A Wonderful Life

The film It’s a Wonderful Life is playing on television; it is on that list of top fifty films that we could have chosen to write our essay on. I chose not to watch it, because it is a very sad movie, and I know that I would have ended up crying. Watching it now is reminding me of just how depressing it is. Jimmy Stewart is an amazing actor; I feel bad for him though, because of he always seems to be casted as the guy that gets pushed around. In It’s a Wonderful Life, he gets pushed around by Mr. Potter, and just right now he got punched in the face by the schoolteacher’s husband. Just now his angel found him on the bridge and jumped into the water to save Mr. George Bailey. Is it any mistake that the angel had to change out of his wet, dark clothes to a white gown?

the Motif

The motif that I must research is that of colors. Specifically, I am supposed to research the colors shown in nature. And even more specifically, I am supposed to research the colors of the trees. For example, the blossoming flowers that Paul D follows on his way to the 124 Bluestone Road. I am not that excited to be doing this project, mainly because I am not that comfortable with the people in my group. I do not talk to any of them. Just do my work and I’ll get through it. A lot of these motifs connect; the color white connects with stairs. The color red connects with blood from the bodily fluids group. I suppose the color yellow could also connect with pee from the bodily fluids, but that’s a bit of a stretch.

Notice what you Noticed

The twenty motifs that made my list are necks, colors, hands, birds, rivers, flowers, stairs, trees, clothing, sewing, modes of transportation, rapes, the wrong side of business, reading, fires, beds, eyes, names, aquatic animals, and faces. I’m not really sure if this blog is just supposed to be a list, or if I am supposed to explain each of my choices. Seems kind of lame just leaving it here so I’ll explain some of my choices. Necks, which was the motif that came to my mind first, was chosen because of the incident in the Clearing between Sethe and Beloved, and because that is where Beloved was cut to be killed. Colors came next because of how often it is acknowledged. The color of the steps is known. The colors in Beloved’s tombstone are also repeated several times. I like doing things in odds, so hands was chosen because the reader is constantly told how there are no life lines on Beloved’s hands. Any coincidence?