The Atheist in Miracle on 34th Street

[rug]

Mrs. Walker, Susan, and Mr. Gailey

This is a guest post by Kate Cohen, who blogs at KateCohen.net. She has also written for Slate and the Washington Post.

December 24, 2014 by Hemant Mehta

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So imagine my surprise at finding an atheist mom in a classic Christmas movie.

OK, they don’t actually say she’s an atheist. But make no mistake: Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is about faith in God, not just in Santa Claus. The word “believe” shows up 35 times in the script; “faith,” 5. The mother, Doris Walker, is career woman, a divorced single parent, and a nonbeliever.

The fact that she doesn’t believe in Santa does not distinguish her from the rest of the adults. The film, as you may recall, culminates in a courtroom hearing during which (1) the State of New York concedes the existence of Santa Claus, and (2) the kindly old man we know as Kris Kringle is declared to be the real Santa. But, at least until the final moment of the movie, none of the film’s grownups believe it’s true. When they say they do, they are clearly lying — either for political reasons (the Judge) or commercial ones (Mr. Macy) or because they don’t want their children to know they lied to them (the District Attorney).

Regardless of reason, they’ll still lying, and in all these cases, it’s the right thing to do. Mrs. Walker, on the other hand, doesn’t lie to her daughter, Susan, and that’s what’s wrong with her. Her neighbor and potential love interest, Mr. Gailey, establishes this early on (yes, he’s “Gailey” and fun; she’s a no-nonsense, down-to-earth “Walker”):

Mr. Gailey: No Santa Claus, no fairy tales… no fantasies of any kind, is that it?

Mrs. Walker: That’s right. I think we should be realistic and completely truthful with our children and not have them growing up believing in a lot of legends and myths like… Santa Claus, for example.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/12/24/the-atheist-in-miracle-on-34th-street/#ixzz3Mr814qdR

[cbayer]

1. Well, that really never occurred to me, but it seems obvious doesn't it.

I haven't seen the movie for years and would love to give it another look with this in mind.

[TM99]

2. Must all things be twisted for agenda's these days?

Doris may start as a non-believer in Santa. However she actually seems to be more of an agnostic and skeptic. She has no reason to believe in Santa. After the trial, she does, and she then has no reason NOT to believe in Santa.

She hardly just 'saw the light'. She was presented factual evidence in a court of law and then accepts the conclusions that Kris Kringle IS Santa.

It is a wonderful allegory how all adult positions from the liar to the skeptic eventually when presented with adult facts then believes as the child. The young girl never had to stop believing. She is still living in a place of imagination and faith. That touches others and impacts them.

[okasha]

3. "When you stop believing in Santa Claus, you get underwear."

Christmas decoration in my vet's waiting room.

[AtheistCrusader]

4. What's wrong with underwear?

UnderGear and Soma have some nice stuff.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Holy shit.

That character is totally me. I never lie to my kid. Never.

If he's smart enough to ask a question, he deserves a truthful response. He's 5 and knows santa isn't real, but has fun with the idea anyway. Knowing the truth doesn't damage fantasy one iota.