Yeah, yeah, I know I've been saying that I'm sick of the movie Frozen, but my inner Pauline Kael just needs to get this one out. [WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD]
In Frozen, if the wintry landscape is the inner world of Elsa's psyche, then both Olaf and her marshmallow monster guard are an integral part of her very self -- agents of her psyche. If Elsa herself is ego, her two snow creations don't correspond exactly with the Freudian superego and id, but I think they come pretty close. (Because I'm being intellectually lazy, I'm not really going to be semantically precise here but just use superego and id to describe conscience and baser desires, respectively, while ego is the self that mediates between the two.)
Olaf the snowman (superego) is more than cuddly comic relief -- he is innocent, faithful, true, and, for someone who doesn't even know what summer or heat is, uncannily wise in the matters of love. Born out of love, he was created by Elsa specifically for Anna's enjoyment in their early, idyllic years, and only recalled by both of them later -- his name "Olaf" bringing up long-lost memories of their once-deep connection. Olaf's absolute loyalty to Anna is a reflection of Elsa's devotion to her little sister, which has been blocked for years by Elsa's fear of their intimacy causing Anna harm. Since Elsa is powerful, Olaf is also powerful in his own, more limited way. He survives all sorts of assault and dismemberment, and does a lot of creative, improbable things (like unlocking a locked door with his carrot nose, or using an icicle as a telescope) to save Anna.
"Love is putting someone else's needs before yours…"
Meanwhile, Marshmallow Monster is Elsa's id, created specifically to shut people out. (I love his deep, throaty "Go awaaaay!!!" and "Don't come baaaaack!!!") Again, as an extension of Elsa, he's extremely powerful, but he's less verbal, less social, less emotionally and mentally developed than Olaf, because all he really needs is his brawn. Big and buff, with powerful icy fingers, he's freed from the matters of conscience that torture Elsa when she inadvertently hurts Anna with her power, or the kingdom with her ice and snow. Marshmallow Monster doesn't bother to feel guilty. He breaks social code (Anna: "It is not nice to THROW PEOPLE!"). He thoughtlessly grabs Kristoff and Anna, throws them down the stairs, and then lets them drop off a cliff, uncaring for their fates. Marshmallow has one goal and one goal alone: to protect Elsa and to keep people away. And that's not totally bad, at least in motivation. Everyone needs boundaries, and ways to enforce boundaries, and sometimes when you don't have healthy ways to do that, you end up creating a Marshmallow Monster.
I so wish sometimes I had one of these guys around.
It's especially telling when Olaf tries to stop Marshmallow from hurting Kristoff and Anna. I feel like it's a really accurate depiction of what happens inside the head of certain people when they struggle between self-protection and social conscience, id and superego. They battle within themselves, torture themselves, going back and forth, lashing out at people and then feeling guilty about it.
For some reason, id, fueled by pain and rage, often seems so much stronger than superego, doesn't it? "This is not making much of a difference, is it…" Olaf says as he pushes against Marshmallow's leg to stop him.
It's telling, though, that Elsa's inner world doesn't ultimately hurt Anna. "Just like a pillow!" Anna exclaims after they fall into 20 feet of powder snow. Even though Elsa's soul is harsh and stark, ultimately Elsa is a safe place for Anna because she truly cares about her. The only way she can harm Anna, as she does twice, is by accident -- but in any relationship, accidental hurts happen, and can be easily solved by love, if you have open access to that power. The real question of the movie is whether Anna is a safe place for Elsa -- something Elsa only discovers when Anna commits the act of true love for her. That's when Elsa is freed -- though rather too suddenly to be realistic -- from all her self-doubt and self-torture, and able to enter into a truly open and accepting relationship with her sister, and others.
(Another interesting point I won't explore right now is how Frozen is a good look at the struggle with mental disorder. I think what Elsa suffers -- fear of herself, fear of hurting others, self-loathing -- corresponds a lot with how people with mental and emotional disorders feel about themselves.)
Anyway, all that to say that sometimes I feel like my Facebook page is my Olaf -- fun, light, filled with pictures of gelato and pasta and adventures, and silly banter with friends. Occasionally I'll let my angst seep through, but mostly I try to keep it light and friendly. This blog, then, is the home of my tortured ego and my angry Marshmallow. I let some of my darkness out here, and I try not to care whether people read it or accept me for it.
If you don't believe me that Marshmallow is part of Elsa's psyche, watch this one:
This scene, as well as the cutesy name "Marshmallow," show that we're not supposed to hate or fear this snowy id, because he is still part of Elsa. It's a good message. It's important that we accept our inner id as part of ourselves. (For more comic relief, make sure to read the disclaimer in the credits at the end of this Youtube video.)
Ok, that's enough of pulling semi-deep things out of kids' movies. I won't even go into Tangled and what a deep emotional mess that one is. A chillingly accurate picture of emotional abuse -- Mother Gothel is probably the most terrifying of Disney villainesses because she is so very realistic. It's very unlikely that Rapunzel could actually emerge from the darkness that was her relationship with her fake mother as emotionally healthy as she appears at the end.
Can you believe I wrote all this as what I hoped would be an intro to my real thoughts today, which are on spiritual abuse? I'll have to save that for another post.
In Frozen, if the wintry landscape is the inner world of Elsa's psyche, then both Olaf and her marshmallow monster guard are an integral part of her very self -- agents of her psyche. If Elsa herself is ego, her two snow creations don't correspond exactly with the Freudian superego and id, but I think they come pretty close. (Because I'm being intellectually lazy, I'm not really going to be semantically precise here but just use superego and id to describe conscience and baser desires, respectively, while ego is the self that mediates between the two.)
Olaf the snowman (superego) is more than cuddly comic relief -- he is innocent, faithful, true, and, for someone who doesn't even know what summer or heat is, uncannily wise in the matters of love. Born out of love, he was created by Elsa specifically for Anna's enjoyment in their early, idyllic years, and only recalled by both of them later -- his name "Olaf" bringing up long-lost memories of their once-deep connection. Olaf's absolute loyalty to Anna is a reflection of Elsa's devotion to her little sister, which has been blocked for years by Elsa's fear of their intimacy causing Anna harm. Since Elsa is powerful, Olaf is also powerful in his own, more limited way. He survives all sorts of assault and dismemberment, and does a lot of creative, improbable things (like unlocking a locked door with his carrot nose, or using an icicle as a telescope) to save Anna.
"Love is putting someone else's needs before yours…"
Meanwhile, Marshmallow Monster is Elsa's id, created specifically to shut people out. (I love his deep, throaty "Go awaaaay!!!" and "Don't come baaaaack!!!") Again, as an extension of Elsa, he's extremely powerful, but he's less verbal, less social, less emotionally and mentally developed than Olaf, because all he really needs is his brawn. Big and buff, with powerful icy fingers, he's freed from the matters of conscience that torture Elsa when she inadvertently hurts Anna with her power, or the kingdom with her ice and snow. Marshmallow Monster doesn't bother to feel guilty. He breaks social code (Anna: "It is not nice to THROW PEOPLE!"). He thoughtlessly grabs Kristoff and Anna, throws them down the stairs, and then lets them drop off a cliff, uncaring for their fates. Marshmallow has one goal and one goal alone: to protect Elsa and to keep people away. And that's not totally bad, at least in motivation. Everyone needs boundaries, and ways to enforce boundaries, and sometimes when you don't have healthy ways to do that, you end up creating a Marshmallow Monster.
I so wish sometimes I had one of these guys around.
It's especially telling when Olaf tries to stop Marshmallow from hurting Kristoff and Anna. I feel like it's a really accurate depiction of what happens inside the head of certain people when they struggle between self-protection and social conscience, id and superego. They battle within themselves, torture themselves, going back and forth, lashing out at people and then feeling guilty about it.
For some reason, id, fueled by pain and rage, often seems so much stronger than superego, doesn't it? "This is not making much of a difference, is it…" Olaf says as he pushes against Marshmallow's leg to stop him.
It's telling, though, that Elsa's inner world doesn't ultimately hurt Anna. "Just like a pillow!" Anna exclaims after they fall into 20 feet of powder snow. Even though Elsa's soul is harsh and stark, ultimately Elsa is a safe place for Anna because she truly cares about her. The only way she can harm Anna, as she does twice, is by accident -- but in any relationship, accidental hurts happen, and can be easily solved by love, if you have open access to that power. The real question of the movie is whether Anna is a safe place for Elsa -- something Elsa only discovers when Anna commits the act of true love for her. That's when Elsa is freed -- though rather too suddenly to be realistic -- from all her self-doubt and self-torture, and able to enter into a truly open and accepting relationship with her sister, and others.
(Another interesting point I won't explore right now is how Frozen is a good look at the struggle with mental disorder. I think what Elsa suffers -- fear of herself, fear of hurting others, self-loathing -- corresponds a lot with how people with mental and emotional disorders feel about themselves.)
Anyway, all that to say that sometimes I feel like my Facebook page is my Olaf -- fun, light, filled with pictures of gelato and pasta and adventures, and silly banter with friends. Occasionally I'll let my angst seep through, but mostly I try to keep it light and friendly. This blog, then, is the home of my tortured ego and my angry Marshmallow. I let some of my darkness out here, and I try not to care whether people read it or accept me for it.
If you don't believe me that Marshmallow is part of Elsa's psyche, watch this one:
This scene, as well as the cutesy name "Marshmallow," show that we're not supposed to hate or fear this snowy id, because he is still part of Elsa. It's a good message. It's important that we accept our inner id as part of ourselves. (For more comic relief, make sure to read the disclaimer in the credits at the end of this Youtube video.)
Ok, that's enough of pulling semi-deep things out of kids' movies. I won't even go into Tangled and what a deep emotional mess that one is. A chillingly accurate picture of emotional abuse -- Mother Gothel is probably the most terrifying of Disney villainesses because she is so very realistic. It's very unlikely that Rapunzel could actually emerge from the darkness that was her relationship with her fake mother as emotionally healthy as she appears at the end.
Can you believe I wrote all this as what I hoped would be an intro to my real thoughts today, which are on spiritual abuse? I'll have to save that for another post.
I love Frozen...and I like your analysis of one aspect of the movie! Having recently read and worked through some family dysfunction issues, I was shocked (and elated) when "Don't talk. Don't trust. Don't feel." was quoted almost verbatim in the movie! Awareness! :)
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