Show Yourself (part 2)

   I solemnly promise up front not to retell the entire plot of Frozen 2.  That is not the purpose of this post, so I will keep exposition to a minimum.  

   **Spoilers ahead**  

   Frozen 2 delighted me.  The aesthetic or "atmosphere" of the setting is one I find incredibly appealing.  Just the words, "the Enchanted Forest," make my heart thrill with excitement.  The tall, slim trees of the mountains, all bedecked in their Autumn splendor, the Celtic influence of the patterns and runes, and, of course, the wild call of the unknown speaks to me in my hearts' native tongue.  

   The song, "Show Yourself," is the song Elsa sings as she travels across the Dark Sea alone, toward the mysterious island of Ahtohallan.  Her mother once told her that there was a mysterious entity within its river that held the source of all magic, wisdom, and memory.  Her parents had died on their voyage to Ahtohallan; they had been seeking answers about their daughter's magical abilities.  Now that Elsa was Queen of Arendelle, and had learned to use her magic without fear, a strange Voice has been calling her incessantly, irresistibly.  And now, at last she is able to land upon the shore to answer the summons.  She sings: 

   "Every inch of me is trembling, but not from the cold.

   Something is familiar, like a dream I can reach but not quite hold.

   I can sense you there, like a friend I've always known.

   I'm arriving, and it feels like I am home.

   I have always been a fortress, cold secrets deep inside.  

   You have secrets too, but you don't have to hide.

   Show yourself, I'm dying to meet you.

   Show yourself, it's your turn.

   Are you the one I've been looking for all of my life?

   Show yourself, I'm ready to learn."  

 

   Oh, there's so much going on in this scene.  Where do I even begin?  

    It's not necessarily Christian imagery, mind.  But there are all kinds of archetypal themes going on here.

   I love the image of an island at the end of the world.  You see this kind of thing in fantasy and fiction.  There's a place, however remote, that feels like home, and you can, conceivably, reach it, through great difficulties.  Sometimes in the stories it's portrayed as a tropical, paradisaical sort of place.  The idea of South.  Or perhaps it's to the East, toward the Sunrise, journeying toward the end of the world.  Or maybe it's an island far, far to the West, a far green country with white shores.  In this story, the island is a Northern Island.  A glacier, a frozen place, pure and undefiled.  

   I love the whole concept of the hero's Journey.  Everyone does.  The stories all tell us that to find answers we must seek them out.  We must ask questions and follow where the trail leads us.  So many plots of stories center around this idea.  Sometimes the search is for redemption and regaining of honor.  (Think superhero movies such as Iron-man and Thor.)  Sometimes it's the pursuit of the truth.  (Think thrillers and crime movies: "What really happened that night?"  "What's actually going on amid all these secrets?") 

   In Fantasy stories, abstract or metaphysical concepts are displayed as physical things.  People's characters and personalities are displayed on the outside, usually portrayed in their physical appearance; race, voice, etc.  Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Faeries, Goblins, Animals, and so on.  It is common in fantasy to have a physical place in a world that you can go for answers, and usually a dangerous, winding road is the only way to it.  Most of the inhabitants of the world are too afraid to brave it; they're content to stay unquestioningly in their little homes and communities for the rest of their lives.  But when someone is in great need, or has a question that must be answered, or when someone is simply restless with curiosity, they take to the Road to search for truth, willing to risk any danger to find it.  Not every fantasy is meant to be allegorical, that is, every aspect having a concrete and specific meaning.  Still, certain patterns are generally followed.  The best archetypal themes are the ones that can be found from Scripture, and the Christian tradition.  

   That was not the intention of the creators of Frozen 2, I'm sure.  Nor is it usually the intention of many story-tellers in today's culture (more's the pity.)           

   I love the concept of a Voice that sends out a ringing call, an invitation to follow.  A sweet voice, pure and otherworldly, inviting all who hear it to come.  I recognize that concept; it is already familiar and dear to me. 

   I love the idea of the Truth being a Person.  There is someone to ask the questions to, and to receive real answers from!  Further, it's the Person or Entity of Truth that is the one doing the calling...now isn't that a lovely, fantastical idea?

   In this story, the Entity of Truth is also the Source of all power, magic, and knowledge.  It's a powerful Person.  I am drawn by the idea that once the summons is obeyed, real help can be found there.  Not just a man working pumps and levers behind a curtain.

   There is this idea that one must make sense of and make peace with the past in order to be a complete, mature person.  Perhaps even to be Healed.  Elsa realizes that there is a unique purpose for her life, some task that it is her destiny to do, something for which she was given magic to perform.  But she can't know what that is until she finds out the truth about her past.  If something needs to be undone, she must understand how things went wrong at the beginning.  And that's why she's here, journeying tirelessly into the unknown, answering the summons, obedient to the call; she's looking for the answers, or rather, the One who holds the answers.  

   Hmm.  I like that concept, too.  

   She enters into an ice structure within the mountain.  Steps of ice lead to the entrance.  Inside she finds passageways that are lit with the colors of the Elements who have been guiding her throughout her journey.  They race along the inside of the ice, beckoning her on.  And always that Voice, calling out, responding to her, inviting her further in.

   "I've never felt so certain!  All my life I've been torn

   But I'm here for a reason!  Could it be the reason I was born?

   I have always been so different, normal rules did not apply.

   Is this the day?  Are you the way I finally find out why?

   Show yourself!  I'm no longer trembling!  

   Here I am, I've come so far! 

   You are the answer I've waited for all of my life!

   Oh, show yourself!  Let me see who you are..!"  

   As she runs delightedly on, she finds fallen pillars of ice obstructing her way.  With her magic, she lifts them and places them upright with ease.  

   And...they place themselves like pillars lining the sides of a massive cavern.  It's reminiscent of a temple, or, better, a cathedral...the ice glows with light from within. 

   Then, at the far end there is another doorway, obstructed by a veil of mist.  The same mist from the borders of the Enchanted Forest, which yielded to none but her.  Without hesitation she reaches into it, and the curtain instantly disintegrates under her touch.  

   We almost get the sense of entering into the Holy of Holies.  

   "Come to me now," she sings

   "Open your door.

   Don't make me wait one moment more!"  

 

   The symbols of the Elements arrange themselves on the floor, with an empty space in the center.  That's when Elsa understands.  She is the Fifth spirit that the Northuldra told her of.  A Spirit who would serve as the bridge to unite the countries of the Northuldra and Arendelle.

   When she steps into that space, scenes from her mother's past appear on the walls of the cavern all around her.  

   "Come my darling, homeward bound," we hear the voice of Elsa's mother sing.

   And, through tears, Elsa's jubilant cry, "I am found!"  

 

   And then.  

   Then, in the middle of all this rich symbolism, at the very climax of the song, at the critical reveal and the very heart of Elsa's character development...the key changes, and Elsa and the Voice sing: 

   "Show yourself, step into your power

   Grow yourself into something new!

   You are the one you've been waiting for

   All of your/my life

   Show yourself!"  

 

   What a shabby trick.  What a cheap bait-and-switch.  After drawing me in with such beautiful promises of meeting the One who holds the answers, the Voice of Truth...does not show itself!  What we find in this Holy of Holies is...self-actualization.  "The answer has been within you all the time!  You are all you need!  Don't ask for the Voice to show Itself...You must show yourself for who you truly are and have been this whole time!" 

   To be sure, they portray it gorgeously.  Her transformation is riveting, the music stunning, the colors and lights mesmerizing.  Elsa is, for all intents and purposes, a goddess who is finally at peace with who she is.  Perfected and mature and healed...by simply allowing herself to be the magical creature she always was...

   You can show this kind of thing in a fantasy story, but it doesn't work in real life.  Self-actualization cannot fulfill the way it claims it can.

   But it's just a story, right?  Just part of the make-believe that doesn't matter?  No.  This is a powerful, thematic scene and the heart of the entire plot!  It is shown to be important, desirable.  And it's a message that goes directly against what is true.  

   It makes me want to weep.  So much beauty, so much potential...and they knew how to make you believe it!  Did you notice that?  They knew exactly the kinds of things to say at the beginning of the song to draw you in and stir your longings.  But then they switched it out for the worship of Self.

   Such a subtle lie mixed in with the idea of the Journey.  The idea that you can Heal yourself, grow yourself into perfection...in fact, the promise of salvation, fulfillment, peace.  This...alas!  This is what is portrayed for our young children, particularly girls, to seek after! 

   If I was a poet, I would write a lament over this.  Oh, how seldom do we Christians ever get to see the full Truth portrayed with such beauty and skill!  We have to content ourselves with half-glimpses here and there...and even those mostly accidental, because it is never the creators' intention to show us Christ in His majesty.  

   There is something inherently true about how the Journey is supposed to transform you.  This is what happened to me in my twenty-second year.  I had been a Christian since I was six years old.  I had been growing and learning for many years.  But I read this book titled, "Captivating," by John and Staci Eldredge, and it changed my perspective on many, many things.  

   It's a book about Biblical Womanhood, and easily the most helpful, enlightening book I have yet found on the subject.  I would recommend it to any and every woman.  Never fear, it's Gospel-centered.  

   The book is all about God's design for Woman.  Her nature, her soul, her Role in this world.  A life-giver, a life-sustainer, a nurturer.  And then it turns to how hated she is by Satan and his hosts.  How they and other sinners in this world always assault her soul and wound her, answering her questions with accusations and shame.  And how each of us embrace those messages in our fallen, sinful nature, and how we set about to control or hide ourselves from further hurt by shutting God out of our lives.  

   And of course, the answer is to run to Christ.  To take our brokenness, our wounds, our insecurities, and all the mess we've made of our lives, and throw ourselves on Christ and His mercy.  To surrender to Him; to be found by Him.  To let Him undo the harm that we and others have done, to let Him heal us and make sense of our past and answer our questions with His Word.  

   I read this book, and I wept.  Both in grief and joy.  And, even though I have been His child for a very long time, I started asking Him to reveal to me what He saw when He looked at me, and not the lies I had been believing.  

   When you let God into the messy parts of your soul, you find that He heals and answers your questions.  And I can personally attest, it is a radiant transformation.  The healing of my deep wounds had begun, the emotional maturity I had been so stunted in had begun.  Now that I was starting to see myself through God's perspective, I was indeed transformed with an understanding of and delight in my femininity.  And there came a deep peace...the kind of peace the world and the worship of self promises, but never fulfills.

   I am reminded of that in both of Elsa's transformations; in Frozen 1 and 2.  When you find the Truth and embrace it, there no longer remains any shame or fear.  It is the end of slavery, the beginning of the end of the Reign of Fear.

   I suppose that's why I take it so personally in the song "Show Yourself."  I know the truth, and I have experienced it...and this ain't it!  It's palming off a cheap forgery as the way to freedom, when it is nothing more than the same old bondage.  I can never quite enjoy the song when it comes to that key change, and I never will.  

   I long for the day when the One who is called Faithful and True comes revealed with all the hosts of heaven with power and great glory.  My Savior, my Healer, my Friend.  My Advocate, my Redeemer, my Captain, my Father, and King.

   The best stories all have one thing in common:  Good always wins in the end.

   And because Jesus' blood has paid my ransom...that's a happy ending if ever there was one.            

~Cadenza