English Literature

Fairy tales have been with us since we could remember ourselves. The stories of miraculous transformations and terrific achievements lead us to believe that nothing is impossible in this world. Yet, we hardly ever realize that the fairy-tales that teach us the basic conventions of life are actually written to reflect and evaluate the existing social order. In many aspects, fairy-tales are designed to prepare us to the realities of the social life and to make sure that we follow its norms and the accepted standards of behavior. Hans Christian Andersens The Little Mermaid is the bright example of how fairy-tales elaborate on the accepted gender roles in a patriarchal society. The Little Mermaid exemplifies the dominance of the male power over the female muteness and shows a woman as the victim of her social choices, which are initially limited to the extent that shows social control and social castration as the only path a woman can choose in her life.
 
The story of The Little Mermaid is well-known and is loved by thousands of children all over the world, but only recently has the fairy-tale become an object of the peer gender analysis. An adult reader cannot but notice the pain and understanding, with which Andersen describes his protagonist and the gender implications, which the author is trying to reveal and deliver to his readers. The Little Mermaid is the youngest and the prettiest of her sisters her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea but like all the others, she had no feet, and her body ended in a fishs tail (Andersen). It would be fair to assume that the presence of the fishs tail and the absence of legs in young mermaids is, on the one hand, the sign of their belonging to one and the same sea society and, on the other hand, a reliable instrument of restraining their desire to become a part of the human world. They wished themselves back again in the water, and after a month had passed they said it was much more beautiful down below, and pleasanter to be at home (Andersen). As such, the features of the patriarchal belonging are rooted at the bottom of the sea, where several sisters are destined to live their lives in accordance with the norms and standards of their society and have to subject themselves to the dominant power of their father and their community. This is, probably, where the Little Mermaid learns the principles and importance of self-sacrifice and this is, probably, where she prepares herself to giving away her life to a man. That is why she is the one to save the prince from death without a single hope for a reward But to her he sent no smile he knew not that she had saved him. This made her very unhappy, and when he was led away into the great building, she dived down sorrowfully into the water (Andersen).

That the Little Mermaid takes a difficult decision to get rid of her fishs tail and to turn into a human being is in no way the sign of her desire to break the conventional norms of her community and to go against her fathers will. On the contrary, this is where the power of the patriarchal society becomes even more formidable the Little Mermaid is destined to forever give away her charming voice in exchange for a beautiful body, thus turning into a patriarchal ideal that is both beautiful and mute. Your fishs tail, which amongst us is considered so beautiful, is thought on earth to be quite ugly they do not know any better, and they think it necessary to have two stout props, which they call legs, in order to be handsome (Andersen). Beauty in the patriarchal world carries out a number of functions it confirms a womans belonging to the patriarchal society it confirms a womans submissiveness to the norms of this society it also positions a woman as a victim of these norms and shows that beauty is the only way to happiness  I would give gladly all the hundreds of years that I have to live, to be a human being only for one day, and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of that glorious world above the stars (Andersen). The patriarchal world treats woman depending on her appearance and not what may hide behind it, and those who do not follow the predetermined set of beauty norms are doomed to spend their lives rejected and lonely. As such, the Little Mermaid finds herself in the patriarchal world, which does not welcome self-expression and female freedom, which imposes gender limitations and conventionalities on women, and which makes women follow the predetermined set of beauty norms. These norms do not leave any room for the Little Mermaids voice but turn her into a unique combination of a beautiful form, graceful walk, expressive eyes, and cleanliness (Andersen). Muteness is the price which the Little Mermaid is bound to pay for her becoming a part of the gray human mass.

It looks that the source of the mermaids power resides in her beauty, but it is only partially true. What Andersen tries to say is that the female beauty in the patriarchal society must lead a woman to being with a man, and not a woman or her beauty but a man next to the woman will be the source of the main power for her and for the rest of society. A womans appearance is something that can enchain a mans heart, but it is only by cutting her tongue (either physically or literally) that can she feel a proud member of the human world. Women in a patriarchal society are destined to undergo numerous pains and tortures in order to become perfectly beautiful and thus, to turn into the objects of desire for men. Pride must suffer pain (Andersen), and women accept their fate with muteness. The need for the Little Mermaid to cut away her tail is just one out of many examples of how women change their appearance in order to conform to the norms of beauty in the patriarchal world. As a part of this physical transformation and from her hands-on knowledge of the human world, the Little Mermaid learns the value of self-sacrifice, the power of the male choice, and the power of gender conventionalities. She silently agrees to sleep at the princes door, to wear a pages dress, to accompany him on horseback and to walk with him through the woods, although her legs bleed every time they decide to travel to the distant places (Andersen). The Little Mermaid learns to silently accept her fate and realizes that the morning the prince is married with another she will have to dissolve herself into the foam of the sea (Andersen). When the Little Mermaid takes a decision and deprives herself of her tail, she actually deprives herself of her own individuality for the sake of being with a man. In many instances, this act of self-deprivation is similar to foot-binding in China women had to go through terrible tortures in order to follow the norms of beauty and to secure themselves a chance to get married. Cutting the tail and foot-binding represent the two equally cruel but nevertheless effective forms of the social control. The moment the Little Mermaid drinks a draught, she undergoes a kind of social castration, which forever cuts her from her previous life and does not leave her a single chance for survival (moral, spiritual, and physical).

Although written for younger readers, Andersens fairy tale actually creates and advocates a model of young womanhood, which positions women as unrecognized, unappreciated and unrealized. This model of womanhood leads a woman to silently accept her role as of the suffering party. A young woman accepts her physical and moral sufferings for granted  as an inevitable by-product of her gender. Such womanhood grants women secondary social roles and does not give them a chance to protect their rights. Their role is of a good supplement to a man but if not, the only way they can choose is death. Among the daughters of the air, a mermaid has not an immortal soul, nor can she obtain one unless she wins the love of a human being. On the power of another hands her eternal destiny (Andersen). What Andersen calls an immortal soul and eternal destiny are nothing else but a womans chance to remain a part of the human society. Whether she is lucky to realize herself as a woman largely depends on how lucky she is to find a man, who would agree to take her as his wife.

In a patriarchal society, the power of a woman resides in her beauty, which should give her a chance to enchain a mans heart. The Little Mermaid shows that patriarchal norms do not leave a woman a choice other than being married or dying. A woman in the patriarchal world has to learn the value of sacrifice and to accept pain as the critical element of her beauty. In light of everything that has been said in this paper, The Little Mermaid confirms the dominance of the male power in the patriarchal world, and shows a woman as the victim of the social choices, which are severely limited and which position social control and social castration as the only ways to secure herself a place among humans.

Fairy-tales are loved by children. However, fairy-tales often serve a reliable source of social knowledge and work to prepare children to the realities of the social life. Andersens The Little Mermaid is a complex representation of gender relationships in a patriarchal society. The Little Mermaids muteness is the necessary precondition for her becoming a member of the human world. Her power resides in her appearance. She learns the value of self-sacrifice, she accepts the power of the male choice, and she has to reconcile with the pain and sufferings as an essential element of her physical beauty. Self-deprivation and the mermaids decision to cut off her tail exemplify an act of self-castration, which makes her a victim of the social control. In his fairy-tale, Andersen presents a model of young womanhood, which is unappreciated and unrecognized, and which shows a woman as the victim of the social choices that are severely limited and that also position social castration as the only way for woman to secure herself a place among humans.