18 pages • 36 minutes read
The Death of Santa Claus
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Symbols & Motifs
Mrs. Claus and the Mother
Two female figures show distress in “The Death of Santa Claus”: Mrs. Claus and the speaker’s mother. When Santa Claus has a heart attack in the snow, “Mrs. Claus / tears out of the toy factory / wailing” (Lines 17-19). Later, the speaker’s mother “takes [his] hand, tears / in her throat, the terrible / news rising in her eyes” (Lines 28-30). A wail is a guttural cry of distress or pain, which is echoed by the mother’s “tears / in her throat” (Lines 28-29). This imagery helps to show that Santa’s death as grieved by the child in the imagined figure of Mrs. Claus is echoed by the mother’s empathy. She recognizes that she must confirm for the child that Santa Claus is figuratively dead—that is, that he is not real. Thus, her response equates to that of Mrs. Claus. She mourns the death of Santa just as much, albeit for different reasons.
Rudolph’s Nose
In the 1939 Robert L. May original poem, the 1949 song recorded by Gene Autrey, and the 1964 Rankin/Bass television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s glowing red nose serves to guide Santa through the foggy night, insuring his delivery of toys. At Santa’s death in Webb’s poem, however, Rudolph’s nose “blinks like a sad ambulance // light” (Lines 24-25). This is a simile, or a direct comparison between two unlike things (Rudolph’s nose and an ambulance light), typically using “like” or “as.” An ambulance’s light, along with its sirens, help the vehicle maneuver toward the hospital, especially in heavy traffic, signaling an emergency. Speed is key.
Here, the key adjective in the image is the word “sad” (Line 24). Rudolph knows that Santa Claus is beyond resuscitation, and that there is no hope for guidance back from the “black” (Line 15) into “the beautiful white world [Santa] loves” (Lines 14-15). Further, the reader knows a “sad ambulance” (Line 24) is one that cannot fulfill its duty. The waiting rescue ultimately fails, while the driver will shut off the light. As a character, Rudolph is noted for his perseverance against great odds, and to see him in resignation adds to the finality of the death and the permanent change it will bring.
Houston, Texas, as Locale
Charles Harper Webb’s inclusion of Houston, Texas, as a setting in the poem indicates that the speaker is intended to be Webb himself as a child, given that he grew up there. However, the mention also serves to heighten the speaker’s view of the destruction of the “beautiful white / world” (Lines 14-15) of the “North Pole” (Line 3). Santa exists in a world with “Mrs. Claus” (Line 17), the “elves” (Line 19), and “reindeer” (Line 10), including “Rudolph” (Line 20), but reality is “school” (Line 25), a “tract house / in Houston, Texas” (Lines 22-23), and a “purple-flowered couch” (Line 27). For the child, Santa’s “toy factory” (Line 18) is located in a magical, wintery place, while Houston is warm, humid, and rarely sees snow. This helps to show the world of reality that the child enters once Santa figuratively dies. The contrast is made clear by the difference of locale.
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