Abstract
We usually view “Old Man” Potter’s face with disgust as he listens to George Bailey’s confession of mishandling funds in Frank Capra’s 1946 masterpiece film, It’s a Wonderful Life. After all, Bailey is a good man who has spent his life aiding others, often to the detriment of his own self and dreams. Surely a Judeo-Christian God of justice would see Bailey rewarded appropriately for his actions, as well as punish Potter. And yet, even as we see Bailey’s friends line up, hands full of cash, at the end of the movie, we see an absence of Potter, the quintessential evil presence that actually gets away with Bailey’s $8,000 mishandled by George’s Uncle Billy. We are left unsettled even as we realize Bailey will not go to jail for a crime he did not commit. Even Uncle Billy is safe. However, why was justice not complete? A phenomenology of Bailey’s confession in light of the works of Paul Ricoeur reveals George Bailey’s false confession and Uncle Billy’s lack of confession as the barrier between them and complete Judeo-Christian justice.
Presenters
Dr. Becky MeadowsProfessor, Philosophy, Galen College of Nursing, Kentucky, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
It's A Wonderful Life, Phenomenology, Sin, Confession, Philosophy
