Character Deep Dive: George Bailey

Portrayed by: James Stewart
Film: It’s a Wonderful Life

There are a few characters who are synonymous with Christmas and joy and kindness. Few characters whose mere names alone could evoke so much light that, for a few moments, you forget that the real world is dark and treacherous. It’s a Wonderful Life’s George Bailey is indisputably one of those characters, and I’d even argue that he’s in the top three. 

It’s a Wonderful Life is a holiday staple for countless reasons, and it’s because of George Bailey—an imperfect human being who does the right thing and, in turn, changes the world around him. George isn’t a martyr. He isn’t selfish, but he isn’t purely selfless either because, at the end of the day, he’s simply a man with big dreams and a desire to make them come true. Only the world forces him to alter course. 

George Bailey Is a Man Who Cares Deeply

What always gets to me about George is how profoundly he cares, even when it comes at the price of his own discomfort. And although it’s been decades since the film was released, the truth is that he’s one of the most relatable characters who’s ever been written when we examine how his goodness materializes into actions. To start, of course, he isn’t going to think twice about saving his brother’s life, and he isn’t ever going to resent him for the illness that led to his loss of hearing in one ear. Simultaneously, he isn’t going to judge Mr. Gower’s mistake or his actions while he’s overcome with grief.

But when his brother gets married, and George has to put his dreams on the back burner to run Bailey Brothers Building and Loan, that’s where George’s natural and incredibly human frustrations will come through. Why should he be the one to put a pause on his carefully crafted trajectory? Why should he put his dreams aside when he’s often the one sacrificing and biting off more than he can chew? Yet, that’s exactly why his character journey is so magnanimous because even while he’s rightfully irritated, George is empathetic enough to want to help. His heart is too big and too open to ever let the Building and Loan fall into the hands of Mr. Potter.

This subtle apprehension and the uneasiness he shows is a testament to James Stewart as a performer, and it’s a mark of sensational writing because it’s so nuanced that the depth it adds to the story makes it undeniably timeless. It’s a Wonderful Life isn’t about saving a perfect person’s life, but it’s a love letter to the importance of humanity and how pain and suffering go hand-in-hand with joy. His imperfections make him worth the fight because they remind viewers that it isn’t an immaculate person who’s worthy of love but anyone with a heart and soul, flaws and all. 

His Love for Mary and Their Children Shows Us Who He Is 

George Bailey, even while he’s young, is all wit. He knows he’s charming, and he uses it to his advantage. We know he cares because of how he saves Harry, and we see his compassion when he talks to his father, but when he’s older, everything comes to the surface with the family he chooses for himself. 

“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.” This is the George Bailey, and it’s also one of, if not the most romantic lines to exist because it shows us the vastness of his heart and the fact that there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for Mary. If love languages were a topic of discourse back then, we could argue that George’s is “acts of service.” He’s someone who wants to show people what they mean to him, and he wants to ensure that they know their value in big ways.

His sheer excitement about coming back to reality when he screams, “Zuzu’s petals,” is further proof of how deeply he loves his family and how he’s a man driven by what he can do for them. George might not get to live the adventure he’s always dreamed of, but he finds the best type of comfort in Mary and their children. He quietly longs for her in the beginning while her adoration is more obvious, but once he lets go of all the fears driving him away, George Bailey starts living for the first time. And then, he starts living again, truly for the second time.

The Richest Man in Town 

For a long time, I held off writing this deep dive because the film’s ending was so precious that I firmly believed I was incapable of putting its greatness into words. But today (November 2024), nothing is more apparent to me than the fact that it’s the simplicity of It’s a Wonderful Life that makes it a treasure trove of riches. Today, people around the world are afraid to live as their authentic selves in a society that won’t accept them, but George Bailey’s life is a reminder of how special the human existence is.

Every person who reads this is the George Bailey of their lives. None of us are perfect, but we all have people we love, and we’d do anything to ease their troubles a bit. It’s why the tiny world of Bedford Falls crumbles when Clarence shows George a world in which he was never born. He might not get to explore the world, but his richness is the love he shows and the lengths he goes to for other people. And, of course, the lengths they all go through for him in the end when they learn about the money. 

Related Content: Scene Breakdown: The Ending of It’s a Wonderful Life

I’d know I was truly broken if I ever watched It’s a Wonderful Life and didn’t sob at the end of the movie. Maybe I’ll never have the right words for it or George Bailey as a character because words simply cannot do his inherent goodness or the acts of kindness justice. Sure, no human has the power to literally reflect the moon’s glow from inside another person; however, characters like George Bailey and movies like It’s a Wonderful Life could be proof that magic exists in the simple, small, ordinary moments. Magic could exist in the angels around us that gain their wings every time a bell chimes or someone does something kind for another person.

Human beings might never reach a level of perfection and we don’t need to in order to be remarkable. Our existence alone is someone else’s hope, resulting in a cycle that I hope never fractures. Because I firmly believe that even the loneliest person in the world has, at some point, changed someone else’s life simply because they were born. 

When I was younger, I used to think that It’s a Wonderful Life was the most complicated movie to write about. I think it’s because of how deeply it touched me and because its mark is unlike anything else in the fictional world. Yet, as I grow older, I recognize that it’s because this is a message the world continuously demands we come back to. Our planet is the one that’s too complicated and messy and horrifically heartbreaking. It’s why we come back to this movie year after year; it reminds us to slow down and appreciate the little things that add a glowing tinge of light to our lives. It reminds us to look out for the George Baileys and to make sure that they know they’re valued because life keeps getting away from us, and time flies faster than ever. It nudges us to acknowledge that the wonderful life is unveiled in the moments we find in between the chaos. It begs us to appreciate all the people imploring for our attention amid all the turmoil. It reminds us, simply, to be thoughtful human beings. 

George Bailey feels real, which is another reason why I’ve always been so apprehensive to write this. His impact on my own life is so tremendous that I’ve felt this inexplicable need to honor him in a way that’s poetic and indescribable. Yet, I think even all the poets would stumble when it comes to verbally immortalizing his character. He’s already done that himself.

First Featured Image Credit: Paramount Pictures