I believe both versions of The Little Mermaid—written and the Disney adaptation—attempt to elicit the same feeling toward the main character. Both want us to root for the little mermaid as she tries to be with the prince, be frustrated when things go wrong, and have sympathy for her when she seems to be losing him. In the movie adaptation, Ariel’s persistence, Ursula’s trickery, and the scenes of Ariel crying prompt these feelings. In the written version, these feelings are similarly elicited through the princess’s persistence through the pain she feels when on land and the ultimate loss of the prince.
Despite the similarities between the two stories, I have different feelings towards each version of the little mermaid. In the written version, the princess is much more passive to me despite her active role as the protagonist. She is not given a name in this version and repeatedly described as quiet, silent, and thoughtful. Even in the beginning, when she could speak, she did not leave a strong impression on me. On the other hand, Ariel is strong, standing up to her father and exploring dangerous ships. Albeit, she does become more passive as she loses her voice.
Great analysis! You expressed your thoughts really clearly and I appreciated your walkthrough of them. I feel the same about the written version as you do, and I like that you pointed out that she was described as “quiet, silent, and thoughtful”. I did not realize this detail and it added to my overall understanding!
I totally agree with this! One thing I noticed is that in the written version, almost none of the characters are developed at all. Instead, most of the story focused on physical descriptions of the ocean, and the land. I was wondering if this might have to do with the religious aspect of the original story, and not viewing the mermaids as human (capable of human complexity).