Reading The Little Mermaid this week has been intriguing. (I haven’t actually seen the Disney version either so this is my first impression of the “Original” Little Mermaid before I invest time in watching the Disney twist).
I am really intrigued by the imagery and descriptive words used by the author to describe this “underground” water-world. Various aspects of the text foster the idea that the human world is very glorious. Furthermore, the princesses described their initial response to visually seeing the human world in a way that encourages an appreciation for our world. For example, one of the princesses compared the sunset sky to “gold” to create a visual for the other princesses of how different and more fantastic our world is than the water-world. This is important because it highlights the humanity that exists amongst these creatures. The aspect of their humanity is significant because it creates an element of relatability to our temptations and curiosity. It is natural for us humans to be curious, to want to explore different countries and learn about different cultures. Similarly, these mermaids had the same curiosity.
Hi Hiba,
I like how you mention that the text indicates the glory and, I daresay, the implied superiority of the world above. I noticed a thread of similarity about this implication in the story of Undine. Both mermaids go into the human world in the hope of acquiring a human soul. In both scenarios nothing bad will happen the mermaids if they don’t have one, they simply become one with the environment; but both stories imply that to have a should is superior or something that they are willing to make sacrifices for. I find it interesting that it’s in the 19th century that we get these two stories. These are the times of colonialism and slavery, so it is interesting that we are seeing this idea of the soul being a necessary component to being human. This brings about the question, if the empire believes that to have a soul is to be human, then are the people it subjugates abroad also human? There is an argument to be made here that this is supremacist ideology.