The Little Mermaid: A Tale of Narcissistic Rage
I recently took my oldest daughter to watch the new “Little Mermaid” live action film. From the lens of a therapist, I was immediately struck by how well the characters formed a classic narcissistic triangle. Ariel is the “Heroine” of the tail, opening the story with a brave and daring act of rescuing prince Eric as he falls from a burning ship. Ariel manages to bring the prince to the shore safely, sings him a lullaby, and then disappears again “under the sea,” to return home to her father and sisters.
Ariel has a controlling narcissistic father, who is originally depicted as the “Villian” in the story. King Triton is trying desperately to hold onto his beloved daughter, using all the authoritarian power he has at his disposal. His daughter is slipping away; she is rebellious and wants her freedom. Triton attempts to hold Ariel back by keeping her “safe and sound” in the sea-world. He believes he is doing what is “right” by being protective, but in doing so, he ends up physically and verbally controlling his daughter and causing her to feel depressed and confined.
Enter Ursula, the Sea Witch. Here we get the classic tale of the “Damsel in Distress,” who was banished from King Triton’s kingdom due to a power struggle, or “sibling rivalry.” Ursula attempts to deceive Ariel in with her tales of woe and distress, only to find that Ariel is much smarter than she appears to be. When Ariel isn’t “taking the bait,” Ursula reels Ariel in with a threat to her freedom. She dangles the “bait” (turning her into a human so she can gain her freedom), in exchange for her prized possession (Ariel’s voice). Ariel willingly complies with the arrangement since she wants her freedom and a chance to meet the young prince whom she had rescued from the ship at the beginning of the tale.
Of course, the story does not end here. Ursula is envious of Ariel, and once Ariel succeeds at meeting the prince and getting him to love her (without her prized voice), she decides to pull a “bait and switch” by posing as the “girl who rescued the prince from the ship” through the use of Ariel’s stolen voice. She plans to deceive the prince into believing that she is his rescuer, and therefore his “true love.”
Despite Ursula “pulling out all the stops,” Ariel discovers the deception, which escalates to a fight on the ship between the phony Ursula and Ariel. Ariel succeeds in her strength at capturing her voice box, and her voice returns to her, although it is now “too late” to break the spell of turning back into a mermaid. Ursula becomes outwardly enraged and power-hungry, which is depicted by magnanimous growth of her sheer size, and she becomes a literal “Giant Octopus.” Ultimately, Ariel and the Prince work together to defeat Ursula, who is now viewed as the demon of the sea (aka the Villian).
At the end of the story, we see a turn of events, in which King Triton has a change of heart and realizes the error of his ways. He now becomes a “Hero” of the tale, and gives his daughter his blessing to marry the prince. Everyone loves and admires the King, once again.
Is the rage that King Triton demonstrates any different from Ursula’s rage? They were both motivated by possessiveness, power and control. King Triton’s rage was directed outwardly, through displays of aggressive authoritarianism, demonstrated by his rigid demands and flaring temper tantrums. Ursula’s rage was more covert and passive-aggressive initially, she used her charms to seduce and deceive the “poor unfortunate souls” who came to her for help. Later on, Ursula becomes a Giant Tyrant of the Sea, and she displays her power more brashly. Both Triton and Ursula ultimately demonstrate far reaching ends of the Narcissistic spectrum.
But, where does this leave Ariel? As the daughter of King Triton, and niece to Ursula, there is no denying that Ariel has grown up experiencing years of narcissistic abuse. And she has a classic “savior complex” as a result, always trying to help others, and break free from structures of power and control. Ariel is smart because she recognizes the abusive patterns, yet she still feels trapped by the cycle of guilt. In the end, she must decide whether she wants to please her father by staying in his Kingdom, or seek freedom with her beloved “on the shores up above.”
The good news is, we see a break in the cycle at the end of the tale through King Triton’s change of heart. It shows his humanity, or possibly his “Merman-ness.” Even a tyrant can realize when he has done wrong. And it also shows that people are capable of broad change, and may be forgiven by the ones they love.
Consider, how does this tale impact your own life? Do you relate to one of the characters in the story? If so, how has that impacted you? If you were affected by experiences of narcissistic rage growing up, how does this show up in your adult life? Sometimes we carry these wounds for years before we start to acknowledge them in ourselves and in our adult relationships. Know that there is help, and it is possible to heal from our unhealed childhood experiences. Even through revisiting our favorite classic fairy tales, there is a lot we can learn about ourselves.
