Who is Violet Bick?
She’s the sassy blond that the character George Bailey gave a few
dollars so she could start a new life in Frank Capra’s 1946 film; It’s A
Wonderful Life. We don’t know much
about Violet. In fact, most people probably don’t even recall her name. All that is really known about her is
that the movie’s hero took a few moments of his time to show her a little
kindness.
We are introduced to Violet as a little girl in one of the
opening scenes of the movie when she makes no secret that she has a crush on
George. Of course Violet doesn’t
end up with George. When we are
reintroduced to Violet later in the movie, we learn that the little girl, who
when she candidly admitted to liking George her friend Mary replied, “You like
every boy”, grew up to be the town trollop. That’s what they called “bad girls”
in 1946. George grows up and
marries the quiet and demure Mary who kept her feelings veiled in carefully
worded innuendos. In reality Mary wanted George just as much as Violet, Mary
just went about things very differently.
Audiences love and remember Mary, they barely remember Violet. In the film we know very little about
Violet because her character was not central to the storyline and therefore
never fully developed. Audiences
in 1946 just had to use their imaginations. If the film were remade today, someone would surely call
Violet a “Ho”.
Who was Violet Bick?
I have always been curious. Did the little girl who tried to get George
Bailey’s attention at the ice cream fountain grow up to be a prostitute or just
a woman who dated one too many men and word got around.
Throughout the course of history the role of women in
society has changed and so has the definition of the word “whore.” At present Merriam Webster defines the
word whore as meaning: a woman who engages in sexual acts for
money: prostitute;
also: a promiscuous or
immoral woman. Definitions like
that bother me because they are subjective, arbitrary and surely written by a
man.
By today’s standards, if a woman conducts
a business transaction with a man to whom she is not married by performing a
sexual act in exchange for a set amount of money she is called a prostitute aka
“whore”. On the other hand if a
single woman has sex with a man after they have been to several movies, dinners
and social events together, she is just dating. Thirdly, if a woman marries a man based on his net worth and
his ability to pay the bills and then some, she is free to give or withhold sex
in the relationship and have the privilege of being referred to as a wife. I’m sure that you see the irony in
this. Don’t misunderstand me, I am
certainly not promoting prostitution nor am I bashing marriage. I am just
pointing out in each case the woman is being judged not by her motives but by
her relationship to the man. When we look at marriage in a historical
perspective it has always been about money and financial security. In fact, it
wasn’t until recent centuries that the concept of marrying for love became a
popular notion. For much of
history parents for the mutual benefit of the families involved arranged
marriage contracts. Makes you
rethink the term “pimp” doesn’t it?
And that leads to me the “bad girls” pf the Bible.
And that leads to me the “bad girls” pf the Bible.
Whenever I am asked which of the women in the Bible that I most identify with, my answer normally shocks people. Most Christian women identify with the bible heroines like Esther, Sarah, Rachel, Ruth, Deborah or the Queen of Sheba. Amazing women, all. Some relate closely to the story of Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha. A few jokingly say that they identify with Jezebel, Bathsheba or Delilah. There is even a very small and interesting group who relate to Mary the mother of Jesus. I worry about them and feel sorry for their sons. I personally happen to relate to the stories of Tamar, Rahab, Mary Magdalene and that nameless, “woman at the well”.
No, I have never been a prostitute or had sex in exchange
for money. I have not had six husbands nor am I living with anyone now. And
thank God I have not buried several husbands and had to sleep with their father
to get pregnant J However, over the past year, I will admit to have
moments of temporary insanity.
What I relate to in these women’s lives is the fact that they were
outcasts on whom God showed compassion.
Tamar, through no fault of her own, found herself widowed,
childless and trying to get justice in an era when women were only valued by
the number of children they bore.
She took matters into her own hands and was falsely accused of being a
whore. Things worked out in the
end but she had to practice a little deception.
Rahab was a prostitute who played a pivotal role in a
military invasion. When strangers,
who would have probably shunned her under any other circumstances, need a place
to hide, Rahab risked her life to help them. Why she took this chance the Bible
doesn’t really say. My guess is it
was a little payback for how the “good town folks” had treated her over the
years.
The un-named, “woman at the well”, became one of the first
preachers of the gospel after Jesus took the time to talk to her.
And of course most of you know Mary Magdalene’s story or at
least think you do. Bible scholars
are still debating whether she was a prostitute or a lunatic before she met
Jesus. She was only one of his two
friends who stuck with him until the end.
She was also the first person to witness his resurrection. I have serious doubts that their
relationship was anything more than friendship. But Mary was a friend that was
there at what for awhile appeared to be the end. Of these four women, Mary Mags is definitely my
heroine. She never got married,
had any children, or accumulated great wealth but oh did she have a story to
tell. Bad girls who’ve been
forgiven usually do.
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