Finding True Love

      When you think of the ocean, do you think about talking flounder and singing crabs?  What about a seagull that is a self-proclaimed expert on humans? Or a mermaid that lives in a giant oyster shell and sings with the prettiest voice ever heard? If you have read Disney's version of The Little Mermaid, then you have seen all these things!  Even though the setting is vague, "fathoms below the ocean's surface", and it never mentions what ocean they are talking about, most people know that this is not your average sea life! 
       The Little Mermaid is an all American classic traditional book that is filled with color, excitement, and curiosity all in one. As I read this story to my children, I explained to them that this book is called traditional literature. "Mommy what does that mean," and I simply explained to them that traditional literature is a book that usually starts off with "Once upon a time" or "Long ago and far, far away," such as their favorite movie Shrek. Although these are just a few of the elements that make a book traditional literature, there are a host of others that I will share with you as well. The Little Mermaid is full of magic, transformations, journeys and quests, as well as trickery. Now, who would have ever thought that a little harmless shell could possess an overwhelming amount of magic? Well, it's true; one little shell can as seen in this fairytale. The mean old sea witch Ursula, who disguised herself as a lady by the name of Vanessa, wore this magical shell around her neck in order to use Ariel's voice to capture the heart of Prince Eric. "The magic shell that contained Ariel's voice went flying through the air and landed on the deck just as Ariel reached the ship. It shattered and Ariel spoke alas as her voice returned to her." While reading this book one can't help but to fall in love with the young and beautiful Ariel who wants more out of life than just being a mermaid. On a quest to learn about humans, Ariel and her best friend Flounder collect human artifacts and travel to the surface of the ocean often to visit her friend Scuttle the seagull with whom always seems to give misleading information about the humans. Although Ariel's father disapproves and warns Ariel to stay away from the humans, Ariel ignores her father’s wishes and continues on with her constant journey to reach above the sea and join the humans. Ursula agreed to transform Ariel into a human for a period of three days, but not without stipulations. In order for Ursula to transform Ariel into a human, Ariel had to give up her voice. Ariel agreed and Ursula placed her voice in the nautilus shell agreeing to give it back if Ariel received a kiss from her true love. As the story continues on it becomes evident that Ursula's promise to turn Ariel into a human is a trick and Ariel transforms back into a mermaid. Reaching a happy ending, King Triton, who is Ariel's father, comes to the rescue and realizes that his little girl does truly love Prince Eric. Wanting his daughter to be happy and experience true love, King Triton changes his daughter from a mermaid to a human. In the end Ariel and Eric marry, living happily ever after. 
           Like many traditional stories, the Disney version is a retelling of an earlier edition of The Little Mermaid which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1836.  Of course, Andersen's version did not have all the talking fish and dancing sharks that the Disney version contains. This is a common theme in traditional literature where the story is passed from generation to generation many times, usually changing along the way.  There were many other differences also. For example, in Andersen's version, none of the characters have names; they are known simply as the Sea King, the prince, the little mermaid, and the Sea Witch. The Disney version gives the characters names like Ariel (the mermaid) and Eric (the prince). This creates a more personal  relationship between the characters in the book and the readers. Also, in Disney's version, the little mermaid  becomes a part of the human world she loved and "would live there with her beloved prince happily ever after".  However, in Andersen's version, the prince marries another woman and the little mermaid is supposed to kill him or she will die. Instead, she opts to save him and throws the knife into the ocean.  Doing this selfless act makes her a heroine and gives her immortal life with the daughters of the air.
      Disney's version of The Little Mermaid is an example of a Fairy/Wonder Tale.  It contains witches, heroes, magic and, of course, being a Disney story means it has a "happily ever after" ending.