Or what happens when I look too deeply into The Muppet's Christmas Carol (1992) and The Muppet's Treasure Island (1996). Spoilers ahead for both.
One of my favourite Christmas films is The Muppet's Christmas Carol, a wonderful film which is warm and fuzzy whilst also containing darker and more serious elements. It's my favourite retelling of Dicken's classic story of the Christmas Carol, I've watched/read a few including the original text but I do like the Muppets best. With the festive season upon us I was listening to the soundtrack of it but deciding that it was a bit too early to start watching Christmas films yet I instead watched The Muppet's Treasure Island the other day. I was really struck by one particular scene in the film, which juxtaposes the value of wealth and the value of relationships. This examination of wealth, in what is a kids film, got me thinking and of course it is also explored in the Christmas Carol.
The scene in question is a romantic duet (Love Led us Here) by Kermit and Miss Piggy (playing Capt. Smollet and Benjamina Gunn respectively) who though faced with their impending deaths focus on their love for each other. It's very sweet. Amidst their song are scenes of the villainous pirates finding the buried treasure which they've lusted after for the whole film. These two ideas are in contrast throughout the film, of whether value should placed in wealth or friendships.
They come into direct contrast at the end when Long John Silver runs away with the chests of treasure whilst Jim Hawkins chooses to stay with his friends instead. Its an emotional scene, which doesn't revel in a clear victory of the good guys but instead portrays Silver as quite a tragic character. He is never presented a totally evil villain in the film and, though bad, shows a propensity for goodness through his genuine attachment to Hawkins who he teaches and protects. Silver's lust for wealth is not goofy but instead it is tragic about how he values golden objects over friendships. The futility of this is shown when the gold sinks to the bottom of the ocean and whilst this aspect of the film's messaging might be a bit heavy handed, it is kids film which wants to show the villain clearly loosing.
Coincidently, the danger of valuing wealth over human relationships is also explored in the Muppet's earlier film of Christmas Carol, which is clearly there in the original novel, unlike with Treasure Island. Scrooge's dedication to amassing wealth leaves him alone and friendliness, directly causing his fiancée to break up with him as he values money over her. Like with Silver, its portrayed as very tragic; Scrooge is able to have relationships but values wealth more than them.
In His teachings, Jesus likens a love of money to slavery, that this desire to gain and then keep wealth subjugates us and strips us of freedom (Matthew 6:24). This seems very true in the case of Scrooge, not only does the control money have over him cause Scrooge to push away his loved ones but he lives a life of miserable poverty to limit his expenses. The Cratchits might also be living a lifestyle of meagre expenses but they have a joy in their small food and possessions which Scrooge never has. Living a simple, uncommercial life might be a goal to which we aspire but that doesn't mean that we should live in misery like Scrooge but joy at what we do have like the Cratchits. On a slight detour of living a simple lifestyle, there is an important distinction to make that we do need some amount of money to live. Money certainly can't buy happiness, but without financial security life can be tough. Scrooge sharing his wealth to give this security to the Cratchits is a good demonstration of this.
So far so good, both Muppet films give good moral messages about how we need to value human relationships over wealth. But I do wonder if we are loosing the radical message of how dangerous wealth can be.
Let's focus on Tiny Tim, played by Robin the Frog in the Muppet film, he is a sickly but optimistic young boy who is an emotional centre in A Christmas Carol as Scrooge's intervention at the end of the story provides the money needed for Tiny Tim's healthcare needs which ultimately save his life. Let me put that again - if Tiny Tim had remained poor he would have died. Poverty literally equals death. This tough reality is one which is present in our own world. I wonder whether we are diluting this radical message with puppets, big film budgets, fantastical elements and comedy scenes?
I think that it is going too far to demand gritty realism in all of our media but do think we need to acknowledge the darker elements of life and how a fairy-tale ending to a story wouldn't be applicable to all the many people who are facing similar issues in their own lives. The Cratchits situation and particularly that of Tiny Tim, as a microcosm or symbol for poverty in general, needs to be recognised as a terrible situation to be in which is propped up unforeseen circumstances (Tim's poor health) and the apathic and unjust working practices of Scrooge. It is Scrooge, and the wealthy elite who hoard money which he represents, who are keeping the poor in poverty. A pretty radical message for a kids puppet film.
Poverty is not the end of the story though, it's Scrooge's redemption which lifts the Cratchits out of their financial deprivation through both the justice of paying Bob Cratchit fairly and the generosity of giving gifts to the family. A Christmas Carol is a story of hope, Scrooge realises the futility of the life he was living and how he needs to change. Long John Silver doesn't have a redemption arc though, he rejects the olive branch from Jim Hawkins and this is another harsh truth which we shouldn't dilute - that changing our own and other people's minds can be hard.
I might have been exaggerating for effect in my title of Kermit taking on Capitalism but I do think that these films represent the danger of a love of money. Financial security isn't portrayed as bad but there is the old adage that with money, or fame or beauty or popularity, it will never be enough. The more we have the more we want.
The Bible echoes this sentiment but it also adds to this. The Bible has a bigger picture in mind in mind and so what we choose to believe and do impacts of relationship with God. When we choose to prioritise money over relationships ('love the Lord, your God ... love your neighbour' is understood as vital, Matthew 22:37-40) that is going to have an obvious impact on the unconditional love which the Bible teaches should be at the centre of our lives. It teaches that we are made to be beings of love, in deep, healthy relationships with God and one another but when we choose to prioritise money over these relationships then we are not being who we truly are. Worshipping money takes us away from realising the value of God, each other and ourselves. Long John Silver and the pirates may have a whole song about the value of community (A Professional Pirate), but when one of them gets in the way of the gold they quickly turn on each other.
In the New Testament, James writes about how hoarding this wealth here on earth is only going to bring us pleasure in the short-time and how we exploit others to amass money. 'Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty' (James 5:4). I wonder what this says to companies who don't pay tax or skimp on paying worker's wages?
Whilst we definitely shouldn't dilute important messages I do want to say that I love these films. Films which celebrate creativity, comedy and friendships are as reflective of parts of reality as how they also explore ideas of wealth and money. All parts of life have value, as much as we do need to think about our response to issues such as wealth, we should also celebrate comedy and creativity. Fun is good.
And to give the last word to Tiny Tim, 'God bless us every one!'
Hope
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