I agree with the opinion that "the cleaners" are a personification of Time, but I think we can actually combine a few of the ideas already brought forth. The narrator is speaking to his child in regret for how he has led him/her astray from Christ, and how he and his friends have become exceedingly arrogant and materialistic through their lives to the point where they have lost sight of the true spiritual treasure they had known. A sudden realization of this fact as they approach death sends the narrator into an apologetic tailspin as he is separated from his child as he is carted toward heaven after his repentance.
And I have to say, the fact that a train was used as a metaphor for the transportation into the afterlife fit VERY WELL into the Harry Potter story, and I'm glad they used it in the film; Harry is told by Dumbledore that all he would need to do to move on is board a train, which would take him into the next life. It's actually much more significant to me now than when I actually saw the film.
I agree with the opinion that "the cleaners" are a personification of Time, but I think we can actually combine a few of the ideas already brought forth. The narrator is speaking to his child in regret for how he has led him/her astray from Christ, and how he and his friends have become exceedingly arrogant and materialistic through their lives to the point where they have lost sight of the true spiritual treasure they had known. A sudden realization of this fact as they approach death sends the narrator into an apologetic tailspin as he is separated from his child as he is carted toward heaven after his repentance.
And I have to say, the fact that a train was used as a metaphor for the transportation into the afterlife fit VERY WELL into the Harry Potter story, and I'm glad they used it in the film; Harry is told by Dumbledore that all he would need to do to move on is board a train, which would take him into the next life. It's actually much more significant to me now than when I actually saw the film.