The Little Match Girl and The Little Mermaid Tales Essay

The Little Mermaid and The Little Match Girl are original and profound tales that were once introduced to the world by Hans Christian Anderson. Unlike many other writers, Anderson, in his works, focused not on folklore or oral stories but on novel plots and characters, incorporating into his works not only people but various mystic creatures, such as mermaids. While at first glance, The Little Mermaid and The Little Match Girl have different plots and protagonists, they still share certain similarities. Both stories illuminate the painful side of dreams and hope. In a sense, The Little Mermaid revises and changes the bits of The Little Match Girl, illustrating that even when everything seems perfect on the outside, happiness can still be shattered.

First, it is noteworthy that the protagonists share similar pains. For instance, the child from The Little Match Girl is shown going through the snowy and cold street. The author indicates that “in the cold darkness, a poor little girl, with nothing on her head and with bare feet” (Tatar 343). The girl underwent physical pain while trying to find a warm space. Likewise, the young little mermaid experienced discomfort in her feet as well. However, the story revises the scope of pain. As the writer put it, “Every step she took, as the witch had predicted, made her feel as if she were treading on sharp knives and piercing needles” (Tatar 337). However, both girls endured the pain and tried to find ways to distract themselves, which shows how strong they appeared on the outside.

Furthermore, The Little Mermaid revises the wardrobe of the young girl. In The Little Match Girl, the child does not possess any worthy belongings, such as dresses or shoes. It has been mentioned that “she had been wearing slippers when she left home” and that these slippers belonged to her mother and were too big for the child (Tatar 343). In turn, the mermaid is shown to have everything to make her look elegant, “she was given costly dresses of silk and muslin” and was considered “the most beautiful creature in the palace” (Tatar 337). In this sense, The Little Mermaid shows that, unlike the girl, the mermaid has all of the amenities, yet this does not save her in the end.

The brightest revision in The Little Mermaid is shown by incorporating thoughts and pondering. For instance, in The Little Match Girl, the author illustrates how, during the cold night, the only happiness for the girl is brought by dreaming of a better life with her grandmother. Each time the girl struck a match, she saw a new dream, such as when “she could see right into a dining room, where a table was covered with a snowy white cloth and fine china” or when she saw a Christmas tree in another time (Tatar 344). In comparison to this, in The Little Mermaid, thinking brings pain to the Mermaid, and she is shown experiencing “eternal night” without dreams due to a lack of soul (Tatar 340). The purpose of this approach is to illustrate how thinking or lack of it can inflict pain on one.

Additionally, The Little Mermaid changed the perception of life and death. In the tale, the mermaid enjoyed her life only for a few moments. In the end, the audience sees how she committed suicide when she jumped into the water. On the other hand, while The Little Match girl shows a similar ending when the girl dies, she still enjoys her last minutes because “she had gone with her old grandmother into the joy of the New Year” (Tatar 344). The change in The Little Mermaid shows how the heroine does not find the reason to exist anymore and does not desire to await her death like the little girl.

Lastly, The Little Mermaid revised the pain of love, concentrating on the partner. The heroine risked her life and well-being, “but then she remembered the prince and the human soul, and her courage returned” (334). In turn, The Little Match Girl shows affection for her grandmother and how the child yearned for gone days and how she wanted to hold on tight to her grandmother” (Tatar 344). In this sense, the first story indicates how any kind of love can bring torment.

Hence, The Little Match Girl is revised and altered in The Little Mermaid to show how quickly happiness may be destroyed even when life seems perfect on the outside. To begin with, both girls deal with the discomfort and attempt to find ways to pass the time, demonstrating their outward strength. Additionally, The Little Mermaid has a better wardrobe than the young girl. Despite possessing everything, the mermaid is unable to think or dream, whereas the little girl is able to do this. The Little Mermaid also altered perceptions of life and death by deciding to pass away rather than waiting for it like the little girl. Finally, The Little Mermaid highlights the agony caused by love that comes from the partner rather than a relative.

Work Cited

Tatar, Maria, editor. The Classic Fairy Tales (Second Edition). W. W. Norton, 2017.