Little Mermaid Comparison

Disney is known for having the best fairytale stories around. However, looking deeper into each story, we see a hidden gender, racial, or stereotypical jab. In the Little Mermaid, Ariel is our main character. She is a young girl who is trying to grow up. In the process of growing up, she gives up her voice and changes who she physically is. Ariel’s lust for Prince Eric makes her change as well. When she sees his statue underwater she decides she wants what he has. In ways, such as, she wants legs, and his human qualities. To her, her voice is unimportant and she is willing to give it up long enough to get what she wants. So, she seeks out Ursula to help her. She experiences adventure in so many ways in this story. The 1989 Disney movie, “The

The first one to examine is, how Ariel disobeys her father. Of course, everyone disobeys their parents from time to time, however the fact that she does so in the movie can lead kids to thinking it is okay. The only reason she disobeys as well, is because she wants to meet Prince Eric, they human she loves. So, not only is it okay to disobey your parents, but it’s especially okay if it’s for your one true love. We see that a lot in movies. The second thing to examine, is the fact that Ariel needs to make some mistakes in order to grow up. In this movie, Ariel is growing up and not staying child-like anymore. Schmoop states, “the little mermaid starts out as a quiet, pensive kid with a yearning to grow up quicker, better, and cooler than her older sibs.” Not that she thinks running off will make her cooler, but it could make her better. Ariel is just trying to find

Ariel’s first adventure is waking up on the dry sand, and finding her toes. From there she must learn to walk, and move about. The next thing she must do is find clothes. Then she takes off from there, going on carriage rides, to boat rides, and on the way, she learns that people have mean intentions. This is all a learning experience for her. She is such a curious person, that down in the water she kept human things. One of her favorites is the fork she uses to brush her hair with; although she finds out you are supposed to eat with that. When she left the water, all she wanted was to find new things and meet Prince Eric. Which she does accomplish. This is all about her experiencing life, and finding out who she really is. Does she want to stay a mermaid, or does she want to stay a human? She must go through each of the adventures to see if it is worth it. The curiosity could disappear the longer she’s there and she could end up regretting leaving her family behind. The hidden social message, and gender stereotypes of “the Little Mermaid” 1989, are embedded in the adventure she seeks. She loses her voice, and changes who she is, so she can get the guy. She disobeys her father, and leaves home. But she does this in order to find herself. She wants adventure outside of the water, to see what the dry land is like. The Little Mermaid is just a child ready to grow up, and make her own decisions. She wants to fall in love. Curiosity