The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

 

Characters

The main characters in the story are the Little Mermaid, her five older sisters, the Sea King (their father), the Sea Witch, the prince, and the princess whom the prince eventually marries.

 

Plot

The story begins with the youngest mermaid’s fifteenth birthday, upon which she is allowed to see the surface of the sea. Here, she saves a prince from drowning and falls in love with him.

 

She makes a deal with the sea witch, trading her beautiful voice for legs on which she can walk on land. The witch warns her that she will never be able to return to the sea.
On land, the prince befriends the Little Mermaid, but does not recognize her as his savior and is eventually married to another princess whom he believes saved him.

 

When the prince marries another, the Little Mermaid is heartbroken and is given a choice to kill the prince to revert back to her mermaid form or to turn into sea foam. She chooses the latter, in an ultimate act of love. However, she ascends into the spiritual realm of the ‘Daughters of the Air’ as she has strived to obtain an immortal soul throughout the story.

 

Themes

The story explores the themes of sacrifice, unrequited love, longing and desire, and the human soul versus animal instinct. It also intends to illustrate the idea of moral consciousness and spirituality that distinguishes humans from animals.

 

Significance

"The Little Mermaid" sheds light on moral values such as selflessness and the power of love. It also emphasizes on the lengths to which one would go to gain what they passionately long for, while simultaneously showcasing the tragic aftermath of unreciprocated love. The tale beautifully blends fantasy with reality, indirectly implying that every choice we make has consequences.

More than just a children's fairy tale, the story carries deeper meanings and life lessons that apply to all readers across different age groups.