George's actions and name call
forth images of St. George killing a greedy dragon
who ate villagers when mutton was scarce.
The enemy George must fight is
similar to that of a nation as a whole. Henry Potter
holds the power to oppress the citizens and make
or break their lives. This "warped," old, crippled
man resembles Hitler. Potter with a mechanical side
- the wheelchair - buys up most of Bedford Falls
leaving his tenants in subjugated poverty where
they are enslaved by Potter's greed for their rent.
George states that "most people say you 'stole'
all the rest" when discussing how they were the
only two to make it through the depression nearly
unscathed. Similarly, Hitler, with outrageous ideologies
in hand, kept his forces working like a machine
that coldly oppressed people into lives of practical
slavery as they stole European territory. Potter
becomes the head of the draft board because then
he is able to exercise power and authority over
the citizens of Bedford Falls. He, in a sense, is
forming his own little military like Hitler.
Corruption takes place quietly
as Potter's control increases were it not for George
and the community standing behind him to keep Potter
in line and provide a haven for the citizens. The
smarmy neon lights on every building in the downtown
sell sin and the people there are rough and distrusting.
Bedford Falls is a nightmare as Pottersville. However,
the filfth of Pottersville and the disturbingly
bleak changes in the ordinary happy, trusting, friendly
people of Bedford Falls does not make George believe
one person can make a difference.
George has realized that the
“little things” accumulate and create
an intensely powerful “big thing” in the
end—no single action could replace the value
of each person’s life. George revels in the
small, the theatre playing The Bells of St. Mary’s
instead of reading “Girls, Girls, Girls,”
the loose knob on the stairs at home.
Donna Reed as Mary keeps George
focused on his family and the real importance in
his life. Mary takes on the role as George’s
savior, affirming his renewed belief in the power
of goodness within people, as she stands elevated
above everyone else in the living room. Mary did
not know what George’s problem was, but she
found out and set about fixing it. Each little kindness
George ever showed anyone is repaid at the film’s
end. His good-hearted actions and self-sacrifice
are appreciated and they come full-circle to save
him. The every-man’s sacrifices are worth the
pain and are perpetuated in belief in the good—which
is rewarded with redemption.
The Christian sacrifices made
by George and the other good citizens were anything
but insignificant, they were in fact what kept evil
at bay. The Battle of Bedford Falls, i.e. good versus
evil, is won by the foot soldiers-the every day
people like George Bailey." - America’s
Prayers: A Brief Discussion of It’s a Wonderful
Life
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