Elsa’s Selflessness

To me, one of the most heartbreaking things about Elsa is that she suffers every bit as much as Anna, but that suffering is not as easily seen.

We know, of course, that Elsa is in pain any time she has to turn Anna away. But “Do You Want To Build a Snowman” is from Anna’s perspective, not Elsa’s. We see Anna’s loneliness firsthand, listen to her sing of her sorrow as she plays sadly with her dolls, as she feels the weight of the palace’s emptiness.

With Elsa, we only get glimpses – the desperation in Elsa’s voice when she tells Anna to go away… the way she recoils from her parents, her voice thin and fragile… the image of her curled up in a ball in her icy room after the funeral.

All this makes perfect sense within the context of the narrative. Elsa’s sacrifice is a sacrifice of her life… a sacrifice of her childhood, her innocence, of years she might have spent happy with Anna… all for Anna’s sake.

Elsa’s sacrifice is as heartrending and difficult as Anna’s decision to throw herself in front of Hans’s sword, but it is not as obviously dramatic. You cannot epitomize Elsa’s sacrifice in a single moment or act because Elsa’s sacrifice was ongoing for thirteen years. And, by its very nature, it was shrouded, it was hidden.

Elsa is forced to endure the despair of Anna, the confusion of her people, all in an effort to protect them. Everything she does to keep them safe, to care for them, only makes her seem more distant in their eyes. How devastating must that be for Elsa?

Elsa gives up her reputation, her good standing in the eyes of everyone she ever loved because she loves them more than anything. And, because of the nature of her sacrifice, there are still audience members that see her as “selfish,” when every choice she makes – with every consequence, for good or ill – is inspired by an unbelievable selflessness and love… a love that extends to everyone except herself.