I just remembered that I read this book ages ago. I remember how easy it was to relate to this young girl as a young girl myself at the time, and how I just remembered that I read this book ages ago. I remember how easy it was to relate to this young girl as a young girl myself at the time, and how painful and shocking it was to read all that was happening to her and around her - the ending was especially hard to read. I think I remember it ended abruptly (?) but you knew what was going to happen or what that meant. I was stunned despite the fact that I knew it would break my heart. It's a hard book to read because it's a real personal story of someone (a young girl no less) who was in the middle of the scariest positions and times to be in. It's not a book about horrific and terrible historical events with fictional characters depicting the people of those times - it's through the eyes of a person who has really lived it. And worst of all, didn't survive it (as far as I recall from what was revealed at the end). But it's also sad because there are so many children and people in not so different situations from Anne's, living in fear today in war torn countries. I think if I read this book now as an adult, it would hit me a lot harder than it did when I was younger. It was easier for me to read about harsh realities and truths back then. In a lot of ways I was stronger and in others naive and not half as 'aware' as I am now, so maybe that's why I didn't think twice about reading such an impactful and real story like this one.
I can't rate this book only because I read it so long ago that my rating can't be an honest or informative one. But I had to add it to my list of "read" books, and it's definitely one I'm glad to have been brave enough to read at some point in my life....more
“I know what you want,” said the sea witch; “it is very stupid of you, but you shall have your way, and it will bring you to sorrow, my pretty prin
“I know what you want,” said the sea witch; “it is very stupid of you, but you shall have your way, and it will bring you to sorrow, my pretty princess. You want to get rid of your fish’s tail, and to have two supports instead of it, like human beings on earth, so that the young prince may fall in love with you, and that you may have an immortal soul.”
This dark but sad fairytale is definitely not the Disney version we grew up on. There's suffering, sacrifice, and maybe there's a happy ending of sorts but it's not easily won by gallant heroics.
When I was in school, I did a fun presentation for my class revealing the darker side of fairytales (it was a real hit and shocker too)... And I remember that the one that stuck with me most was Hans Christian Andersen's "the Little Mermaid". It was so sad but also so different from the Disney version in all the ways we don't want it to be. Anyway, I've recently picked out a dark retelling of the fairytale: Drown: A Twisted Take on the Classic Fairy Tale and decided to read the original first, since I never read the full version before.
It starts a little similar to the Disney version.
The Little Mermaid (no name mentioned) is the youngest of six mermaid princesses. She's always been curious about life above the sea, but she's not allowed to swim up to the surface until she turns fifteen. When she finally does, she looks in on a ship celebrating the sixteenth birthday of a handsome prince she finds instantly captivating. The ship is soon torn apart by a storm and she pulls the drowning prince to the safety of a beach. But then she has to hide because several girls walk out from a nearby church. And guess what? She watches him wake up and mistake one of the girls as his rescuer. Later after watching him from a distance for a while, she has a talk with her grandmother. She learns that while mermaids live longer than humans, they don't have an immortal soul and simply dissolve into sea foam when they die and cease to exist - unless a human loves them enough to marry them and therefore share their soul with the mermaid.
So, she goes to the sea witch (who is ten times creepier than Ursula), and is promised legs, but what are the conditions. Let's list them: --She not only loses her voice (her most defining feature), but gets her tongue literally chopped off. Yeah. --the transformation from fins to legs will be as painful as being sliced in half. --of course the pain doesn't end there. She'll walk gracefully but with every step it'll feel like stepping on sharp knives that cut her open. And this is supposed to be a Children's book?! *shivers*) --if the Prince marries someone else, she will immediately turn into sea foam and nothingness.
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It's an all or nothing deal. And maybe you can say she's completely stupid for agreeing but I just couldn't not sympathize with her. She's young, afraid of dying and being forgotten, and wants the love of someone who just happens to be the answer to her wishes.
And does all that pay off? The Prince takes her in to stay at his palace, but he is still fixated on the idea of the girl he saw on the beach - who he thinks saved him. He doesn't know who the mermaid really is, and all she's done for him, she can't sing to impress him - she can't say anything at all. So to get him to notice her, she dances for him (ouch ouch). After that, he does start to really like her. But how does he show it?
He lets her sleep "at his door" (because that means she's special to him - like a Golden Retriever, maybe), he calls her "dumb" a lot - and I know he's not referring to her intelligence but to her disability but how is that better in any world and century? I don't know if it was an acceptable term back then but it's like he kept throwing it in her face and I wanted to smack him every time. He apparently loves her like a "child". Man, she's only a year younger than you! But then he has the gall to basically tell her that she's his consolation prize for not finding his actual savior. Later he tells her he'd choose her if forced to marry (because she looks like said-savior), calls her dumb again, and kisses her.
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But what happens when it turns out this other princess he's being arranged to marry is the girl from the beach (the false rescuer)? Where does that leave the Little Mermaid?
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(view spoiler)[He dumps her, of course. But that's not all of it... Does he let her down nicely? I'm sure he thinks he does when he demands she be happy for him:
"Oh, I am too happy,” said he to the little mermaid; “my fondest hopes are all fulfilled. You will rejoice at my happiness; for your devotion to me is great and sincere.”
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How is any of this fair??
The Little Mermaid gets a chance to fix everything in the end. Her sisters tell her they've bargained with the witch for her to come back to the sea, and she's agreed with the instruction that the mermaid has to kill the Prince. But the mermaid doesn't do it. She jumps into the ocean instead, where she would die. She doesn't take the easy way out even though she's obviously terrified. (hide spoiler)]
I know some will say the moral of the fairytale (they all have those) is probably to be satisfied with what you already have, to be careful what you wish for.... Okay, sure, that's all fine. But the Little Mermaid is not whiny or selfish or greedy at all.
She's determined, suffering in literal silence, taking on the worst obstacles and in the end she'd rather lose it all than be selfish or vicious. She wasn't only pining for a boy, she wanted so much more for herself, but she doesn't sacrifice anyone but herself to get it. And that's why there's a pretty appropriate twist to the ending of her story.
(view spoiler)[Her struggles are noticed by spirits/beings called the 'Daughters of the Air' who live to do good in order to earn an immortal soul. They let her join them instead of fading away, and she lives on - with no pain. I remember that while I was researching this years ago, I read that in the original ending the mermaid simply jumps into the water, fading into sea foam forever. I'm not sure about this info, but that ending would have really been depressing and pointless. (hide spoiler)]
This Mermaid's happily ever after is not exactly like Ariel's but it's more in line with her own hopes and struggles. In some ways I liked her a little more than Ariel because she was really and truly challenged because of her choices.
I like the story as it is, written when it was. But if I ever have children, I'd let them see the Disney version instead. I'd choose for them the version without the princess dancing on knives for the prince when he's not even worth a paper-cut. A version with no knife-stepping at all is good enough! :D...more
Nouf *LostinFantasy*
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