Like Me Reading Poetry...

There comes a point whenever you watch a movie where you ask yourself: was there a secret message embedded into the script? I mean, think about it! Lots of films involve secrets intertwined in the plot like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The ring was meant to symbolize the cross, Aragorn was the returning king (or Jesus returning to earth), Frodo was the cross bearer, and the dark lord Sauron was Satan.

Many people analyzed the symbolism and got most of it correct, but when it comes to "It's a Wonderful Life" and Geoffrey Hill... I've got to tell you... I think he's overanalyzing it just a little bit.

There doesn't always have to be a symbol in every scene. For example: when the character of Mary is compared to the virgin Mary because of one scene involving the moon... that's overthinking it. It's just like me whenever I attempt to read poetry. Many of my teachers have told me to try and understand poetry and all of the symbolism, but whenever I do, I end up overanalyzing it and ending up with something entirely wrong!

Not everything has to have a meaning. Sometimes a character is created to advance the plot. I am currently working on a book series where only three of the characters are biblical illusions while everyone else just furthers the story creatively. If someone reviewing those books compares one of the non-biblical characters to someone from the bible, then I guess it's just coincidence.