Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)
June 16th, 2009 | by Ridhima Suri |
Kit Kittredge in Perspective
Abilgail Breslin (also starring in Little Miss Sunshine) plays a charming little girl in the movie ‘Kit Kittredge: An American Girl’. The movie set in the era of Great Depression (1934) was a good watch. I liked the simple narrative of the plot and the acting of the main characters. The movie was released in 2008. There are many similarities in what is happening in the U.S. now and what is portrayed in the movie set in the 1930s. The difference is that the movie is told from the perspective of a little girl. In both the periods, the citizens of U.S.witnessed tough times.
The movie captures the emotions of people affected with the Great Depression. In real life this is true. For example, there are visible statistics on number of jobs lost, number of foreclosures, number of insolvencies, low consumer confidence, low purchasing and manufacturing index, a volatile stock market, credit and banking. However, there are not- so-visible statistics about the emotional stress a person faces. An economic slump causes anger among citizens. There is a negative impact on the psychology of people who go through foreclosures and loss of jobs. There is an increase in thefts and malpractices. The cycle of events that occur after the crisis hits people is largely not shown.
‘Kit Kittredge’ shows this emotion.
The movie shows that ‘desperate times need desperate measures’ but it also shows hope. Hope, that desperate times do not call for wrong measures. Hope, that good times follow bad times. Hope, that it is rewarding to work your way out of bad times and not just give up.
The movie teaches a few good lessons.
1. Spend on what you can afford.
It is a good idea to spend within your affordability limits. Let’s map the history of money.
1. In the Stone Age people traded under a ‘barter system’ where one person traded an object/service to get something of similar value owned by another person.
2. Things changed when people used coins and further changed in the era of paper currency. This involved purchase of goods and services with the payment of paper bills (called money) or coins.
3. Paper money soon became ‘plastic money’ and people started using credit cards to purchase goods
While widespread availability of credit cards was a blessing, it also triggered other problems. Due to the easy monetary policies implemented by the Fed people started spending more than they could afford. They lost count of how much money they actually had and how much they were spending. They relied on the ‘credit’ offered by their bank. They also lost the sense of saving. Earlier if people had $40 in their wallet they would not go to the market and spend all of the $40. They would spend a part of it, say $25 and keep the remaining $15 for other uses or for an emergency. Now people use credit cards which are swiped at supermarkets, malls, movie halls, gas stations, and restaurants and pay their credit card company later. So they first spend and later pay.
Not being overly critical on how credit flows, it is true that many people are unable to cope with huge credit card bills, especially in the current economic times. Hence judicious financial planning and is very important for tiding through good times and bad times.
2. Hang onto your values
In the movie the main character and her mother are good people who show kindness towards others even in tough times. They are sympathetic towards the poor (referred to as HOBOs) and try to make the best of what is available. They are honest and caring. It is important to hang onto your values in bad times.
Conclusion
The crisis has been reported in hundred of articles, studies, journal articles, blog posts, and books. The topic of financial meltdown has become the focal point of discussion among financial analysts, researchers, professors, home owners, and tax payers. However the movie ‘Kit Kittredge’ conveys the message of simple and kind living in good n bad times.
The movie is a must watch for everyone. I may have taken the movie a bit too seriously. I hope you enjoy watching it!
Tags: Economic Crisis, Economic downturn, Great Depression, Kit Kittredge
