At the heart of It Happened One Night is the idea that without a real metamorphosis, encouraged by life experience and lots of adventure, Ellie wouldn't find love. She has to "jump into the surf," in Peter's phrase, and venture out of her narrow world, following her own desires, in order to find the man with whom she'll spend her life. Note that Ellie's not the only one to change, either. Alexander Andrews and even Peter himself undergo significant changes during the course of the film, following Ellie's lead.
Questions about Transformation
- Which moments in the film mark Ellie's transformation most clearly?
- Why is it important that Ellie's not the only one in the film to experience change? How are her father's and Peter's transformations related to hers?
- What do you make of Ellie's discovery of what Peter calls "humility"? What might this discovery mean politically in the context of the Great Depression?
Chew on This
It Happened One Night makes metamorphosis a precondition of true love. Love starts with personal growth.
Ellie's discovery of her own "humanness" on the bus brings her into closer contact with working and struggling people—everyday people far from the glamorous world into which she has been born.