The Icky Subtext in The Polar Express

Many of you probably know the story of The Polar Express from the 2004 movie, but it was actually a children’s book first published in 1985. And even though I’m mostly discussing the movie, I decree the topic still relevant for a book blog. 

Some may think it’s silly to analyze a children’s movie/book, but I have a lot of questions, mostly about Billy.

If you remember, Billy is the obviously poor kid who lives “on the wrong side of the tracks.” He sits alone in one of the cars throughout the movie and sings a song with the heroine about how Santa never comes around for him. 

In this fictional world where Santa truly exists, why doesn’t Santa visit Billy? I’ve never really understood this part, because it appears as though the movie introduced a rather corrupt, discriminatory Santa. 

So I decided to look it up online, and I was actually a little bit shocked when I didn’t find anything except for this reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/plotholes/comments/ecz5zk/in_polar_express_why_doesnt_billy_get_gifts/. 

And then I returned to the children’s book, but Billy wasn’t even in the book at all, so that didn’t help.

The lack of explanation or discussion made me feel as though I was making a big deal out of nothing, but I decided to pursue it anyway. 

First of all, let’s consider the movie’s treatment of Billy. He’s obviously poor based on how he’s portrayed, and he’s separated from the other kids in nearly every aspect. He’s the only kid on the train who has a name. (And one of the few in the movie. We know the protagonist’s sister’s name, Sarah, and we know Steven, the naughty boy with the iconic catchphrase “I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it.” But as far as I know, that’s it.) He sits alone in the empty car, literally a self-imposed segregation. He doesn’t get off the train to see Santa. At the end, he is the only kid with the “special ticket,” which magically changes words each time he flips it. He is also proposedly the only poor kid, which calls into question how kids are chosen to go on the Polar Express, since it’s obviously not based on wealth or whether they believe in Santa. I always assumed it was age, since Sarah didn’t go, but that’s a discussion for another time. 

So the producers/writers/directors, or whoever made the decision, deliberately chose to include Billy in the movie, but why? They intentionally introduced a poor character in the movie when they knew they would have to confront the issue that poor kids often don’t get presents… and I don’t think they confronted it very well. 

Were the people behind the movie trying to somehow appease poor kids in their audience that couldn’t relate to all of the kids getting presents from Santa? I suppose they tried to end it well for Billy, because he finally got a present from Santa. But how did he suddenly get on Santa’s radar? Did Billy’s parents suddenly get a raise? They don’t give an explanation in the movie, but if this is the case, what does that tell little kids? That Santa doesn’t give you presents unless you are good… and sufficiently wealthy? (Assuming they actually think about this kind of stuff…) 

That doesn’t seem like a very jolly, generous Santa. When Santa met the kids in the North Pole, he knew everyone’s name, but he wasn’t even sure he knew Billy’s. I certainly don’t want any presents from this Santa. And why would I be good if he isn’t going to visit my house unless my mom miraculously gets a promotion at the gas station?

Another explanation is that Santa is supposed to stay hidden, and people will be suspicious about his existence if poor kids suddenly had presents they couldn’t afford. But when the protagonist opened a present from Santa, the parents didn’t question why a random person broke into their house and left a faulty bell under their tree. If they passed it off as a present from a random benefactor, why couldn’t there be random benefactors for poor kids? Their parents might even be more willing to not question it since their kids are finally getting something for Christmas. On the other hand, they might raise a fuss, because “they don’t accept charity,” but Santa would be running the same risk with the wealthy parents, because they might raise a fuss, because they don’t want some random people giving their children gifts. Sounds like grooming, and no parent who cares a lick about their children would let that slide. 

I know that kids probably do not notice these things, or do not think too deeply about it, and they just see a carefree movie about kids going to see Santa Claus. But I remember questioning Billy’s character when I was young, so it’s not too big of a stretch to think others do too. And while I will always adore this movie from my childhood and its amazing soundtrack, I think about this issue each time. 

So what do you think about the Polar Express’ treatment of poverty? Were they trying to make social commentary and failed? Or did they adequately represent the struggles of poor families during the holidays?