‘The Polar Express’ Is a Metaphor for Faith

‘The Polar Express’ Is a Metaphor for Faith

Commentary by Matthew Kincanon | FāVS News

Robert Zemekis’ “The Polar Express” is one of my favorite movies to watch during the Christmas season.

As I watch it and listen to Josh Groban sing “Believe” during the credits, I can’t help but think about how it can be seen as a metaphor for faith, regardless of the context.

Whether it’s religious or personal, this movie is about believing in something you cannot see or finding your way back to faith.

In one scene where the Conductor is speaking to the boy and girl at the top of the train as it goes up a mountain, he tells them of a time where he almost fell off the train but was saved by an unseen force. He then tells the boy that “Sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes, the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”

When it comes to faith you can’t see the things that you believe in spiritually; it’s an innate feeling that guides you through life. Faith is the thing that keeps your spirits up during hard times and rewards you in small or unexpected ways.

Rather than wallowing in self-pity and letting yourself go down a self-destructive path, faith is the thing that keeps you on the right track.

Faith v. Doubt

Throughout the movie, the main character doubts the existence of Santa Claus and even if the train exists. He looks at encyclopedias, news articles and makes other observations that only reinforce his doubts. He is someone who struggles with faith. He wants to believe. But the influence of skeptics and certain experiences has made him question everything, and he isn’t sure what to believe in.

Even when he’s in the North Pole and sees the elves, he still doesn’t believe. Not until he sees a bell from Santa’s sleigh fall to the ground and he picks it up. At first, he can’t hear it ring but once he finally believes he can hear it, much to his surprise. It was in that moment, all doubt had been extinguished and he found what he and his spirit had been looking for.

Struggling with Faith

He’s not the only character who struggles with faith.

The character Billy is a quiet and solitary boy who has been through hardship. It is implied that he is poor during the song “When Christmas Comes to Town” because Santa has never been to his house and he’s heard of presents wrapped in red and green but has never seen them.

When viewers are first introduced to Billy, he’s the last kid to be invited to get onboard. His house is dreary, covered in icicles, and there are no Christmas lights.

Billy represents those who have felt abandoned by God because of unfortunate events that have occurred in their lives. However, as the movie progresses, he receives support from his friends to not spend Christmas Eve alone. Despite him saying Christmas doesn’t work out for him, he gradually opens up to other characters.

J.R.R. Tolkien once said that “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,” and we see that in Billy who, despite getting on the train, is very hesitant to join the other kids in going to see Santa. However, the support of his friends leads him to seeing Santa.

At the end, when Billy gets to his house and sees Santa has been there, his house is no longer dreary, the icicles are gone and a lit up Christmas tree can be seen from the window. This symbolizes Billy’s faith being restored and how his outlook on life has changed since he got on the train.

How to Find the Right Path

The final shot of the movie is on the bell that the protagonist received as a gift from Santa and the bell itself is a symbol of faith. It may appear simple, but it carries a lot of meaning.

The scene discusses how as time passes people can lose their faith and no longer hear the bell, but its sweet ring will always be heard by the main character because his faith remained strong throughout his life, even when he had grown old.

Now, the movie isn’t trying to convert people to a specific religion, but rather it’s showing people that having faith — despite the doubts that shadow our minds or the hardships that weigh heavy on our souls — can help you find the answer to problems you have in your life.

Whether it’s learning humility, being confident or even believing in what we can’t see, having faith in God, yourself or others will lead you on the right path.

It doesn’t matter where the train takes you. What matters is deciding to get on and searching for the piece of yourself you may have lost or struggled to find.

As Josh Groban sings during the end credits, “You have everything you need, if you just believe.”

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.