In Hans Christian Andersen's tale, "The Little Mermaid", the Little Mermaid trades her voice to the sea witch for a pair of human legs to be with the human she loves. Each step she makes causes her pain, and she will never be able to speak to the man she once rescued and still loves. The prince goes on to marry another, and the Little Mermaid is faced with a choice: life or love. With no hope of being with the man she loves, she is given the choice to kill the prince and regain her tail so she can return to the sea, or she may choose to let the prince remain happy with his new bride as she turns to sea foam and perishes on the waves. In Andersen's story, she chooses love over her own life. I have always wondered how the story would have changed had she used the dagger to save herself.