Intro
We are finally at the princess where it gets a little more interesting with their personality! I honestly did like to go into the first three Disney Princesses, but I am excited to start with Ariel, because I know a lot more about her. I've watched, the sequel and the series a lot more than the first three princesses. So, let's see what we can find out about her together!
Ariel's Introduction
From the first scene, we already get to know something about her, before she is even on the screen for the first time. She is a great singer, being the lead singer in the performance at the beginning of the movie. She is also rebellious. She doesn't come to the repetitions, and it is clear that when it's discovered she isn't there, it hasn't been the first time she missed something important. Her sisters gasp, not shocked or confused, but more like 'Oh here we go again!'. Sebastian is panicked, and Triton is angry because once again she missed something very important for him.
Writer's Note: This is a fun and interesting way to introduce the main character to the reader. They are not on the screen. They don't have a conversation with someone or doing something, but it is others that are talking about her before they cut to her for real. Maybe this could be hard to pull off in a book, but it would be interesting to try.
When we see Ariel for the first time, she is very adventurous, exploring a wrecked ship together with Flounder. Even though she is not allowed to go there, she goes anyway and is convinced nothing will happen. She is playful as she teases Flounder for being a guppy, and telling him to stay outside to watch for sharks. Her curious character especially her curiosity about the human world is shown instantly as she picks up human things and wonders what they are.
Writer's Note: You don't always need exposition to let readers know about their hobbies or character. It is more interesting to show it more through their behavior. Instead of saying 'she loved reading books', you could say something like: 'She grabbed the new book she bought and turned to her wall filled with rows and rows of books. Was there even room for the new ones?" This sounds a bit cheesy, but you know what I mean. As people say: Show, Don't Tell. Though I don't think you should always stick to the 'show don't tell' but that's a story for another time.
Typical Teenager
Ariel is kind of a typical teenager to me. She is rebellious going where her father literally told her not to go. She is also very stubborn and has a bit of an attitude towards her own father. She literally says: "I am sixteen years old, I am not a child anymore!" (Honestly, in my eyes sixteen is still a child, but I suppose a lot of teenagers think that way 😜). The first thing she does when her father tells her she is not allowed to go anywhere near the humans, she goes to her secret cave where she has her full collection of human stuff.
Impulsive Choices
Ariel is very impulsive and makes choices without even thinking. She sees something floating over her cavern, first thing she does is go up to look at what it is. When she sees it is a ship, she doesn't even think twice and goes closer to it. Not just staying in the water, but literally pulling herself up to look at the humans.
After her cave was destroyed by Triton, she was quickly manipulated by Flotsam and Jetsam to go to Ursula. Granted, she was heartbroken and just had her stuff destroyed, but she knew Ursula was a sea witch and means trouble. She already encountered her before in the little mermaid series.
She think for just a moment when Ursula gives her her deal to turn her into a human, saying she will never be able to see her father and sisters again. But when Ursula says she'll have her man, she is sold and signs the contract, also without actually reading it first.
Writer's note: Honestly, in defense of Ariel, she was emotional and hurt after her own father destroyed all her stuff. It's fine for a character to make impulsive choices, especially when they are angry or hurt. Being manipulated at the right time and place makes the reader also feel sorry for them, and wonder if they would have done the same. And, a good villain, always knows the right time to show up and the right things to say. Besides Ursula, think about Scar, Mother Gothel, and even Frolo. They are all manipulators and know when the hero is at their weakest, or know how to keep the hero in check.
Conclusion
Well, that was the end of the forth Disney Princess in this series. I have to say, Ariel was a lot easier to analyse and discover than the other princesses. Also because I have watched this movies a lot more. But let's summarize what we've discovered here.
Good Traits: Adventurous, Curious, Playful
Neutral Traits: Virtuoso
Bad traits: Rebellious, Stubborn, Impulsive
Do you agree with these picks? What would you have assigned to her after watching the original animated movie? Let me know in the comments.
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Next week (hopefully), we will get to Jasmine's character. I hope you enjoyed this post and see you next week!
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