It Happened One Night - Ending Explained

The film concludes with a dramatic subversion of expectations. Just as Ellie is about to walk down the aisle to marry King Westley in a massive social event, her father reveals that Peter refused the $10,000 reward, asking only for $39.60 to cover his expenses. This proof of Peter's unconditional love prompts Ellie to literally run away from her own wedding. Her father pays off Westley to accept an annulment. The final scene takes place in a motel where a trumpet blast is heard (off-screen), and the "Walls of Jericho" (the blanket) are shown falling to the floor, symbolizing the physical and emotional consummation of their love.

While widely seen as a lighthearted romance, some critics interpret the film as a veiled social critique of the New Deal era, where the "re-education" of the rich heiress represents the elite's need to align with the working class. Another reading suggests the ending is somewhat ambiguous or "hastily resolved" because the protagonists never actually kiss on screen, leaving their final union as a symbolic victory of the "walls falling" rather than a grounded romantic reality. Some feminist readings highlight Ellie as a proto-feminist figure who actively chooses her own path, even if that path leads to a different form of patriarchy.