Frozen: Can't Control the Curse

My introduction to Frozen was the song, "Let It Go." I wasn't sure what to make of it. Sure, it was heroic and heartwrenching and beautiful--not to mention the flawless voice of Idina Menzel--but the lyrics intrigued me.

"Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know
Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back any more
Let it go, let it go, turn away and slam the door
I don't care what they're going to say." -- Elsa

Sure, everyone has felt like that at some point, forced to be perfect, and there's definitely a place for us to throw off the restraints of society and be ourselves {and no one should ever be forced to be perfect}. But knowing what I knew at the time about Elsa--she spent her childhood hiding a magical ability to command the ice and snow--and being the sort of person who likes to predict things, I wondered if this newest Disney film was going to be something of a coming out story, an allegory for embracing our "true self," no matter the cost to ourselves and others. That's what I was prepared for when I sat down in the theater, settled back in my seat, and entered the kingdom of Arrandale.

I had it so wrong, so absolutely wrong. It's not that at all.

But my preconceived notions stayed with me throughout the film, and they gave me a surprisingly unique perspective on the story. A story that, if anything, is a treatise on the horrifying effects of sin...and the beauty of redemption.

Elsa is a girl born with a gift--or a curse--with which she can control and create snow and ice. However, at an early age, this power is almost the death of her younger sister, Anna. Her parents' advice: Conceal, don't feel. So Elsa does. She slams the door on her sister--both figuratively and literally--and does her best to prevent the power from controlling her.

"For I know that in me...dwells no good thing. For I have the desire to do that which is good, but I cannot carry it out." -- Romans 7:18 (paraphrase)

She fails. And, terrified of what she's capable of, she flees to a snow-covered mountain and builds a beautiful palace of ice. That is where we encounter the song, "Let It Go."

That is where Elsa sings,

"Let it go, let it go, you'll never see me cry." -- Elsa

And I realized something I had suspected from the song itself: Elsa is heartbroken. She is not happy. It may be a relief to throw of the constraints, but she is not at all happy. She is alone. She has abandoned her sister, the person she cares about most in the world. She's fled her kingdom. She's let everyone down.

"My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around." -- Elsa

And that's just it, isn't it? I was right about one thing: "Let It Go" is about giving into the curse we were born under (sin). But I was wrong about so much, because "Let It Go" is not the triumphant theme song of Frozen. It is the cry of a desperate heart, isolated, wanting only to be good but failing miserably every step of the way. Maybe, thinks Elsa, if I just give in, everything will be okay.

"It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I'm free." -- Elsa

Free from rules, free from worrying what people will think. But still a slave to misery.

All of us are born under a curse. We are controlled by a power called sin, and no matter how hard we try, we can't manage it. Oh, some of us do better than others. But we're all constantly one misstep away from showing everyone just how messed up we are inside.

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory..." -- Romans 3:23

Rage. Hate. Lust.

We try, and we try, and we try. And then we fail. People get hurt, people we love, and we're left horrified by the damage we've caused. We don't know how to fix it. We can't fix it.

So we cut those people off in an effort to keep them safe. Some of us throw up our hands and give in to this power that controls us. We say what we want, hurt whom we please, sleep with whomever catches our interest. This is who we are, we say. At least we don't have to hide any more. This is freedom.

But then our past shows up on our doorstep.

"Arrandale's in deep, deep, deep, deep snow.
You kind of set off an eternal winter--everywhere." -- Anna

"Be sure your sin will find you out." -- Numbers 32:23

Elsa has ruined everything, and she has no idea how to fix it. She thought if she ran, everything would be okay. She thought if she gave in to the storm, it wouldn't cause her so much pain.

"I'm such a fool, I can't be free
No escape from the storm inside of me
Can't control the curse." -- Elsa

No, we can't, can we? We are born under a curse we can't control, a storm that swirls inside and lashes out at the most inopportune moments. A curse that results in destruction no matter how hard we try to protect the people that we love. No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try or how much we sacrifice, it is still there, hellbent on ruin. There is no escape. We can't control the curse.

"...slaves to sin..." -- Romans 6:20

And once we realize that, the question is painted in bold black letters on pristine white snow: "Is there truly no cure? Am I doomed to this life for all eternity? Is there nothing that can be done?"

continued in Part 2...