Olaf as a Quixotic Hero
As I watched Frozen, I couldn't help but compare Olaf's jaunty spirit to Don Quixote, the fictional self-styled "knight" from the book of the same name. Others laughed at Don Quixote's crazy-sounding exploits, but in his mind he was a gallant, fearless warrior, and he had higher goals, wilder dreams, and even hidden strengths that inexplicably inspired others. Sounds familiar!
The song "The Impossible Dream" from the 1972 musical film Man of La Mancha (based loosely on Don Quixote) perfectly describes Quixote's uncontainable soul and his high-flung goals. Even the English word "quixotic" (pronounced "quick-sot-ick") was inspired by the book. Listening to the song now, I can just as easily imagine Olaf singing this, too!
"The Impossible Dream" (click to expand)
Lyrics
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star!
Olaf's Impossible Dream
Like Quixote, Olaf has the HUGE, impossible-seeming dream of experiencing summer for himself, and the secondary dreams of seeing Arendelle freed from the grasp of winter, and seeing Elsa and Anna brought back together again. Others may see his dreams as merely idealistic flights of fancy, but for him, they are his main motivations, which carry him wherever he wants to go. He doesn't see himself as a knight per se, but he does possess a fearless spirit, with the same kind of innocent courage that Quixote has. Olaf also seems to think of himself as invincible, too, which makes him able to face even a giant snow monster with no fear--he knows he can just put himself back together again afterwards!
Here's how interpretations of the lyrics from The Impossible Dream can match Olaf:
| "To right the unrightable wrong" | to show Elsa that her gift is not evil |
| "To love pure and chaste from afar" | to demonstrate unconditional love |
| "To try when your arms are too weary" | to put himself back together (literally) |
| "To reach the unreachable star" | to experience summer with no fear |
Because of these dreams and ambitions, Olaf serves as inspiration to Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa, even when each of them really wants to laugh at him. We the audience are affected by him, too; we want to laugh at him, too, but he also inspires us to be better at living courageously and loving each other. Yes, his thoughts and ideals seem outlandish and unwieldy, but they end up being truer than anyone can believe at first. And in the end, we can come to admire Olaf just as the people around Don Quixote come to admire him.
