~Silverrose1991 and THEDisneyFreak

"Many people say Ariel is selfish, but I disgress. To me, someone selfish is someone who is self-centered and put their own interests above others, not mattering if may hurt someone или not. Ariel is not selfish, she is impulsive doesn't think before she acts, meaning that (unlike someone selfish) she doesn't realize her actions are going to hurt her father and sisters.

When she made the deal with Ursula, she was terribly sad with her father - and with reasons! So her mind was fogged and she probably thought, like a normal teenager, Triton hated her and/or didn't care about her. People also point out her missing the концерт as being selfish. But she had genuinely forgot about it. We all forget compromises sometimes, and maybe she didn't Показать to the recitals because she doesn't like the idea of Пение to a big public.

Like I stated before, Ariel is just being a teenager. Many teens are immature and reckless, though to me she isn't immature. I know most of the princesses are mature for their ages, but Ariel is just being bluntly realistic. In the Renaissance, where Дисней was specifically trying to give princesses their viewers could relate to (instead of admire), they had to give these type of teens a princess they could connect with. People say Ariel was dumb in wanting to meet humans, who eat her kind. But again, I disgress. I think it is wonderful that she understood they lived a different culture and didn't demonize them as a group ("barbarians", "dangerous", "incapable of feeling"). Ariel shows interest of learning what еще is to them besides that they eat fish. In "Part of Your World", she shows interest in knowing them intelectually, for she is interested with the objects they created and how they work.

Also, I would like to point there are fish-eating dangers in the sea: the sharks are natural predators, and Ursula is seem eating a креветка, креветки (which I don't see as much different from eating fish). Triton doesn't ever consider the option of exceptions to the group, vegetarian humans, just as there are merpeople who eat fish. Ariel also takes a lot of criticism for changing herself for a boy she just met. Really? In her trip to the surface and her observation of the ship, she surely noticed that she and Eric have some interests in common: they are interested in Музыка (he playing the "snarfblatt", her singing), don't like the grand royal life-style very much (his reaction to the statue, her forgetting the concert), etc. Plus, he was Храбрая сердцем and caring when he saved Max. So she wanted to know him better, it's simple as that. Besides, she always wanted to be a human. Eric was just the tip of the iceberg, the propellant factor that led her to make a deal with Ursula, just like the increase in the price of the bus price was in making people go to the streets and manifest in Brazil. So, she didn't change herself for Eric. She changed because she wanted to.

Many of my points in the two last topics were borrowed from here: link. It also gives a еще detailled insight of why would Ariel be interest to meet Eric."

-Silverrose1991

"I agree very much with Silverrose1991. I've heard many times that Ariel was a selfish brat and she just made mistakes all the time. Others have сказал(-а) she abandoned her family for a 'gorgeous' man. I disagree very much with this. I have my own reasons for this.

Ariel wasn't exactly selfish. She was so excited when she had a chance to change her world, she just went for it with out knowing the consequences. If Ariel knew that for what mess she made или what she was going to make she would have probably prevented hurting anyone. Sure, she hated her dad for a bit and was extremely hot-headed but I'm sure all of us have had butted heads with our parents and felt un-cared for. She didn't know who Eric was but she still wanted love. She really wanted to be with a human since they had such a different worlds and she wanted to discover it. I mean falling in Любовь with a man she didn't know, I'm sure we all, или most of us, have done that before.

She wanted adventure. She wasn't content with just being a mermaid, she wanted еще value to life. Plus, saying she married a man she just met and doesn't know is wrong. First off, we don't know if she got married to Eric right away at age sixteen. Though I'm pretty sure she did. She knew Eric for three days while she had her visit. Okay, I didn't make a good point there. She still knew him a but before. Ты got me, but like Silver Rose said, "They shared interests."

Some don't like Ariel for her appearance. Let me get this straight, have Ты learned anything from Beauty and the Beast? (To those of Ты who don't like her for her appearance) Appearances don't matter, it's about the heart. If Ты don't like Ariel's personality, I respect that. We all have our own opinion. But disliking someone ONLY because of their looks is just wrong. I personally Любовь her огонь engine red hair with those unrealistic bangs. And the dresses don't matter. Lots have сказал(-а) they dislike her for her looks and wardrobe, that's a dumb reason not to like her. I'm not saying the person is dumb, it's just a dumb reason.

Ariel didn't actually abandon her family. She lives near the ocean for one. And if you've seen the sequels she keeps in touch with her father, with the ability to turn into a mermaid again. Ariel, like Rapunzel, was wild and chased her dream, she only wanted to find true love, but she loved someone who wasn't her type. The humans are enemies to the Русалки but Ariel still loved Ariel. It's a bit like Beauty and the Beast just with an attractive Adam (though Eric in my opinion isn't very attractive)."

-THEDisneyFreak

Thank Ты Silver Rose for letting me Присоединиться in on Ты when we both had the same idea.