. I thought this moment shows her true humanity, not through words, but through compassion and sacrifice. In contrast, the prince remains unaware of her feelings and her pain. From this scene I thought that the author seems to suggest that real humanity is not about power or recognition, but about kindness and moral choice. At the end, when she becomes one of the “daughters of the air,” the story turns from tragedy to hope. She does not get the prince, but she gains something more meaningful, which is a chance to earn a soul through doing good for others. I thought her transformation shows that love and suffering can lead to spiritual growth and redemption.

Through the mermaid’s silence and sacrifice, I thought that the author explores the idea that being human is not only about having a body or a voice, but about empathy and the courage to choose good, even when it hurts. The story reminds me that sometimes the path to becoming truly human requires loss, pain, and understanding.