The Little Mermaid: The Price of a Voice and the Absurdity of Love
So, here’s the deal: we’re talking about The Little Mermaid, but forget the Disney version with the bubbly voice and underwater disneyfied happiness. Nope. This is the original, where our girl, the Little Mermaid, is the most tragic, melodramatic fish out of water (pun intended), and let me tell you—she doesn’t get the happily-ever-after you were probably expecting.
First of all, we have to meet the Little Mermaid. She’s a princess, right? You’d think she’d have a decent life in the ocean with a lovely tail and all the fishy luxuries that come with it. But NOPE. Instead, she’s obsessed with a human prince. Now, I get it—people are obsessed with all sorts of things, but a human prince? You’re a literal mermaid! Do you know how much trouble you’re about to get yourself into? How many sea creatures do you know who’ve actually survived this obsession with a “land lover?” I’m going to guess, not many.
But of course, she’s infatuated. She spends all her time watching the prince from afar. And yes, she’s a teenage mermaid, so it’s like some teenage girl writing poetry and staring at a guy from across the street—only with an entire ocean between them and no Wi-Fi, obviously. She even dreams of becoming human just to be with him, like, really? You’ve got a sea kingdom to rule, an entire underwater world, and you’re obsessed with some random dude you met once? Classic.
Now, let’s talk about the deal she makes. This is the most ridiculous part. Instead of, I don’t know, just talking to the prince or maybe writing him a letter—who knows—she decides to go to the Sea Witch. Yeah, always a good idea to deal with witches, right? So, the Sea Witch, who isn't nice (shocking), says, “Sure, I’ll turn you human. But your voice? Gone. No more singing, no more talking. Just a mute, powerless, soft human body for you to stumble around in. Enjoy!” Oh, and the kicker? If the prince marries someone else, she’ll die and become sea foam. Because that’s the kind of deal you make when you’re totally thinking straight, right?
Okay, fast forward: the mermaid gets turned human, stumbles onto land, and—surprise!—it’s a disaster. She can’t talk, she can barely walk, and people keep staring at her like she’s the weird girl who can’t speak. She can’t even get her man because she can’t say anything. She’s just the tragic silent figure who stumbles around, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the prince will fall in love with her. Newsflash: he doesn’t. She’s just the girl he keeps around because she looks pretty and dances well. Ugh.
But the prince, oh he’s got his own drama—because naturally, he’s already been set up with another woman. Yep, that’s right, some princess shows up, and, of course, the prince marries her. So, what does that mean for our girl? Well, let’s just say she’s not living happily ever after with a prince. Instead, she throws herself into the sea and poofs into sea foam. That’s right. She’s just gone, no plot twist, no happy ending, just a sad, tragic mermaid dying in the ocean.
Now, let’s talk about the big lesson here. This entire story revolves around the price of sacrifice. She literally gives up her voice, her identity, and her mermaid life for a chance at love, and in the end? It’s all pointless. All of it. She’s forgotten, her sacrifices are wasted, and she just becomes foam. What a great moral, right? Don’t do things for love because it might cost you your soul and you’ll be left with nothing but a frothy ending. How uplifting.
But here’s where it gets even crazier: she doesn’t even get mad about it! The little mermaid is offered a chance to go back to her old life—basically the whole, “Hey, why don’t you be a mermaid again and forget this tragic love story?” But she’s like, “Nah, I’ll go on to the next phase, whatever that is.” Oh, and the twist? She’s going to become a daughter of the air, which is… even more confusing and somehow less satisfying than the whole “being a foam ocean thing.”
So, what do we learn from this? I don’t know. Maybe don’t make deals with witches who will take your voice. Maybe don’t chase after guys who are so clearly not interested. Maybe just stay in the ocean, be a princess, and don’t trade your humanity for some boy who can’t see you for who you really are. Because—plot twist—you’re better off being yourself.
➡ The Takeaway
The Little Mermaid is not a tale of sweet love and dreams coming true. It’s a cautionary tale about sacrificing yourself for a prince who couldn’t care less. The mermaid loses everything—her voice, her tail, her sense of self—and in the end, she’s forgotten in favor of a boring human love story that she doesn’t even get to partake in. And as for the moral? If you ask me, it’s: Don’t let your identity get lost in someone else’s fairytale. You’re worth more than that!
