Construction of Female Subjectivity in The Little Mermaid, Undine, and Frozen

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Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s “Undine,” and the Disney films “The Little Mermaid” and “Frozen” have created female characters with different thoughts which act autonomously rather than relying on their destiny. These women are not just women, and they are women who can be as strong and capable as a man. These pieces amplify that women’s roles are no longer stagnant and irrational. Instead, it is evolving, and even though there are repercussions, women are still succeeding in the male-dominated society. Women are still succeeding on their own.
“The Little Mermaid” is written by Hans Christian Andersen (Andersen, 1983). this is the first piece to be examined. The story of “The Little Mermaid” has given birth to a strong female character in the form of Ariel. Ariel had to deal with problems both internally and externally. Ariel had issues because she is a woman, a mermaid. Despite the difficulties she encountered along the way, she was able to succeed in her way. Even though her story does not have a happy ending, Ariel was able to fulfill some of her desires. All of this made Ariel strong
“The Little Mermaid” is an account of a mermaid princess named Ariel. Ariel is the youngest and the most beautiful of the six. She is described as an odd, quiet, and pensive girl. She is also different from her sisters. In the beginning, it implies that Ariel is getting restless with underwater life. Ariel is also fascinated by her grandmother and sisters’ stories about land and people, and because of that, she develops a desire to live a human life on the land (Musker & Clements, 1997). She stated, “Oh! If only I were fifteen! I am sure that I will come to love the world above and the human beings who lived there!” (Andersen, 1983, p. 71). Furthermore, when Ariel first sees the land above the sea and the charming prince, her urge to live a human life grows even more.
Ariel saves the prince from drowning during their first encounter. Ariel cannot take this off her mind, and as days go by, her urge to see this man increases. Many people try to warn Ariel about the dangers of interacting with humans. However, Ariel is very eager to live on land, does not follow and risks trading her voice for feet with the sea witch. The sea witch now curses Ariel. Ariel gets to see and be with the prince but figures out that he is marrying another woman. Ariel does not get the ending that she wants, and she dies. As we can see, no one agrees and supports Ariel’s desire to be self-sufficient or make a personal choice, so everything she achieves has to come at a high cost. She wants to live a life on land, so she pays the price for it; she loses her tongue (Andersen, 1983; Musker & Clements, 1997).
The piece appears to be overridden by masculinity because even women are required to employ physical strength to attain their aims in life. It gives the meaning that masculinity is something that everyone should strive for to find their place in society. When in fact, it is not always necessary to use physical strength.
Furthermore, this aspect implies that everyone must fight hard to earn a respectable place in society. In addition, in the majority of the cases, marriage is a man’s expression of dominating a woman. After marriage, a woman has no opportunity to develop herself because she is tethered to the housework such as cooking, cleaning, housekeeping, childcare, etc.
All of these events strengthened Ariel and contributed to what she has become. Ariel’s strong character demonstrates how and when women should act to break free from a society dominated by males. When Ariel decides to live a human life, she disobeys her father’s wishes. She is rebellious. Ariel embodies an entirely different woman in the human environment. She acts just like an ordinary woman. Hence, Ariel found her way into a patriarchal society. Ariel managed to dominate on her own. Ariel decided to be Ariel. Moreover, just like Ariel, girls should also fight for their dreams and desires in today’s society.
In this story, Ariel has been harmed by fluidity. Being the youngest, she happens to be the last one to see the land. Furthermore, because she is the youngest daughter, her father is extra cautious when it comes to her, becoming extremely strict.
Additionally, Ariel is a mermaid. Being a mermaid hinders her from achieving the things that she wants. Ariel’s birth, maturation, desires, and death all reflect the construction of female subjectivity. Ariel has lost her tongue, which represents maturation in the form of castration. Ariel’s desire is represented by her desire for feet and a life with the charming prince on the land. This fluidity, however, results in the construction of a strong female character. Because of Ariel’s limitations and hardships, she grows into a strong young woman. Ariel learns to advocate for herself, fight for what she desires, and make her own decisions.
The second piece that will be examined is the movie “Frozen.” Kids have loved the movie “Frozen.” For this part, I will explain three key points I have found in this movie. The first key point, Elsa is a strong independent woman, but she conceals it. The second key point is that as equal to her sister, Anna is also a strong independent woman but has received negative perceptions from others. Moreover, the last key point, the movie discards the “happily ever after” notion that the characters should experience and that the viewers want.
The first key point concerns Elsa. Elsa is perceived to be independent and assertive. Buck & Lee (2013) demonstrated that Elsa released her power through the fantastic ice palace she constructed for herself. In the beginning, she cannot control her power, and that power and independence drive her to do wicked things. This is evident when she unintentionally hurts people and even her sister, Anna. After these unfortunate events, Elsa wanted to conceal her power instead of using it. Fortunately, she returns to Arendelle and uses her powers to entertain the people. Elsa finally gains acceptance, and people no longer fear her. In this part, Elsa becomes soft and selfless. Elsa is self-sufficient, daring, and courageous. Analyzing this situation will prove that Elsa is also intelligent and driven aside from her mentioned characteristics. Intelligence has been demonstrated by understanding the consequences of using her powers. The only problem here was that she was drowned in her selflessness and was pushed through depression, leading to her actions of leaving her sister and the place that she once called home, creating a new one that better suits her power. This situation also demonstrated assertiveness as Elsa prioritized the general public’s safety over her image. Assertiveness combined with courage, intelligence, and resourcefulness is the key to creating an independent Elsa.
The second key point is about Anna. Anna is adventurous and courageous. However, people do not see Anna in this light. She appears adventurous because she does not appear to know any better, not because she is a capable young woman. Anna demonstrates that she is childish and not physically capable in some situati...