The little mermaid. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Wow, I had never read this story before although the Disney version used to be my favorite movie when I was very young. I had heard that the Hans Christian Andersen version had a more tragic ending, but I did not know how beautifully the story would be written or that the ending would not be quite as desolate as I expected.
Unlike many fairy tales, this story speaks about souls. I almost had an existential crisis while reading this. I don't know whether we have immortal souls or not, but I can only begin to imagine the despair of knowing that others have immortal souls but you do not, and that others will live forever and you will perish into oblivion. That's pretty dark! I don't think I would have given up my voice and family to gain only the possibility of an immortal soul, but I can understand why the little mermaid did.
The little mermaid is such a sympathetic character. She is talented, gentle, curious, and loving toward the Prince and his bride (even though they inadvertently bring her to her death). As a child, I loved Ariel in the Disney film, but as I got older I felt that she was a bit ungrateful for what she had and not all that likable after all. Reading this story brought back all the sympathy I had for the little mermaid as a kid. Even though I do think it was rash of her to make a deal with the witch, I know she did it, not out of selfishness or "the grass is greener" thinking, but because of the dreadful longing for love and a soul. She didn't just want romance or nice things or to escape from her family. She loved her family and her voice, and I don't think she was ungrateful for what she had, but she could not deal with the sorrow of losing her life and the prince one day.
I love the detailed descriptions in this story. I will definitely be reading it again in the future for the beauty of the descriptions of the water, the ship, the castle, and the mermaids' views of the human world. The descriptions of the limb-like growths outside of the witch's house were wonderfully terrifying and dark.
Bibliography: Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen. Link to the reading online.
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