Jane Eyre, Frozen II, and Identity
Most parents with young children have seen Frozen II, Disney’s latest sequel extending the story of beloved snow queen Elsa, her intrepid sister Anna, and their crew of loveable side characters. Fewer are familiar with Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the story of a battered orphan seeking love and agency in a hostile world. One story is created for children, one for adults, and they are vastly different stories. However, they have some overlap; specifically, the main characters in both stories receive mysterious, audible Calls--Elsa hears hers in the form of angelic singing, and Jane hears the voice of Mr. Rochester. These near-identical Calls summon both women to take ownership of their pasts, using their knowledge of themselves and their history to construct a future in which they have embraced their personal identity and autonomy.
In both Jane Eyre and Frozen II, the main characters receive the mysterious call at similar positions in their lives. It is important to note that the Calls are placed in different portions of the two stories--in Frozen II, the Call happens at the beginning, while in Jane Eyre, it happens just before the end. However, because Frozen II is a sequel, Elsa has had much more time to develop over the course of the first movie, so the Calls occur at comparable times in both Elsa’s and Jane Eyre’s character arcs.
In both Frozen movies, Elsa is portrayed with a strong drive to know herself, to become comfortable with herself, and to take the reins of her narrative back from the fear she was surrounded with and internalized as a child. Throughout Frozen, she learns to live with and control her ice powers, cope with the death of her parents, and step into her role as queen without fear. At the beginning of Frozen II, this is where we find her--knowledgeable about herself and what she wants in life, even if she has not yet achieved it.
Similarly, in Jane Eyre, Jane has a drive to make her own choices, speak honestly, and take control of her own existence. Throughout the novel, she takes steps toward these goals, claiming as much control as she can over her story. When her romance with Rochester turns sour when his first wife is revealed, she chooses to leave. When she receives her Call, she is facing yet another choice--another offer of marriage.
At this point in both women’s lives, they receive supernatural Calls that are eerily similar. Toward the beginning of Frozen II, Elsa begins to hear a strange vocalization springing out of the night. Elsa immediately understands the sound she hears--and, incidentally, no one else does--is a call to her. She responds quickly with a stirring musical number titled “Into the Unknown,” where she sings, “I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls / I've had my adventure, I don't need something new / I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you.” Elsa recognizes the sound as a Call to action--a choice to be made.
Jane Eyre’s Call also presents her with a choice. Toward the end of the story, Jane is spending an evening with her second suitor, listening to him entreating her to reconsider her earlier refusal of marriage. Faced with this choice, she hears the Call. The passage reads
In response to this Call, Jane packs her bags immediately and determines to return to Rochester. The Call presents her with a choice to make, and she immediately makes it.
Elsa’s response to the Call leads to a crystallizing moment between her past and future. This After initially hesitating as to how to respond to the mysterious voice, Elsa develops over the course of the song “Into the Unknown” from resistance, to hesitation, to unabashed pursuit of the Call. “Where are you going? / Don’t leave me alone / How do I follow you / Into the unknown?” she sings. Importantly, as Elsa follows the mysterious voice into the Enchanted Forest, it draws her deeper and deeper into knowledge of her past, represented by the frozen tableaux that Anna describes as “moments frozen in time.” As Elsa ventures deeper into her past, not only her personal history but that of her family, it comes alive. The mysterious Call has brought her face to face with her history, which she must come to terms with by righting the wrongs committed by her ancestors. Once she has accomplished this, she learns who she is meant to be in the future--the mysterious Fifth Spirit. Her action in response to the supernatural Call has reconciled her with her past to create a new and solid sense of identity in the future.
Jane’s response to the choice posed by her Call also represents a bridging moment between past and future. Jane has spent most of the novel quietly resisting manipulation, but when she responds to the Call, her determination makes a sharp and decisive entrance into the world. After hearing it, she narrates, “It was time to assume ascendancy. My powers were in play and in force. I told him to forbear question or remark; I desired him to leave me” (289). Jane’s response to the Call is to abruptly take charge of her own life, ordering her latest suitor to leave the room and leave her alone. This climactic moment in her character arc is triggered by the Call. When she returns to Rochester, she assumes the role of helper, but what is significant about this development is that she chose to do so. With full knowledge of the past and all its lessons, she makes a choice that determines her future identity.
Both of these stories grapple with identity in a fundamental way, portraying characters who take ownership of their past, present, and future. Both demonstrate that a focused sense of personal identity requires that a person come to grips with their past and integrate it fully into their present and future selves. Only when this is accomplished can a person plunge forward into changing roles and changing circumstances in the future.
In both Jane Eyre and Frozen II, the main characters receive the mysterious call at similar positions in their lives. It is important to note that the Calls are placed in different portions of the two stories--in Frozen II, the Call happens at the beginning, while in Jane Eyre, it happens just before the end. However, because Frozen II is a sequel, Elsa has had much more time to develop over the course of the first movie, so the Calls occur at comparable times in both Elsa’s and Jane Eyre’s character arcs.
In both Frozen movies, Elsa is portrayed with a strong drive to know herself, to become comfortable with herself, and to take the reins of her narrative back from the fear she was surrounded with and internalized as a child. Throughout Frozen, she learns to live with and control her ice powers, cope with the death of her parents, and step into her role as queen without fear. At the beginning of Frozen II, this is where we find her--knowledgeable about herself and what she wants in life, even if she has not yet achieved it.
Similarly, in Jane Eyre, Jane has a drive to make her own choices, speak honestly, and take control of her own existence. Throughout the novel, she takes steps toward these goals, claiming as much control as she can over her story. When her romance with Rochester turns sour when his first wife is revealed, she chooses to leave. When she receives her Call, she is facing yet another choice--another offer of marriage.
At this point in both women’s lives, they receive supernatural Calls that are eerily similar. Toward the beginning of Frozen II, Elsa begins to hear a strange vocalization springing out of the night. Elsa immediately understands the sound she hears--and, incidentally, no one else does--is a call to her. She responds quickly with a stirring musical number titled “Into the Unknown,” where she sings, “I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls / I've had my adventure, I don't need something new / I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you.” Elsa recognizes the sound as a Call to action--a choice to be made.
Jane Eyre’s Call also presents her with a choice. Toward the end of the story, Jane is spending an evening with her second suitor, listening to him entreating her to reconsider her earlier refusal of marriage. Faced with this choice, she hears the Call. The passage reads
“I might have said, “Where is it?” for it did not seem in the room—nor in the house—nor in the garden; it did not come out of the air—nor from under the earth—nor from overhead. I had heard it—where, or whence, for ever impossible to know! And it was the voice of a human being—a known, loved, well-remembered voice—that of Edward Fairfax Rochester; and it spoke in pain and woe, wildly, eerily, urgently.” (289)
In response to this Call, Jane packs her bags immediately and determines to return to Rochester. The Call presents her with a choice to make, and she immediately makes it.
Elsa’s response to the Call leads to a crystallizing moment between her past and future. This After initially hesitating as to how to respond to the mysterious voice, Elsa develops over the course of the song “Into the Unknown” from resistance, to hesitation, to unabashed pursuit of the Call. “Where are you going? / Don’t leave me alone / How do I follow you / Into the unknown?” she sings. Importantly, as Elsa follows the mysterious voice into the Enchanted Forest, it draws her deeper and deeper into knowledge of her past, represented by the frozen tableaux that Anna describes as “moments frozen in time.” As Elsa ventures deeper into her past, not only her personal history but that of her family, it comes alive. The mysterious Call has brought her face to face with her history, which she must come to terms with by righting the wrongs committed by her ancestors. Once she has accomplished this, she learns who she is meant to be in the future--the mysterious Fifth Spirit. Her action in response to the supernatural Call has reconciled her with her past to create a new and solid sense of identity in the future.
Jane’s response to the choice posed by her Call also represents a bridging moment between past and future. Jane has spent most of the novel quietly resisting manipulation, but when she responds to the Call, her determination makes a sharp and decisive entrance into the world. After hearing it, she narrates, “It was time to assume ascendancy. My powers were in play and in force. I told him to forbear question or remark; I desired him to leave me” (289). Jane’s response to the Call is to abruptly take charge of her own life, ordering her latest suitor to leave the room and leave her alone. This climactic moment in her character arc is triggered by the Call. When she returns to Rochester, she assumes the role of helper, but what is significant about this development is that she chose to do so. With full knowledge of the past and all its lessons, she makes a choice that determines her future identity.
Both of these stories grapple with identity in a fundamental way, portraying characters who take ownership of their past, present, and future. Both demonstrate that a focused sense of personal identity requires that a person come to grips with their past and integrate it fully into their present and future selves. Only when this is accomplished can a person plunge forward into changing roles and changing circumstances in the future.
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