This post first appeared on my former blog December 1, 2010.
Hans Christian Andersen brought us some lovely, compelling tales about characters who didn’t quite fit into their world. The Ugly Duckling. The Little Mermaid. They recognized that they belonged among a different crowd. They just didn’t know how to get there.
The Little Mermaid has always drawn me as an iconic character. She knows she doesn’t fit in. She’s desperate to experience the human world, and she goes so far as to trade her voice so she can have temporary legs and climb onto the land.
Of course, being such a different creature, she can’t explain her situation—even if she did have the ability to speak. Humans would think she’s mad. This creates a poignant, and potentially funny, situation.
Hollywood has used it many times: Splash. Enchanted. The Little Mermaid (well…obviously!). Even movies like Big and Elf trace their roots to Hans Christian Anderson’s tale.
Unlike television sitcoms where the “fish out of water” character has a cadre of friends aware of the situation, the true little mermaid is completely alone. To me, shows like Mork & Mindy, Bewitched and Third Rock from the Sun are fun, but not nearly as deep as Superman.
For me, this iconic character—regardless of age or gender—reminds me of my adolescence. Oh, I wanted to be one of the popular crowd. But I wasn’t. And I didn’t know how to fix it. At the time, I would have traded just about anything to fit in, to be part of that world. Unlike the little mermaid, who trades off what makes her so unique to fit into a more mainstream world, I was more like the ugly duckling, aware that I couldn’t hide my unique qualities in the mainstream world. Eventually, I accepted that I wasn’t a typical duck. Not sure I’m a swan…maybe a goose? <G>
It’s a joy to find a fresh twist on an iconic character, and that’s just what happened recently when I read Cattitude by Edie Ramer. Here, a cat and a human change places. Belle the Cat, trapped inside a human body, is a joy to behold. Ramer takes the “fish out of water” scenario to new heights. I may be biased, because I’m a cat lover, but I found the story full of wonderful twists. Near the end, I couldn’t tell whether I was rooting for Belle to remain a human or return to her cat body. Either might have worked, but I was wholly satisfied with Ramer’s ending.
Do you have a favorite version of The Little Mermaid character? Perhaps a story that you didn’t recognize as an adaptation of this theme when you first started reading?