"The Little Mermaid"

"The Little Mermaid" was written in third person objective narration and gives a better understanding of the details of the story rather than just the feelings of the little mermaid herself.  Had Andersen chosen a different type of narration, such as first person from the little mermaid's point of view, the scope of the story would be on a much narrower perspective. The elements that would prove more relevant would be the major characters because we would be allowed to observe the exact emotions the little mermaid was feeling when going through her heartbreak.  With the third person objective narration chosen by the author, we show more concern toward the setting and plot which makes a better impact of the storyline overall.  The setting of the story changes between two very different environments.  She goes from a life of luxury underwater to a struggling, torturous year on land by going from one palace to the next.  Andersen's choice of setting shows irony in that fact that someone with such authority by living in two marvelous palaces still could not manage to escape the miserable feeling of mystery and loneliness.