The Hidden Tragedy of “Let it Go” March 21, 2015

So, on Wednesday I got around to watching Disney’s latest short film, “Frozen Fever,” the charming pseudo-sequel to Frozen in which Elsa tries to give Anna the perfect birthday party while she’s constantly sneezing out sentient snow-boogers due to some kind of hysteria-inducing super-cold. Yes, I’m serious. My official review of the short: Adorable. Well worth a watch to anybody who likes smiling like this from time to time:

Also, Elsa apparently has magic fashion powers in addition to the ice stuff. The Power of Love is some crazy shit, am I right?

But this got me thinking, dear readers. Oh yes, it got me thinking about that one thing that I’ve been thinking about for 167 hours and counting. Frozen. For those of you who don’t know, I’m working on getting a paper published about that blasted film, so I’ve probably watched Frozen more times than anybody on the planet who is both over the age of ten and didn’t have a direct hand in the making of the movie. I’ve had the honor of being called the “world’s top scholar” on the differences between Frozen and La Reine des Neiges, its French translation, a title that I am honored to have been awarded for such a highly competitive field of academic study. That is to say, when it comes to literary analysis of Frozen, I’m your man. Now, in my capacity as the world’s foremost scholar in some incredibly specific of academic work, please allow me to blow your frickin’ mind.

“Let it Go,” the feminist power-anthem written for a generation of empowered young women with cryokinetic superpowers. Obviously a song about Elsa accepting her identity, saying “fuck you” to the world that abandoned her in her time of need, and proving to everyone that she doesn’t need anyone else to be happy because she’s happy with herself. I was so excited when I first heard this, because it really seemed like Disney was giving the loner’s path its due diligence and saying that “fuck society, I’m gonna go be me somewhere else” is a legitimate way to live.

Upon spending 167 hours listening to this damn song, I realize that all of this is a lie.

I touched upon this a little bit way back in my second-ever blog post. but I want to go over it again since I’ve advanced my research significantly since then, and I think I have a few things to add. “Let it Go” is not a song about Elsa becoming empowered, it’s not a song about Elsa finally being free, and it’s certainly not a song about Elsa accepting herself for who she is. As a matter of fact, I would argue that “Let it Go” is the moment when Elsa accepts that she actually is the monster that everybody thinks she is, and that there’s no way for her to live in peace with the rest of the world. It isn’t a happy song, or at least it isn’t strictly a happy song. It’s tragic, and Elsa is more conflicted during it than she has ever been.

Let’s start by analyzing that phrase itself. “Let it Go.” This isn’t a statement, it’s an imperative sentence. Elsa is giving herself a command. So what, exactly, is Elsa telling herself to let go of? Well, the obvious answer is other peoples’ expectations of her. She’s letting go of fear and concealment and a lifetime’s worth of pent-up aggression, but there’s more to it than that. For example, there are three physical objects that Elsa lets go of during the song:

First of all, Elsa loses her other glove. Gloves act as a symbol of concealment throughout the whole film (her father gives her the gloves when he tells her to hide her powers, Anna takes one when she inadvertently exposes Elsa’s secret, Hans removes his gloves when he reveals his master plan to Anna at the end, etc.) This is the aspect of letting go that is apparent on the surface. Elsa is definitely letting go of her need to hide herself and her powers from the world, as is evidenced by the very prominent fortress of solitude that she builds up in the mountains.

But she also allows her cape to be blown away by the wind and throws her crown out the window. What are capes for, aside from looking badass and sending superheroes to their early, embarrassing deaths? Capes act as protection against the cold. By tossing away her cape, Elsa is giving up any semblance of warmth in her life, any chance she could ever have at positive human interaction. Her crown acts the same way, as a symbol of her past life and everything that could have been. Giving these things up isn’t something that makes her feel liberated or excited, it’s scary and uncertain. Look at this line from the bridge:

“One thought crystalizes like an icy blast // I’m never going back, the past is in the past.”

This isn’t the kind of phrasing one uses when one is absolutely certain of one’s decision being right. Here, she’s actively expressing regret at the way things have turned out, even if there’s a glimmer of excitement that she gets to use her powers how she wants without hurting anybody. Just look at the phrase “let it go” again. Do you know how many times she repeats that phrase? Twelve times. In a three-minute song. You don’t repeat something that many times unless you’re trying to convince yourself it’s what you need to do. Elsa isn’t elated at finally being free, she’s horribly conflicted about whether or not this is something that she actually wants.

BUT BRYANT! You opine, tipping your tophat and sipping a glass of champagne as you adjust your monocle. Smug bastard. Bryant, isn’t it POSSIBLE that the reason Elsa repeats the phrase so often is because . . . IT’S THE CHORUS? I understand that this is TERRIBLY ‘out-there’ as far as explanations go, but could it not POSSIBLY be the case? *chortle chortle*

Yes, the reason she repeats it so many times is because it’s the chorus. Very good. I guess I’ll just pack up my whole argument and head home.

I am royally unimpressed with this reasoning. Yes, it’s true that she repeats the phrase because it’s the chorus of the song, but I don’t see how that argument has any more bearing than “She only repeats it twelve times because it’s in the script!” I would argue instead that the reason the phrase is the chorus of the song is because it’s important to Elsa, and because she feels it bears repeating as much as a chorus would have her repeat it.

But there’s one more important thing to discuss before my 1500-word limit runs out: Elsa’s self-esteem. For her entire life, Elsa has been told that she is dangerous and that she needs to be kept away from other people, and, after a while, this type of logic can sink into somebody’s head. “Let it Go,” I would argue, is the moment that reasoning solidifies for Elsa. It’s not a song about her accepting herself for who she is, it’s a song about her accepting herself for what everybody else thinks she is.

There was a moment in Frozen’s production in which Elsa was going to be a full-out snow dictator sending armies of snowmen to attack Arendelle. Seriously. And there are still remnants of that moral degradation in “Let it Go.” This is most directly expressed when she flat-out says, “no right, no wrong, no rules for me!” and “that perfect girl is gone!” But there are other, more subtle lines that show Elsa embracing her inner monster.

For example, when Elsa says “let the storm rage on // the cold never bothered me anyway,” what does that say about her character? She understands that there is a literal snowstorm happening all around her, and that her actions could actually result in the deaths of real people, but what does that matter? The cold never bothered her, so just let it rage! What did the people of Arendelle ever do for her, anyway? Furthermore, “the fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all.” This sounds like an ecstatic cry of liberation, and it is, but there’s a more sinister way of reading it as well. Elsa’s always had her fear to hold her back from hurting people. It’s what’s kept her from using her powers all this time. If her fears aren’t controlling her anymore, then what is?

But that’s all the space I have today. Hopefully that was coherent and enjoyable. I’ll see you guys next week with more writings about something else!

With all due respect,

Bryant Powell