KIM TANDUYAN A6

NORLAILAH S. MUTIA

Criticisms on Hans Andersen’s story, The Little Mermaid

READER-RESPONSE APPROACH

 Hans Christian Andersen’ short story, The Little Mermaid symbolizes the different classes or
races. Two different beings, though both capable to feel the same way with each other, may
not be meant for each other.
FEMINISM

 This story was one of Hans Andersen’s many stories which depict stereotyping about the
subordination in making a sacrifice. The little mermaid must sacrifice her voice, her body,
and ultimately her life to the Prince. The little mermaid started out as an innocent young lady
who got confused about her feelings because of liking a human prince. “The little mermaid
then allows the witch to cut out her tongue in exchange for a potion that will give her legs,”
this act alone expresses the little mermaid as a dumb and naïve lady who has nothing else to
decide than sacrifice precious things for someone or something she thought was more
valuable. At that point of the story, Hans revealed the weakest point of the mermaid and thus,
as the story progresses, the little mermaid was portrayed as weak and dumb, when in fact she
was creative and smart. The relinquishment of her beautiful voice along with her rights to be
heard signified Hans’ blur understanding of femininity and female sexuality and feelings.
MARXISM

 Marxism brings the fore conflict between the rich and the poor, the superior and the inferior,
and the strong or influential and the weak or insignificant. In the story, as the youngest, the
little mermaid was not always given the chance to speak up making her an inferior to his
father and sisters. She was not given the attention that she deserves and it all affected her
decisions. Adding up that she was forced to give up her voice in exchange for the happiness
she longed for her whole life and seeing it come to a painful end signified her insignificance
in the story. On the other hand, the temple girl whom at first the prince had mistaken as the
lady who saved her, was portrayed as someone with class and pride. Unlike the little
mermaid, the temple girl was given the chance to express herself in the story because she has
made no sacrifices which made her even stronger and influential because she was able to
persuade the prince that she was indeed the one who saved him from drowning. The reason as
to why Hans made the two characters look that way is deep and we can say that Hans felt he
was inferior because he don’t know how to express his real self as if he, too, has sacrificed
his own voice to a sea witch.

LGBTQ
  According to my readings and background check about Hans Andersen, he was tagged as
bisexual and the reason why he came up with the story of the Little Mermaid was because,
like the little mermaid, he fell in love with a man and got rejected. Using that perspective, it
signified that LGBTQ has no right to fall in love with their preferred gender type. If that’s the
case, it seemed like Hans was promoting that the LGBTQ are weak and insignificant because
they can’t express their real selves. The ending, which the little mermaid decided to be a sea
foam instead of killing the prince shows that the only decision for Hans is to dissolve his self
from the thought of being loved by someone because in the end, he’ll just be rejected again
and so, he stopped loving the man he once loved and decided to discern himself from any
same sex love or relationship.
FORMALISM
“The prince loved the mermaid, but he loved her as he would a little child. He told her that she was dear
to him, but that he was in love with the temple maiden that had found him on the beach after the ship
wreckage.
On their way there, he tells the mermaid that his parents cannot force him to marry the princess, and that
he would rather marry the mermaid who has been so loyal to him”

 How the author relays the idea of the prince liking the little mermaid like a child and then
turns out to liking her as a lover is quite confusing. Thus, it can give false or vague idea on
how the prince liked the little mermaid.
HISTORICAL- BIOGRAPHICAL APPROACH

 Hans Christian Andersen had a longing for his grandmother, whom he was very close to as a
child. Throughout his life he perceived himself as an outcast, and despite the international
recognition he received, he never felt completely accepted. He suffers too much pain with
some of his closest personal relationships.
DECONSTRUCTION

 What if the sea witch asked the little mermaid her other assets aside from the voice she had?
Would there be a happy ending? I mean, as if the sea witch can benefit something from that
voice, she only uses it for a bail anyway.

 “So I shall die,” said the little mermaid, “and as the foam of the sea I shall be driven about
never again to hear the music of the waves, or to see the pretty flowers nor the red sun. Is
there anything I can do to win an immortal soul?”
The little mermaid developed feelings for the prince, but on the other hand, she also longs for
an immortal soul. If the quest of the little mermaid is not merely focused on the prince alone,
would she still give up her legs?

 The Sea King must be powerful to control the living underneath the water, his mighty
kingdom. If he is great enough, why can’t he grant/transform the little mermaid’s tails into
feet? He could’ve cared the little mermaid’s desire.