Essays from West of 98: A Wonderful Life
By James M. Decker
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a Christmas movie staple. Roundly considered one of the greatest films ever made, it also usually ranks near the top of any list of inspirational movies.
As you likely know, Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey. George runs Bailey Brothers Building & Loan, a lending institution founded by his father that primarily serves the working class people of Bedford Falls, New York. George is devoted to his family and his community. His story culminates on Christmas Eve in 1945, when George is decidedly not inspiring.
George’s uncle misplaced a large sum of money from the Building & Loan. Bank examiners will soon discover the missing money, which will lead to criminal charges for George and the ruin of the business. Mr. Potter, the town miser, discovers the missing money. He senses an opportunity to destroy George, who has become an altruistic thorn to Potter’s greedy ways. George panics, gets drunk, and is about to commit suicide when an angel shows him how many lives have been touched by his own life. George returns home with a renewed spirit to discover that his friends, neighbors, and customers have overwhelmingly rallied to his aid and saved him from financial calamity.
It is hard not to be inspired by George Bailey. As both a child and an adult, George sacrifices to help others around him. His family is hard working, but not overly prosperous. His father had devoted himself to the Building & Loan more than his own finances. When his father suddenly dies, George is the only man standing between the working folks of Bedford Falls and Potter, who wishes the business closed. George gives an impassioned speech to the board of directors that unwittingly leads to him becoming the new head of the business. He says, “Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about...they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, it is too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath?”
It is a powerful scene and it leads to George making a powerful impact on his community. George saves the family business, but gives up his dream of traveling the world and becoming an engineer. He also does more than just save it. He grows it. He establishes Bailey Park, a revolutionary housing development that offers home ownership to Bedford Falls residents who were stuck in Mr. Potter’s overpriced slums.
But George is not a flawless character, even before his crisis. Like any flawed human, he has selfish thoughts. He chafes that doing the right thing has sometimes made his life harder. He wanted to go to college and see the world, but his brother got to do those things instead. His brother became a war hero in World War II while George oversaw scrap drives and air raid drills. His childhood friend Sam Wainwright becomes a wealthy industrialist. George and his wife gave up their honeymoon to prevent the Building & Loan’s failure in the early stage of the Great Depression. George is seemingly “stuck” in Bedford Falls. If you look deeper, his suicidal moment isn’t *just* about the missing money. It’s about…everything. George is spent. His tank is empty. He’s given his heart and soul to his community and it looks like his altruism will be rewarded with financial ruin and a prison cell. And so he’d rather just end it all right then.
Of course, as we know, George doesn’t end it right there. The angel reveals to him the ripple effect that his life has on countless others. He might’ve given his heart and soul to others, but it wasn’t in vain. Other people benefited from his decisions, but when he needs them, they show back up in droves to help. I’ve written in the past that I prefer flawed heroes because they give us hope for ourselves. If heroism requires flawlessness, we’re all out of luck. But a flawed man or woman who rises above their circumstances and decisions to impact others? That’s someone we can believe in.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a film that should inspire all of us, but George Bailey is not an idealistic hero. He’s something much more real and something much, much better to all of us.
* * *
James Decker is the Mayor of Stamford, Texas and the creator of the “West of 98” website and forthcoming podcast. He may be contacted at westof98.substack.com. Listen to our podcast interview with James here.