But when we see a naughty or a wicked child we shed tears of sorrow, and for every tear a day is added to our time of trial.”
This is a seemingly strange way to end the story, since it sounds more like another sentence should follow rather than sounding like a traditional story ending. This ending seems almost abrupt.
Unseen she kissed the forehead of the bride and fanned the prince
Despite the bride taking the prince from her, the little mermaid has no spite in her heart for the prince's bride, showing that the little mermaid is deserving of her place amongst the daughters of the air.
“We have given our hair to the witch,” said they, “to obtain help for you, that you may not die to-night.
The depth of familial love is shown through the sacrifices the little mermaid's sisters are willing to make for her despite her abandoning them.
her old grandmother, who had not been to the surface of the sea for many years, and the old Sea King,
Her family seems much more accepting, or at least does not seem angry, at her decision to abandon them for the land above the sea.
she was given permission to sleep at his door, on a velvet cushion
It seems as if she is treated more like a cute pet than a human. This is most likely due to her not having a voice to speak for herself.
I will go to the sea witch, of whom I have always been so much afraid
Could be interpreted as love defeating fear, because her love for the prince and desire to be with him is allowing her to get past her fear of the sea witch.
she thought again of the world above her
It seems as if the beauty of her own voice does not matter to her if humans, specifically the prince, are unable to hear it.
the priest placed his right hand in yours, and he promised to be true to you here and hereafter
The importance of Christianity comes through again in the importance of the role the priest must play in order for a mermaid to gain a soul.
Human beings, on the contrary, have souls which live forever, even after the body has been turned to dust. They rise up through the clear, pure air, beyond the glittering stars. As we rise out of the water and behold all the land of the earth, so do they rise to unknown and glorious regions which we shall never see
Religious references come through in the little mermaid's grandmother's dialogue, showing the importance of Christianity, and the belief in souls and heaven, during the time of Andersen's life and the time period in which this story was written.
She gave up tending her flowers, and they grew in wild confusion over the paths, twining their long leaves and stems round the branches of the trees so that the whole place became dark and gloomy
Similar to a poem I read earlier this year (the name of which I've forgotten) in which the nararrator has a beautiful, kept garden until a woman breaks his heart, and then he does not tend to his garden therefore it begins to grow larger than ever before. However in the poem, the garden is described as thriving when the narrator stops taking care of it, while in this story, when the little mermaid does not tend to her garden, its growth is described as "wild confusion".
little mermaid swam close to the cabin windows
The beginning of the story had little parallels to the movie, with the little mermaid being much more obedient than Ariel is in the movie. Now with the little mermaid's coming of age, the similarities are more solid.
beautiful marble statue
Similar to in the movie, with her statue of Prince Eric.
While her sisters showed delight at the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared only for her pretty flowers
The little mermaid is already being set out as different from her sisters; first with her appearance, since she is the prettiest of them, and second with her personality.
bright-red and dark-blue flowers, and blossoms like flames of fire; the fruit glittered like gold, and the leaves and stems waved to and fro continually
The garden is described in diction we as humans understand, such as "flowers" and "fruit", although logically the flowers and fruits that come to mind cannot grow in the underwater setting Andersen has created.
Her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had no feet and her body ended in a fish’s tail.
The use of "but" after describing her fairness indicates that having a fish's tail makes her less pretty. This shows human beauty standards seeping into the narrative.
walls are built of coral, and the long Gothic windows are of the clearest amber
Though the castle is underwater, it still parallels castles we see on land since a popular style of castles on land is Gothic architecture.
No, indeed, for on this sand grow the strangest flowers and plants, the leaves and stems of which are so pliant that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches as birds fly among the trees here upon land.
Andersen describes the life on the ocean floor with similar wording that creates parallels between the land above water and the underwater setting he is establishing for his story. The use of this diction provides imagery in a way that is familiar to us.