Character Analysis
Stuck in a Bank Shaped Cage
This guy is tied up in more knots than Stretch Armstrong. He's kind of a head case—dude needs a foot massage, a long beach vacation, and maybe some daily anti-anxiety breathing exercises.
On the surface, George Banks, father of Jane and Michael, seems to be content and self-contained. He boasts about how his family is run on a model of strict discipline, just like the bank he works at:
GEORGE: A British bank is run with precision. A British home requires nothing less! Tradition, discipline, and rules must be the tools! Without them: disorder, catastrophe! Anarchy! In short, you have a ghastly mess!
So, George acts like this strict disciplinarian, who only wants strict nannies to rule over his children. But, in reality, he has a strong fun-loving side—and he loves his kids. It's just that his inner childlike, happy-go-lucky nature has been crushed and repressed. He can't show who he really is. Of all the major characters, George is in the worst situation—but he also goes on the most significant journey.
Bert says that George lives in a "cage"—specifically, a "bank-shaped cage." George has gotten so caught up in his work, that he's let it dominate his life and his worldview. He doesn't spend enough time with his kids, and he also lacks the human touch with other people—like the constable who brings the kids home when they run away at the beginning.
When the constable tries to talk with him, George lets his obliviousness prevent him from interacting with the man:
CONSTABLE: Ah, that's the ticket, sir. Kites are skittish things. Why only last week with me own youngsters—
GEORGE: I'm very grateful to you, Constable, for returning the children. And I'm sure that if you go to the kitchen, Cook'll find you a plate of something.
Wow. Somebody needs a refresher course on how to make friends and influence people.
Mr. Uptight
Fortunately, Mary Poppins changes all that. She manages to be a good nanny, teaching the kids valuable lessons, but with love instead of strict discipline. This shows George how to do it: it proves that his whole attitude is misguided. The house starts functioning well, and everyone's happier.
This irritates George because it's proving him wrong—but it's also making him jealous. This is a good thing: he should be jealous. He ought to be doing the same kind of thing Mary does, but he can't find the time.
The movie also picks fun at George's stuffy attitudes. For instance, after Mary takes the children into the animated world existing inside a chalk drawing, they babble to George about their adventures. George can't say he approves of jumping into magical worlds, but he does like the fact that the children participated in foxhunt (though they actually helped save the fox). In Britain, foxhunting is a traditionally upper class activity—so the movie's poking fun at George's snobbery and affectation.
George's attempt to teach the children his own values, actually ends up torpedoing those very values. At Mary's urging, he takes the children to the bank, where catastrophe strikes: Michael refuses to put his tuppence in a savings account, causing customers to think that something is wrong. They launch a run on the bank. George's humorless boss, Mr. Dawes Sr., has him fired.
A Fortunate Fall
But, surprisingly, George discovers that this catastrophe was exactly the thing he needed. It totally cracks through his shell and makes him feel great—he didn't really want to be this stuffy dude, obsessed with banking at the expense of everything else. He starts remembering the things Mary and the kids have told him, repeating their charmed word:
GEORGE: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Mary Poppins was right, it's extraordinary! It does make you feel better! Hee hee hee hee!
DAWES SR.: What are you talking about, man? There's no such word!
GEORGE: Oh yes! It is a word! A perfectly good word! Actually, do you know what there's no such thing as? It turns out, with due respect, when all is said and done, that there's no such thing as you.
Aww. George has finally learned about what's really important—he's learned how to deliver that "spoonful of sugar" to help the medicine go down, and show kindness to his kids and have fun with them. After he returns home, he takes them to fly a kite—and Mrs. Banks comes along too. Since George has learned his lesson, Mary Poppins can depart.
To sweeten the deal, Dawes Sr. dies—having laughed to death at a joke George told him— and his son, Dawes Jr. follows up on his dad's parting wish. He re-hires George as a partner at the bank—an even better job than he had before.
So, all's well that ends well: George learns to show his love for his kids, and avoids having "Cat's in the Cradle" played at his funeral.
George Banks' Timeline