Ariel's Domesticity
Although Ariel does not specifically exhibit typical signs of domesticity in The Little Mermaid, she does still partake in rigid gender roles. Disney usually has its princesses sweeping, dusting, and mopping; however, Ariel’s domestic roles are not as blatantly obvious.
Ariel loves collecting human possessions from shipwrecks and keeps them in her sacred grotto. The audience gets to explore her grotto and all of her treasures during Ariel’s “Part of Your World” and when King Triton obliterates the majority of her possessions. If you look closely, you will notice a plethora of her collectibles are associated with women’s work or are considered to be domestic items: candle holder, forks, spoons, knives, corkscrews, and pots. Susan White says, “Her main occupation, other than performing for her farther in the choir of mermaids, is collecting and arranging artifacts…[which] seem to be largely domestic items” (188). Even though she does not exhibit the usual cleaning duties associated with women’s work, she does maintain her grotto in a neat and orderly fashion, which is comprised of domestic possessions, thus it is fair to say Ariel does exhibit domesticity.
Ariel loves collecting human possessions from shipwrecks and keeps them in her sacred grotto. The audience gets to explore her grotto and all of her treasures during Ariel’s “Part of Your World” and when King Triton obliterates the majority of her possessions. If you look closely, you will notice a plethora of her collectibles are associated with women’s work or are considered to be domestic items: candle holder, forks, spoons, knives, corkscrews, and pots. Susan White says, “Her main occupation, other than performing for her farther in the choir of mermaids, is collecting and arranging artifacts…[which] seem to be largely domestic items” (188). Even though she does not exhibit the usual cleaning duties associated with women’s work, she does maintain her grotto in a neat and orderly fashion, which is comprised of domestic possessions, thus it is fair to say Ariel does exhibit domesticity.
In addition, after Ariel falls in love with Eric, she begins picking flowers and plucking off the petals one by one trying to figure out if he loves her or not. Picking flowers and maintaining the garden is attributed to being a feminine responsibility, thus Disney also reinforces rigid gender roles during this scene as well. Ariel leaves one life of domestic duties to take on a new life of human domestic duties after she marries Prince Eric. Disney is teaching its audiences that women belong at home and caring for the possessions within the home.