Symbolic Interaction And Conflict Perspective In The Little Mermaid
568 Words3 Pages
In the Disney classic The Little Mermaid, Symbolic Interaction and Conflict Perspective are exemplified. Symbolic Interaction is where one associates something with what they have been taught. Conflict Perspective is a battle for power. Throughout this Disney film the main character, Ariel, faces these two theoretical perspectives as she rebels against her father in order to find true love. Conflict takes place in the beginning of the movie when Ariel and her father, King Triton, disagree on Ariel’s fascination with the surface world. Ariel comes from the royal bourgeoisie family of Atlantica although she longs for a life on the surface. This fascination Ariel has for the surface is against Triton’s ideology. This results in Ariel rejecting…show more content… Ariel is curious and confused about the new society she has entered and takes part in the role of resocialization. Ariel experiences symbolic interaction when she sees a fork and uses it as a hairbrush. Ariel was told by her friend Scuttle, her only connection to the surface world, that humans used the fork as a hairbrush therefore explaining why she uses the fork in this way. As the third day approaches Ursula fears that Ariel will accomplish the task and the Prince will kiss her. So, the sea witch disguises herself as a beautiful woman puts the Prince under a spell causing him to fall in love with her, the two plan to marry. This causes a conflict between Ariel and Ursula. Ariel is able to stop the wedding but is too late to in completing her task of kissing Eric and is turned back into a mermaid. Ariel is now Ursula’s property and they both return to the sea. The final conflict is Ariel and Triton versus Ursula as they fight for power of the sea. Triton relinquishes his power in exchange for Ariel’s release. With the power of the ocean in her grasp, Ursula is a threat amongst the aquatic world . The conflict is resolved when Ariel is able to defeat Ursula and restore power back to Triton. In the end, Triton sees Ariel truly loves Eric and allows Ariel to break tradition of endogamy and marry