“One thing about trains: doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.”
In the spirit of the holidays and my perpetual appreciation for Tom Hanks, I am going to talk about my favorite metaphor in the history of metaphors: getting on the Polar Express.
If you’ve seen the (brilliant) movie, you know that the Polar Express is a mysterious train that runs past the houses of certain children to pick them up and take them to the North Pole to see Santa Claus. The children, of course, must first notice the train, go and investigate it, and then make the decision to get on it. This magical train ride acts as a vehicle of self-discovery for the main character, Hero Boy, and ultimately leads to the permanent preservation of a bit of his innocence. (Hero Boy never stops believing in Santa, even as an adult.) While this is a children’s movie, it has broader implications for adults.
First, the Polar Express is not necessarily a literal train. It can be anything: an opportunity, a desire, an idea, etc. All that matters is that it's whistling outside your door, so to speak. Once you hear it, and recognize it for what it is, you have to make a decision. Do you get on the Polar Express and ride it out, even though you have no real idea or expectation of where you’ll end up? Or, do you run back to bed, pull the covers over your head, and wait for the conductor to give up on you and leave?
Your answer depends entirely on who you are as a person and what your situation in life is. However, if you let the Polar Express pass you by, what will happen to you?
In "The Polar Express," Hero Boy is struggling because the world has tainted his belief in Santa Claus. In this way, the cynicism of adulthood is already overcoming him. Had Hero Boy remained home, his doubt in Santa would have been tragically permanent. Tragic, because the belief in Santa, as represented in the movie, is important in a broader sense. This is because Santa is not exactly the material gift-giver he seems to be, but instead has a deeper allegorical meaning.
First, the movie heavily implies that the events on the Polar Express and in the North Pole are part of a dream that Hero Boy is having. Thus, the characters he meets while on the adventure are likely representational, rather than literal, people. For instance, the Hobo likens belief in Santa to being “bamboozled” and “led down the primrose path,” but never actually passes judgement on whether or not Santa exists. He simply stokes Hero Boy’s doubt. In fact, he is likely the personification of Hero Boy’s doubt. He never gives answers, and only begets more questions: a ghost, only given corporeality by Hero Boy’s needs. Thus, there is a strong possibility that Santa is symbolic of whatever it is one loses when one stops believing in him.
Second, the adults cannot hear the bell ring at the end. If Santa were a literal gift-giver in the traditional Christmas story sense, the adults would have had to hear the bell, because they would know that Santa exists and leaves gifts. How else would they explain presents randomly showing up? While adult obliviousness can be part of the traditional narrative, in "The Polar Express" it seems to suggest something more.
In fact, given all of these hints, especially Hero Boy’s persistent doubt, Santa actually seems to represent the “childlike” ability to retain a sense of wonder and excitement about life. To believe that there's goodness and kindness in the world; that there is a possibility of more than what you can see; that you can do anything; and that there is someone out there to believe in you. In other words, innocence and imagination in the face of cynicism.
Therefore, if you get on the metaphorical Polar Express, it demonstrates that you still have a streak of childlike wonder in you; that you still believe in the possibility of life. It shows that you have the courage to chase what you want.
There are many good reasons not to get on the Polar Express, but if you bury your head under the covers only because you're afraid, then perhaps you should do some soul searching.
My advice is, obviously, to get on the Polar Express to the best of your ability and reason. Marry that person you love. Go on that trip. Follow the opportunity to a career that you might love. Join the Peace Corps. Do good in the world. Whatever it is that will help you maintain your childlike excitement and wonder in the face of a cynical world that often seems to have nothing good in it.
Santa will be proud.
