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Andy and Opie: Faith in Mr. McBeevee
Opie and Andy: Faith in Mr. McBeevee
Tony Minnick
November 18, 2008
The Andy Griffith Show may have simple plots and childish jokes, but I learned more about the fundamental meaning of faith from an episode called Mr. McBeevee than I did in the rest of the section. The episode begins with Opie playing with his imaginary horse in the backyard. Andy plays along with him because the game is all in good fun, and because Opie understands that it is not real. However, Andy and Barney become skeptical of Opie when Opie begins to talk of a man named Mr. McBeevee who walks in the trees, gives hatchets, jingles, and blows smoke out of his ears. Opie eventually brings home a quarter and shirks on his trash duties because of this Mr. McBeevee. Opie can see that his father does not believe him and so they go to find Mr. McBeevee in the woods. To Opies dismay, Mr. McBeevee has just been called away, and so Andy thinks that Opie must be lying about him. When they arrive home, Andy tells Opie that he can either admit that Mr. McBeevee is not real, or accept a punishment. When Opie is brought to tears and still stands by his story, Andy tells him that he believes him. Even though Andy has no reason to believe Opie, he does believe him because he has faith in Opie. While deeply thinking, Andy walks into the woods the next day and sarcastically calls Mr. McBeevee! To his surprise Mr. McBeevee comes down out of the trees and fits the exact description that Opie provided.
This episode taught me in the simplest manner what faith really is. Opie made Mr. McBeevee sound so farfetched and unrealistic that it was near impossible for Andy to believe in him. Although he might not have believed in Mr. McBeevee, he did believe in his son. The strongest trust for Opie existed because Opie never told a lie. So when Andy was forced to decide whether he believed his son, he had to rely solely on his faith in Opie, even if risk was involved. The complete trust Andy had in Opie is very special in their relationship. If Andy would not have shown his faith, Opie would have been crushed and Andy would feel like he was lied to, even though Mr. McBeevee was proven to be true. I can clearly understand faith in this situation because I realize how my parents place this same faith in me. When they ask me about my plans and actions, it is my duty to tell them the truth because their faith in me depends on it. The trust my parents have in me would be deeply broken if I lied to them. Strong relationships are built on this faith that Andy and Opie are a perfect example of. When things become difficult to believe in, faith has to be the underlying attitude if it can be taken to be true.
