Thomas the Tank Engine Has an Existential Crisis

There are certain children's books that I can't read without adding commentary.  One is the book Stop, Train, Stop!  It looked innocent enough when I picked it up from the thrift shop, but once I started reading, I realized this was one of those books that shoves sugar-coated conformity down the throats of unsuspecting parents.  I would say children too, but I honestly think that goes over their heads.  They're more interested in the objects flying around the train and the detailed illustrations. 

So let's get cracking.

Thomas wakes up one day and realizes that his whole life is going down the same track over and over again, stopping at the same stations, at the same speed, over and over.  Realizing this, he begins to ask himself, "What is the purpose of life?  Do I matter?  Can I change my destiny?"

If this isn't the face of ennui, I don't know what is.

It doesn't occur to him to go off track or even go backwards.  No, all Thomas wants is to go from the start of the line to the end of the line without stopping. 

So he does.

Half shame, half wants to do it again.

Just when it seems that Thomas might achieve some sense of self-actualization, he is surrounded by a crowd of angry passengers, demanding that he conform to the train schedule.

"Not sorry I did it, only sorry I got caught."

Now I get that trains have to do what trains do.  People have to get up in the morning and go to work, and maybe they don't want to.  But there has to be more to Thomas than just running-on-time and stopping-at-every-station.  What does he like to do in his spare time?  Are there activities outside of his work that are meaningful and purposeful?  Basically: does he have a soul?

I think the answer is probably yes, but that his emerging sense of self-differentiation is squashed by a roving band of children, a goldfish, and a chef.

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