Was Jimmy Stewart's character Elwood Dowd insane, or was Harvey an actual being?
For those unfamiliar with the 1950's Jimmy Stewart classic, Harvey is a charming story of a man, Elwood Dowd (played by Jimmy Stewart), who had an invisible friend that's a pooka - a six-foot tall rabbit - named Harvey.
The story centers around him being a polite gentleman who's also seen as being a bit eccentric, or even insane. I'll not spoil the story, but the writing primarily presents the story as if Harvey doesn't exist, until the very end of the film. From the Wikipedia summary:
After the gates to Chumley's Residence are closed, and Elwood is leaving, he stops, turns around and has a conversation with an invisible Harvey, who is already back from his trip to Akron and reaffirms their friendship. Harvey opens the gate, and Elwood and his invisible companion saunter off towards the bus stop, following Veta and Myrtle Mae, towards the planned last stop of Charlie's Bar and another drink.
With regards to this scene and description, was Elwood actually insane and this was added to give a nod to the way he saw the world, or was Harvey real all along and Elwood was actually the "most rational" person in the whole story?
Best Answer
With regards to this scene and description, was Elwood actually insane and this was added to give a nod to the way he saw the world, or was Harvey real all along and Elwood was actually the "most rational" person in the whole story?
This is entirely up to the viewer
The movie is, of course, intended as a farce and not to be taken too seriously but the whole subject of the existence of Harvey is intended to throw into relief the difference between a man who is content to live his life in the way that he chooses and the expectations of his friends and relatives.
Is Elwood hurting anyone or himself by having an invisible rabbit as a friend? Certainly not.
He doesn't seem to worry or make any objections if no-one else can see Harvey and has a rational (if fantastical) explanation as to why not.
His "ability" to see Harvey is certainly not something that would deserve commitment and the only reason that he is sent to the sanitarium is because of the way his relatives cannot deal with the perceived social issues that Elwood brings to them.
Indeed it makes him more child-like and we don't institutionalise children for having imaginary friends.
So was Harvey real?
It depends on the viewer's definition of real.
Elwood's belief in Harvey is sufficient for Harvey to be real and that's good enough for me.
Pictures about "Was Jimmy Stewart's character Elwood Dowd insane, or was Harvey an actual being?"
Was Harvey real?
Often dubbed a rabbit, Harvey is actually a p\xfaca, a mythical figure in Celtic mythology that turns invisible and chooses whom he appears to (matching what happens in the movie) Orderly Wilson reads the definition of a p\xfaca in the dictionary, which ends with "and how are you, Mr.Was Harvey a pooka?
As described by Elwood, Harvey is a pooka, a benign but mischievous creature from Celtic mythology.What is the meaning behind the movie Harvey?
The magic of Harvey's name is that it can't be explained away. Elwood wanted to know someone named Harvey, so Harvey appeared. The expression follows the desire, in a way that echoes queer life. Definition always comes later, and experience first.Do you ever see the rabbit in Harvey?
Only once had a giant rabbit actually appeared on stage in the play of Harvey, and the results were disastrous. Theatrical producer Brock Pemberton recalled in a 1945 interview that at that performance in Boston, "a chill descended on the gathering, which never quite thawed out afterwards."What happened to JIMMY STEWART
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Answer 2
Some set effects while Dr. Chumley is interacting with Harvey make it appear that the rabbit is more than a figment of Elwood's imagination.
In addition, in the film's final scene Harvey (and not Elwood) opens the gate so that Elwood may walk through it.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: RODNAE Productions, RODNAE Productions, Pixabay, cottonbro