The Polar Express Book Analysis

The Polar Express

The Polar Express is a book of fiction with a Christmas theme.  The book was written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg in 1985.  The author was awarded the Caldecott Medal for children’s literature in 1986.  This book has become a Christmas classic and was made into a holiday movie that starred Tom Hanks and was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 under the category of motion-capture film. 

The tale starts and ends in Grand Rapids, Michigan which is the author’s home town.  The story is told as a recollection of an event in the aging narrators’ life and centers around the belief that magic is awarded to the young at heart.

Late at night on Christmas Eve a boy lies in bed patiently waiting for the appearance and confirmation that Santa exists even though he is told otherwise by a peer.  Instead of the sound of Santa’s sleigh bells the boy hears the sound of a train that has mysteriously appeared on a previously non-existent track in front of his house.

The boy is encouraged onto the train by the conductor and joins other children dressed in their night clothes.  Christmas songs are sung and treats of Christmas delights and hot coco are consumed while they journey at great speeds northward.  A great distance over many landscapes can be seen outside the window during this journey.  The children disembark at their destination which is the center of the city at the North Pole.  Here the boy is honored to receive the first Christmas gift.  The boy can ask for anything his hearts desire, however, he chooses a bell from Santa’s sleigh.  On the train ride home the boy discovers that he has lost the bell because his robe had a hole in the pocket.  He “sadly” returned to his house and his bed.  In the morning after all the gifts where opened, a small box is discovered.  It contained a note and the lost bell.  The bell produced the most beautiful sound but only for the ears of those who “believe”.     

The setting of the book is stereotypical of the 1950’s.  The author Chris Van Allsburg grew up in a small community with families living in houses that were built for 4 to 5 people.  His idealistic family life is reflected in television programming while growing up.   The little boy in the story lives in such a house and place.  The “white” family with two children, one girl and one boy, in a nice house celebrating Christmas is the “picture perfect” portrayal of American life.   The little boy is not worrying about crime in the streets where he lives.  He isn’t hungry or cold.  His only concern in his life is the existence of a figure representing the “magic” of the season. 

The story is linear, the writing is direct and the story takes you through to a final resolution with a message.  This book and subsequent movie has acquired “classic” status.  Is it because  the message to “believe” makes one young at heart forever or because the story represents an inner wish that life can be boiled down to the simplicity of that belief. 

The muted but beautiful illustrations take one through a journey of the country.  The train travels through the forest with animal life (wolfs), the pristine mountains and over a bridge to a large city filled with elves.   The train does not travel through the ghettos, or by a landfill or past factories.  This journey is simplistic. The train itself represents the romantic style of steam engines we see in museums (and on special occasions here in Roseville).  Diversity can be seen amongst the children scattered throughout the car while two men with no particular ethnicity wearing kitchen attire serve the hot chocolate. All in all, the illustrations leave one with a warm, comfortable “view” of life but do not reflect a true representation of a culturally diverse society.  Can children of diversity relate to the plight of the boy in the story?  Does the story give a skewed perception of American family life?  Can a child in foster care “buy into” this kind of fantasy or does it cause a feeling of loss? 

The hero “Santa” randomly chooses the boy of the story who happens to be white.  When we talk about “white privilege” being infused in our society creating a feeling of “less than” attitude by the diverse population of children could it come from simple stories such as this?  The choice of the bell over all other things by the boy also represents a type of wisdom.  How does the boy know the bell has special properties?  Is this knowledge bestowed upon the “white population”?  When the bell is lost because of a hole in the pocket of his robe, the boy has not done anything wrong to warrant the loss.  He is a victim of circumstance.  Of course the bell is returned to the boy by the hero “Santa” which reinforces the belief that the boy (who is white) deserves the gift. 

The bell symbolizes the message that if you truly “believe” then you will capture the magic and stay “young at heart” is such a lofty ideal. Maybe this book is really written for the “white” adult rather then the child. “Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”

In closing, this was a story and a running theme I used every Christmas till my son was ten years old.  I created a sense of magic every year around the “believe” concept only to learn some very valuable lessons.  Don’t tell your child that Santa brings toys to all the children all over the world because you will paint yourself into a corner.  My child wanted to know why would we need  to purchase extra toys for those children who are not getting toys if Santa has it covered (If your good Santa will bring you something – and if your bad – not poor – Santa will leave you coal).  When my son finally realized the truth about the holiday, his disappointment was painfully apparent in his comment to me “You lied to me all these years!”  I felt (and still do) lower than low.