For years I've been enchanted by the story of the Little Mermaid told in true Disney fashion. I grew up singing the songs along with the best of them and having my own adventures with a stuffed-toy Flounder. Since my middle name is Ariel (though pronounced ARE-iel not AIR-iel) I've always felt an affinity with that red-haired, legless teenager. And, even now, I can relate to her desire to just get out and go where her dreams took her.
So one day I decided to walk to the library (yes, I really did walk) and pick up a book of fairly tales written by the esteemed Hans Christian Andersen, none other than the author of the Little Mermaid (and a host of other wonderful stories, too). I'd never read or heard the real story of the Little Mermaid - and, much to my surprise, it is not a thing like the happy-ending, musical depiction known by every young girl, thanks to Disney. I don't won't to ruin it for you if you haven't read it so I won't say anything more than this: go get yourself a copy of the Little Mermaid (the real one) and read it. It will do you good. And if you're like me, it might even bring tears to your eyes.
Well, I looked up the story on Wikipedia, and although it did not bring tears to my eyes, I thought it was interesting how much Disney changed the story. Apparently it is just not acceptable to end a Disney tale on a sad note. And it was also interesting to see how the mermaid had to do a bunch of good works to get to heaven.
ReplyDeleteTrue, true. There's certainly some philosophical depth to be explored there. It would be interesting to have a conversation about it sometime.
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