The theme of the film, appropriate during the Depression Era, is the story of the unlikely romantic pairing of a mismatched couple, a gruff and indifferent, recently-fired newspaper man, and a snobbish, wealthy princess. It is a reversal of the Cinderella story because the heroine rejects her wealthy lifestyle to go with someone who is just normal. It is a modern tale with lighthearted humor in which courtship and love triumph over class conflicts, socio-economic differences, and battles of wit. It Happened One Night was also classic narrative because it stuck so close to the diagrams we have learned about in class that consist of: exposition, inciting incidents, rising actions, climax, falling actions, and finally denoument. We get examples of this through the background information of her wealthy status and situation with the King. The film's trend setting and inciting incident story starts when Elly goes on a hunger strike after her father has her abducted during her attempt to elope with playboy King Westley. The rising action occurs when Elly and King are already married when Andrews's people grab her. Then Elly jumps off the yacht on which she is being kept a prisoner and swims to freedom. Never before on her own, the lovely and spoiled Elly discovers working class Depression America and Peter a working journalist. They join forces, he to get her story and she to get his help in finding her way back to King. I think the climax is when Peter wants to propose to her and start with no money, I think this was the start of something special between the two of them. He used the great quote of I want to tear down the walls of Jericho to symbolize their relationship. Later on at the wedding Mr. Andrews whispers Peter's love for her, admires his integrity, and then offers her an escape plan to elope with Peter. She then shakes her head signifying no and runs off to the dismay of the King.
