Option 3

Kari Kukkonen
Mrs. Boresen
Expository Writing, Period: 4
Secret Essay, Option: 3
6 May 2011

What if one person grew up believing that they were a menace to society, and that everything about them was wrong? What if they could change that with a simple mind switch? The idea of acceptance as a result of one’s thoughts or actions is the most common theme in all Disney movies, especially The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It also relates directly to the teachings found in the Secret lectures. According to both the Secret lectures, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, loving and believing in oneself is one of the key factors in attracting love and happiness. Walt Disney is one of the most influential people in our world today, and the effects of what he started, and what he believed in can be seen everywhere. Not only was he an innovative thinker, inventor, and visionary, he was also a strong believer in the Secret. One of the famous Disney movies is the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It has a plot and a storyline that follows the teachings that we learned. Likewise, the main character, Quasimodo, a deformed man, has an important message that teaches us that as long as we believe in ourselves, and what we want to achieve, it will come to us, as with the Secret. Everything from Quasimodo, to the movie’s is illustrated by the song, “Out There,” which helps us to fully empathize with Quasimodo’s situation, and to realize how much he wants to be with the people in Paris, below him.

Walt Disney was a strong believer of the secret, and his beliefs are evident in all of his movies, as well as the Disney movies that are being created after his death. Walt Disney’s career started when he began to create the Alice Cartoons while living in Kansas City following the war (Brad). He had embarked on his first adventure in cartoons when he started his first company. Shortly after its start, however, it went bankrupt (Brad). He, instead of quitting, went to California to live with his brother, Roy, in Hollywood. It was here that he started to accumulate success, and fans (Brad). As Brad stated in his biography of Walt Disney, “faith in himself took him straight to the top…” (Brad). Because Walt Disney had this faith in himself, and believed that he would become a success once he arrived in Hollywood, he did become a success, as a direct correlation with the beliefs of the Secret. As Walt Disney himself stated, “If you can dream it, you can do it” (Walt Disney Quotes). This quote, also, is a connection to the Secret and his beliefs in it. Walt Disney truly did believe that we can have whatever we want if we just believe it. Walt Disney wanted to be accepted by others, and he wanted his work to be appreciated, and as a result of his positive thinking, and the belief he had in himself, his desire became reality.

In the movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a man is told how horrible and deformed he is every day, and he believes that the people will mistreat him, because that is all he knows to believe. Because he believes that he is going to be mistreated, he is harassed and ridiculed by the people while he is at the Festival of Fools. After being told that he is a monster by his heinous master, Frollo, Quasimodo expresses his desire to live among the people below. He wants to be accepted, and he believes that people will not treat him poorly. At the end of the film, a little girl walks up to him and hugs him, and after that, everyone cheers for him, and he is accepted by all of them. As stated in the Secret lectures, "how can you expect others to enjoy your company if you don't enjoy it?" (Secret lectures). One must love themselves before others will love them. According to the Secret, one simply has to think something, and it will be attracted to them. At first, Quasimodo is thinking negatively, and therefore, he attracts negative attention. Later, though, he begins to see himself in a more positive light, and because of this, everyone else sees him in the same positive light. Because Quasimodo's outlook changed throughout the film, he begins to experience good fortune, and acceptance as a result of his positive thinking.

The main character of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Quasimodo, is an outcast that is looked down upon because of the way he was born. His thoughts change, however, when he is told by his gargoyle friends, Victor, Hugo, and Laverne, that he is a good man and that he, too, deserves to love and be loved in return. As can be found in the Secret lectures, if one focuses on positive aspects of their life, or situation, then those positive things will increase in number (Secret lectures). In the movie, Quasimodo falls in love with Esmeralda, a beautiful gypsy, and as a result of this, he focuses on the fact that she wants to be his friend, and she accepts him for who he is. Likewise, he begins to see her more and more after rescuing her, due to the fact that he believed that she would be with him. His thoughts and beliefs allow them to create a life-long friendship. Later in the movie, Esmeralda is burning at the stake while Quasimodo is chained to the bell tower. While being coaxed by his gargoyle friends to try to help her, Quasimodo says, "what am I supposed to do, swoop down and save her like some great hero..." (Hunchback of Notre Dame). In the end, after watching Esmeralda begin to die, his prophecy that he set for himself came true, just as the secret lectures teach. Quasimodo uses the power of positive thinking, and focuses on the things that he wants most, and as a result of this, he began to be accepted, and he attracted love, and happiness.


To me, the song, "Out There" truly captured the theme of the movie, and set up a perfect parallel with the Secret lectures. At the beginning of the song, Quasimodo is singing with his master about his deformity. Because of this, at the beginning of the movie, he is ridiculed and tortured by the people at the Festival of Fools. At the end of the song, however, he sings about his dream to live among the people in peace and harmony. He expressed his desire in such a way, that he would be willing to give anything just to live with them for, if only, a day. As the movie ends, he is praised as a hero, and everyone accepts him just the way he is. The teachings of the Secret were that we attract what we are thinking, and things came just as Quasimodo thought they would. As he began to believe in himself, and believe that others would accept him, he began to love himself, and others began to believe in him and love him.

The most important factor in attracting love and happiness is believing in oneself and believing that they will find and attract everything that they want will be attracted to them, and that there wishes will come to fruition. Walt Disney was a huge believer in the Secret, and his beliefs and practices of it are what helped him gain the success that he did throughout his life, and after his death. The movie the Hunchback of Notre Dame has many great examples of how the Secret can work on, and with, anyone, no matter how big or small the desire is. Quasimodo, the main character of the movie, uses the power of the Secret to obtain what he wants: To be loved and accepted by the people of Paris, while living among them happily. The film uses the song "Out There" to reinforce the lust that Quasimodo has for living outside of the bell tower. One may think that simply believing that one will find acceptance is impossible but anyone who believes that should try it, to understand how truly possible, and probable, it actually is. Throughout time, too many good people have let their flaws get the best of them. This is too bad, because all it takes is a simple mind switch to change the outcome of one's life.

Work Cited

A., Brad. "Walt Disney: Long Biography." Walt Disney - Just
Hunchback of Notre Dame. Dir. Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. Disney, 1996. DVD.
The-Secret-Film│The Secret. The Secret. Web. 04 May 2011
"Walt Disney Quotes - Page 2 - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 01 May 2011.
Disney.com - Your Source For Disney. Web. 01 May 2011. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/walt_disney_2.html. http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/biography/long_bio02.html.