·
First, the narrator of the movie, Sam the
Snowman, tells the audience that a Christmas tree isn’t a Christmas tree
without tinsel. Then, when Rudolph runs away from home and Donner decides to
search for his son, the reindeer tells Rudolph’s mother that she must remain in
the cave to wait because the search will be dangerous. A couple times, Donner
and even Sam the Snowman refer to the search as being “men’s work” and that the
male reindeer need to “protect the women.” Sexism aside, isn’t a female
reindeer a “doe”?
·
Remember that tuft of bright yellow hair that I
noticed sprouting between the tiny antlers of Dasher, Rudolph’s new friend at
the reindeer tryouts? The “hairstyle” was probably very popular among young
boys when the movie came out. As for “Coach” Comet’s baseball hat and whistle,
we’re used to seeing these items on coaches and referees at human sports
events. Incorporating these details on the reindeer helped to make the scene
more relatable for the child audience that would have been watching the movie.
·
People of any age would recognize and even
empathize with the more serious theme of bullying that Rudolph, Hermey the Elf
and the characters on the Island of Misfit Toys endure. To this day, whenever I
watch the movie or listen to the song, I feel a twinge of sadness and even
anger about the teasing and ostracism that they endure before their differences
are accepted and appreciated.
·
When we meet mineral prospector Yukon Cornelius,
he values silver and gold above all else. He has been alone in the wilderness
for so long in his pursuit wealth that it’s almost incredible that he would
even know how to talk to Rudolph and Hermey, let alone forge a friendship with
them. I don’t think it’s an accident that Cornelius is depicted as being
socially isolated, perhaps the consequence of a single-minded pursuit of
achieving his goal even though he also nurtured a desire to connect with
others. The fact that this character is able to ultimately make friends and
even join the community in Christmas Town is a hopeful metaphor for the many
individuals who feel isolated and alone at this time of year.
·
The characters that live on the Island of Misfit
Toys initially doubt that their dream of finding homes with children who will
love them can or will ever come true. They don’t even believe it when they
first hear the reindeer’s bells as they pull Santa’s sleigh and see the glow
from Rudolph’s red nose. Their disbelief stems from their previous experience
of being disappointed every Christmas Eve; the idea of finally being delivered
to a home on Christmas morning is unknown and likely even a little bit scary.
It is emotionally safer to feel disappointment when you know that a wish won’t
be realized than to feel even more hurt by allowing yourself to believe that it
might come true and then it doesn’t happen after all.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
