IN LITTLE WAYS

Harvey

One of my favorite movies is “Harvey,” a black and white classic comedy starring Jimmy Stewart. He plays Elwood P. Dowd, whose best friend is a tall, invisible rabbit named Harvey. Dowd spends his days watching trains, visiting bars and making conversation with anyone who will join him. He is unfailingly kind and polite. His mother taught him that, “In this world you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.”

Dowd’s sister and niece want him committed. They are not mean people, nor is the staff at the sanitarium. They just all believe Dowd needs fixing, so he’ll be just like everyone else. Unfortunately, as a cab driver explains, after he has treatment, “He’ll be a perfectly normal human being, and you know what stinkers they are.”

Actually, Dowd’s “delusions” make him better company and a happier man than any of the other characters in the film. Author Mary Coyle Chase was an Irish Catholic, and you can see our faith reflected in her story. Nonbelievers have always dismissed religion as wishful thinking. Many claim that science and psychology have made God irrelevant. It’s fun, then, to watch Dowd defeat the psychiatrists who try to change him.

Dowd’s belief in Harvey is not a private fantasy. He’s eager to share Harvey with anyone who shows an interest. Moreover, the close friendship he enjoys with his imaginary friend has made Dowd sweet and gentle. He doesn’t need to argue or insist upon his own way. Since he met Harvey, he says, “I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I’m with.”

In one scene, a psychiatrist and nurse try to give Dowd a shot that will set him straight. He’s not interested. They insist. Here’s a situation that would cause any man to explode. Instead, Dowd observes, “I plan to leave. You want me to stay. Well, an element of conflict in any discussion’s a very good thing. It means everybody is taking part, and nobody is left out.” Could there be a more Christian response?

Dowd’s kindness has a positive influence on those around him. His sister Veta eventually decides she loves her brother more than she loves social status. Dowd helps the older psychiatrist uncover his own deep desires and nudges the younger doctor into repairing his romance. Even Dowd’s spinster niece finds happiness. Goodness, Chase suggests, has transforming power.

Dowd is a dreamer, and Chase thinks that has value in itself. Near the end of the story, Veta says, “It’s our dreams, doctor, that carry us on. They separate us from the beasts. I wouldn’t want to go on living if I thought it was all just eating, and sleeping, and taking my clothes off. I mean putting them on.”

Dowd’s dreams help him through the day. He never married. Instead, he cared for his mother, who died in his arms. He hangs out in bars, and, as he told the doctor, nobody brings small problems to a bar. Yet, through his friendship with Harvey, he has found the ability to not only to carry on but to encourage others.

I don’t think Mary Chase intended to preach a sermon with her play, but we can still draw important lessons from it. Dowd believes he has a friend who always listens and always cares. So do Christians. Dowd never loses his faith in that friend, even when others mock him. We strive to remain faithful to Christ and his church. The love that Dowd and Harvey share made Dowd tolerant and courteous. Let’s hope our faith bears similarly sweet fruit.

[“Harvey” is available on DVD from Netflix, Blockbuster and many bookstores.]