Christmas Allegories- This Week! The Polar Express: Faith

My inner school nerd is squealing with excitement, and just in time for the holiday season! In my next couple of blog posts, I am going to be taking on more of an essay format, as I delve into the deeper meanings of a few of my favorite Christmas movies, to see what kind of biblical comparisons I can find. In my allegorical search, you can expect to find festivity as well as biblical truths, so if you love Christmas, Jesus, and critical analysis, these blog posts are for you!

Is seeing believing, or is believing seeing? This week, I am so excited to look at one my favorite Christmas movie of all time: The Polar Express, with its overlying theme: faith.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)”

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Characters

The Boy

First, let’s talk about the characters’ striking resemblance to some biblical figures and parables. The protagonist in this story is “The Boy,” the doubting Thomas character. John 20:25 says, “But [Thomas] said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’” The Boy is like Thomas in that he has seen in the past and wants to believe again, but lets his cynicism override his faith. He wants to believe in Santa Clause, but he forces his sister Sarah to put out the milk and cookies, carefully scans his Encyclopedia and collects news articles for scientific proof that Santa is a hoax, and tries to convince himself that the train ride to the North Pole is a dream. As the Hobo who meets him on the top of the train describes it: The Boy doesn’t want to be “bamboozled” or “have the wool pulled over [his] eyes.”

The Girl

Our confidante character is “The Girl,” who embodies the exact opposite traits of the boy. The Girl is the character with the strong, unbreakable spirit. She spreads joy, is an example of goodness and light, and shows patience and kindness to others throughout the entire journey. Her character is unchanged, but with a strong morale that is exemplary to the other characters in the story. Her most defining Bible verse can be found in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.”

Billy

“Billy” embodies a doubter who has tried to believe in something but has placed his belief in the wrong things. If you look at the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:19, Billy is the seed scattered along the path and eaten by the birds. He thinks he knows what Christmas means. At least he’s read about it in stories or seen it in other people’s lives, but since he has never truly experienced it for himself, he doesn’t really understand it, nor does he really know Santa or believe in him. His seed is easily snatched away after hearing of the good news, and he is easily discouraged and generally pessimistic.

The Trinity

Santa Clause

Now we get to the really fun part. I gasped aloud when I realized this. The movie has embedded into its story, The Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, where Santa Clause is God the father, the Conductor is Jesus the son, and the Hobo is the Holy Spirit. In the story, Santa Clause is the end all be all. He is timeless. He has never not existed. He is the reason the children are journeying to the North Pole. He is the reason the North Pole and the entire Christmas holiday exists. He is the provider and deliverer of all the gifts, blessings, and good will. He is praised by all who are graced by his presence. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, in that he has the magical powers to fly around the world in a single night, defying both time and physics, and the moral authority to determine if the children have been bad or good. His fatherly nature is shown when he warmly congratulates The Girl on her Christmas spirit and tells her to keep up the good work. He teaches the “Know-It-All Kid” humility, by telling him to have patience when he is jumping up and down trying to be picked for the first gift of Christmas. And he blesses The Boy for his confession of faith by awarding him the first gift of Christmas. He also treats The Conductor as his equal, talking to him with a friendly, all-knowing tone.

The Conductor

“The Conductor” represents Jesus, in that he picks up Children along each stop of the way, and leads the train that will take them to the North Pole to see Santa Clause, and make them believe. This looks a lot like Jesus making disciples so He can lead them to God, where they will find salvation. The Conductor doesn’t promise the children that the journey will be easy (as it isn’t, with the broken ice, caribou crossings, and steep hills of Glacier Gulch), but he does ensure them that what they will find at the end of it will be worth it. An interesting point here is that the Conductor mentions on his very first night running the Polar Express, he slipped on the ice and nearly fell off the train, but he didn’t because something saved him. Here he is cryptically referring to the Hobo/angel character. This is a beautiful point that mirrors both God’s providence, and Jesus’s personal experience of all human suffering on Earth. Jesus was not immune to any temptations or suffering while He was a human on this earth. But though his surroundings were earthly and full of darkness, his responses were holy and perfect. And when He felt weakness, God sent angels or provisions. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15); “An angel from Heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him” (Luke 22:43).

The Hobo

The Hobo is the guardian angel/Holy Spirit character. He consistently lends a supernatural hand to the people onboard the train, ensuring they arrive to Santa Clause/God safely. The children/disciples are traveling via the narrow gate and treacherous path on their way to the North Pole/Heaven. Since they have chosen the righteous path, this guardian angel character comes upon them with intuition and help when they are in need along the way. In the same way, the Bible promises us that the Holy Spirit will guide us: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26); “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:12); “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirits enabled them” (Acts 2:4). A clear example of this divine assistance is when The Boy is skiing with the Hobo on the top of the train. The Boy was in grave danger of scraping the ceiling of Flat Top Tunnel, but because in that instant he chose to fully trust the Hobo/Holy Spirit if he had any hope of living, the spirit led him out of danger, and he was delivered (to the engine room!) “My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled” (Psalm 17:5); “Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Scrooge

If the Hobo is the Holy Spirit and the guardian angel in this story, then “Scrooge” (the marionette doll in the train car of abandoned toys) is the fallen angel, or Satan. It is very interesting in the toy train car scene, that the Hobo is the one that voices and controls the strings of the marionette doll, because the Bible warns that Satan masquerades as an angel of light, or in this case, the Hobo/Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 11:14). As The Boy walks through the eerie train car of abandoned toys, Scrooge lays a hand on his shoulder, infusing him with darkness, and screams lies in his face. “You’re a doubter! You don’t believe!” he screams. But notice, he only does this after the Conductor (Jesus), and the girl (full of light and goodness) have left the train car, and The Boy is alone in the darkness and easily deceived. In the same way, Satan prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to devour us when we are at our weakest and most alone. (1 Peter 5:9). He even tempted Jesus when He was alone in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Secondary Characters

The Know-It-All Kid

Though this character is seemingly a background character of no importance, he is actually one of the most profound allegories in this whole essay. On the train there is a greedy and stubborn “Know-It-All Kid,” who always makes sure his superficial intelligence and self-conceived “expert” opinion is inserted into the conversation. This kid is the foil character to our protagonist, The Boy. The kid can talk everyone else’s ears off using science and statistics to explain away the magic of Christmas and The Polar Express, but his soul is unaffected, and he allows himself no real reason or desire to believe. The Boy wants to believe but is having a hard time doing so. The Know-It-All-Kid places so much faith in logic and rigid numbers that he does not even see believing as a part of the equation. For example, after the train miraculously makes it across a dangerous frozen lake, the kid explains it away, saying “we were on what looked like a frozen lake, but I know it was just an optical illusion caused by moonlight and atmosphere. He said we were actually on the lake, but I said that was impossible.”

He is completely ignorant in matters concerning a greater morality or divine presence. In my opinion, this child represents the science-brained doubter, but also the hypocrites and Pharisees in the Bible. He takes great pride in his talk, practices, and immense knowledge on a subject, without putting transformative faith in the very thing he claims to know so much about. In the realms of his rulebook, he cannot be made to understand uncalculatable things like grace, gratitude, servanthood, and unconditional love. He is selfishly on the train for the presents, so Santa/God can grant his wishes like a genie, and he can get his ticket to the North Pole/Heaven. He is your cliché rap of a hypocritical Christian that worships religion and good works and minimizes the whole idea of being saved by grace, thus missing the entire point of Christianity. “He has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9).

He does however show a chance at redemption and a trace of humility when he apologizes to The Conductor for speaking out upon the misreading of his ticket punch (“LEARN”), and when The Boy loses the bell on the way back to the train. This shows that anyone can repent of their ways and work towards a life lived in grace. “In him we have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7). But let us back up for a second, because did you just read what The Conductor/Jesus punched in this kid’s ticket to mark the end of his journey? He punched “LEARN.” Because though the kid may have known a lot of textbook answers about life, what he definitely didn’t have, was wisdom. He had no real concept of friendship, love, compassion, sacrifice, or any other issues of the heart. The Bible talks about a different kind of wisdom “that comes from heaven. [It] is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).

The Elves

The elves represent angels in Heaven, as they rejoice and sing for Santa. They treat him like a royal celebrity, when they all gather in the town square on Christmas Eve to await his appearance. They show him reverence and respect by doing good work for him year-round, getting his presents and sleigh prepared, and watching with awe as he is whisked away into the night sky. They also have an omniscience about them, as they knew the children were in the present bag the whole time, but treated the situation with grace and forgiveness, in the same way that God allows us to mess up and repent of our mistakes.

The Abandoned Toys

If Scrooge the marionette doll is one of the fallen amongst many other abandoned toys, then the rest of those abandoned toys and marionettes could represent people living in such darkness that their peers have given up on them, they have lost their families, they have been so turned off from Christianity and so given up on that their heart strings are in hopelessly tangled knots. These figures would be the seeds choked away by the thorns in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:22). The Girl describes this ominous scene, saying, “It makes me want to cry … seeing toys that were treated this way.” Her compassionate spirit once again separates her from the rest of the characters as she reveals the heart of a true believer and Christ follower.

Concepts

Now that we have tackled all the characters, let’s talk about some important concepts and themes that can be observed as biblical allegories throughout this story.

Believing is Seeing

The story touches on the big controversy of seeing in order to believe verses believing in order to see. While taking the children back to their seats on the train after a wild detour in the engine car, The Conductor says, “sometimes seeing is believing, and sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” The Girl, who is full of spirit, has no trouble believing this to be true. But for The Boy, who is very scientific and skeptical, this is a really important concept for him to wrap his head around. Not only does this line encourage faith in what cannot be seen, it creates a striking image of spiritual warfare: the battle of good and evil constantly going on around us, as Satan fights for our hearts and tempts us with temporary good pleasures of this earth that will slowly and without our notice drag us away from the light. This is a battle that cannot be physically seen with human eyes, but can be detected in our thoughts and feelings.

In the story, we see Scrooge/the fallen angel fighting for The Boy’s heart throughout his entire journey to the North Pole. He tries to label The Boy as a doubter. The Boy winds down a path where his own thoughts lead him into disbelief, as his faith drains lower and lower. Even when he arrives at the North Pole and sees the whole dazzling village, he still cannot make himself hear the bells. Then, even when the bell flies off the reindeer harness and rolls around his feet, he cannot hear its sweet sound. The bell gleams at him from an icy puddle on the ground, an ominous and shameful reminder of his doubt. He holds the bell to his ear in one last ditch effort to hear it ring. Instead a chilling whisper rings out: “doubter.” At this point, the boy’s grief over his disbelief is too great. He is at his lowest point, which takes us to the highest turning point in his character arc. Finally, he closes his eyes and confesses over and over, “I believe. I believe.” The bell finally rings, Scrooge’s lies are silenced, and the boy’s faith in Santa/God is restored.

But notice something important here that relates back to our believing is seeing quote. The Boy never sees Santa, until after he confesses his believe in him. The whole time Santa is making his entrance into the town square, The Boy is upset and yelling that he can’t see him, because the elves are all stacking on top of each other in their excitement and obstructing his view. Only when The Boy actually confesses his belief in Santa Clause, does he see him. And he does so first in the reflection of the bell, which just creates a delicious moment of cinema as we view this beautiful picture of how The Boy came to believe. This is where The Boy differs from Thomas in the New Testament. In order for Thomas to believe, he had to touch the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and see him face to face (John 20:27-28). The Boy however, confessed belief in his own heart before laying eyes on Santa Clause. Jesus says in John 20:29: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” In the same way, Santa blesses The Boy for believing before he saw by awarding him the first gift of Christmas.

In this moment, The Boy realizes his lack of necessity for material gifts. Instead of asking for the coolest new toy for Christmas, he humbly requests the bell from Santa’s sleigh, as a reminder of the moment he first believed. So, we are reminded that material possessions have no real heavenly value and we cannot take them with us (Matthew 6:19-21). Just like Jesus promises the gift of eternal life when we confess our faith in Him and receive our salvation, Santa awards The Boy the sleigh bell, bestowing on him eternal faith "the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The Boy is elated with his sleigh bell, but even more so with his newfound heart. “Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’” (Matthew 9:22).

Storing Up Heavenly Treasures

The story goes onto say that The Boy’s friends and family eventually stopped hearing the bell. Even for his little sister Sarah, the bell eventually fell silent. But The Boy still hears it’s sweet sound, as do all who truly believe. It is hard to maintain our faith in a world that seems to get darker and darker each day. A lot of shiny things and temptations on this earth try to pull us away from obedience, goodness, self-control, and a personal relationship with Christ. But the reward in Heaven if we keep faithfully looking toward our eternal destiny, is shinier and brighter than anything we could hope to come into possession of on earth. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2); "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27); “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).

Faith Like a Child

So we know what faith can do to an unbeliever. But how did the boy come into this heart of faith? He had the influence of a firm and mighty believer by his side for nearly his whole journey. The Girl is exemplary of childlike faith through and through. She is filled to the brim with the fiery Holy Spirit, and it oozes out in all of her actions. The Girl ministers to Billy when she risks her own spot on the train and even her safety to bring him hot chocolate, keep him company, and sing with him about the goodness of Christmas. These things were dangerous to do. Everyone thought she was crazy and was going to get thrown off the back of the train for not having her ticket upon her return. No one else wanted to help Billy because they didn’t want to feel awkward and also feared the consequences. But The Girl’s heart was set in a higher place, and her generosity was rewarded with a seat in the Engine room and a chance to blow the train whistle. In the same way, the Bible reminds us to do good unto other’s and put ourselves last and our humble hearts will be rewarded:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:3-9). This is similarly mentioned in Jeremiah 32:19, Matthew 5:12, and Hebrews 11:26.

The girl is so filled with light and in tune with the Holy Spirit that she is easily able to hear the sound of the bell right away upon arriving at the North Pole. She leads the two boys all the way through Santa’s workshop in certainty, with her eyes cast ahead. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). She embodies a true disciple of Christ.

Then when Santa enters the square and meets the children, he congratulates her for having such a big spirit and a heart for Christmas. He tells her “keep up the good work.” This reminds me of the parable of the sheep being separated from the goats at the end times in Matthew 25:31-46. It is also referenced in Matthew 25:23: “Well done good and faithful servant,” and Luke 14:11: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

This last verse juxtaposes The Girl and The Know-It-All Kid. Both are of fiery spirit, with big personalities and strong convictions, but the Know-It-All Kid is prideful and arrogant, while The Girl has a graciousness and humility that the Know-It-All Kid could never understand in his present self. Consequently, the Know-It-All Kid discovers (while prematurely searching for his Christmas presents in his need for instant gratification) that all he got for Christmas was underwear, while The Girl is appraised by Santa face to face, and doesn’t even seem to place much value in material possessions, because her heart is in the true spirit of Christmas. “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6).

Entering Through the Narrow Gate

The final theme in this story encases the journey on The Polar Express as a whole. The Bible warns us that the journey to Heaven is a long and harsh one. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Likewise, the treacherous train ride through the tundra was no trot on the trail. Sometimes we can’t even see the path, like when the train slid over the frozen lake as it broke down underneath with no visible tracks. There are mountaintops, like the beautiful Northern Lights, and the majestic spiral up a snow-covered peak. There are valleys, like the lowest part of Flat Top Tunnel, and the scary walk through the car of abandoned toys. And there are rollercoasters of emotions, like the horrific ups and downs of “Glacier Gulch.”

And not everyone’s journey is the same. Look at how all the children ended up where they needed to be and learned what they needed to learn. Each child’s ticket punch was different, because no two children needed to be taught the same thing. Yet, they all learned a lesson that was valuable to them at the right moment in time. The Conductor sternly declares that the train tickets “are not transferrable,” making a major statement on comparison as the thief of joy. If you try to take someone else’s train ride, you are going to be left constantly disappointed in yourself and you won’t learn the lessons you are supposed to, or discover the unique gifts God has blessed you with. Likewise, if you try to take the journey on your own without our heavenly Conductor to lead the way, you could end up exposed on the front end of a rapidly accelerating locomotive with no savior, or soaring to your doom in Glacier Gulch. Or worse, you could let the train pass you by in the first place without even deciding to get on.

The train is waiting in the backyards of believers and unbelievers alike. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:19). Surrendering your life to Christ is initially a terrifying thing, because it frees up the playing field for an entire realm of Jesus callings that you will probably never feel prepared or qualified for. A life lived for Christ after all, is a radical one, full of twists, turns, ups, and downs, just like the ones on the train. Because the future is always full of surprises, and you are never quite sure where God is going to lead you next. But blessed are those who do decide to get on this train to eternity, for they will be guided and provided for along the way, and their reward is great in Heaven. And in the wise words of The Conductor, “One thing about trains: it doesn’t matter where you’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.” Because the ride is assuredly going to be the most beautiful thing we’ve ever witnessed.

My closing pick-your-brain statement is, if you are a believer on your journey to eternity, what is your train ticket going to read this season? Do you have any other closing thoughts or analogies of your own? If so, please share them with me! I do love commentary. Stay tuned (I don’t know why we still say that like we actually use radio stations anymore) for my next blog, coming next week on The Grinch! (I promise it will be shorter than this one was, but come one, you’ve gotta cut me some slack. The Polar Express is one of my favorite cinematic masterpieces of all time.)

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