Compare And Contrast The Greatest Gift And It's A Wonderful Life

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Life is a gift, but sometimes, people don’t see it as that. Sometimes it takes a little shove for people to open their eyes and see the truth. “The Greatest Gift” and It’s a Wonderful Life are about a man named George, the protagonist, who wishes he’d never been born. He sees the world as it would be without him and he realizes his life was a great gift. “The Greatest Gift” was written by Philip Van Doren Stern. He was unable to find a publisher for his story so he used it for his Christmas cards in 1943. Stern’s friend loved the story so much, he put it in the local newspaper. The story then captured the attention of Frank Capra. Capra then adapted the story into the film It’s a Wonderful Life, in 1946. The film has become an American Holiday …show more content…

Both “The Greatest Gift” and It’s a Wonderful Life have many common implied themes. Some include be careful for what you wish for, you don’t realize what you have till it's gone, life is a gift, and that one person can make a difference. While the implied themes are similar, the differences lie in the stated themes. In the story, the stated theme is “ ‘You had the greatest gift of all… the gift of life.’ ” While in the movie, the stated theme is “No man is a failure who has friends.” Even though George’s bank was failing because of the lost money, he had his friends to help bring him back up from the bottom. Sometimes, the richest people aren’t the ones with the most money; they’re the ones with great friends and a great family. As you can see, “The Greatest Gift” and It’s a Wonderful Life share many similarities and differences in plot and theme. They both focus on the idea that life is great and that you should embrace the one you have because it’s the only one you’ll ever get. They also focus on the idea that one person can make a difference to many peoples’ lives even if they don’t realize it. Life may throw many challenges in your path, but as long as you have friends to help guide you along the way, you will make it through. You only live once. Make it

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