our town theme essay

Premiered: Henry Miller’s Theatre, New York City, New York, February 4, 1938 Type: Full-length Play Award: Pulitzer Prize

First produced and published in 1938, this Pulitzer Prize–winning drama of life in the small village of Grover’s Corners has become an American classic and is Thornton Wilder’s most renowned and most frequently performed play.

Overview by Ashley Gallagher

Plot Summary

“No curtain. No scenery.” A minimalist theatrical style sets apart the 1938 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town . Wilder’s greatest and best-known work as a playwright, Our Town opens with the Stage Manager’s introduction to Grover’s Corners, a fictional town based on Peterborough, New Hampshire where Wilder often spent his summers. The sparse and symbolic qualities of the set suggest Wilder’s intention to make Grover’s Corners represent all towns. 1 The Stage Manager, played by Wilder himself for two weeks in the 1938 Broadway production, breaks the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience. The Stage Manager also assumes control over the onstage action through such unconventional, metatheatrical devices as prompting actors and cueing scene changes. Once the actors have been set in motion by the Stage Manager in Act I, entitled, “Daily Life,” the allegorical world of Grover’s Corners unfolds. The audience is introduced to the Gibbs and Webb families who symbolize “ordinary people who make the human race seem worth preserving and represent the universality of human existence.” 2 Wilder explores the families’ inter-relationships, specifically between George Gibbs and Emily Webb. The audience watches George and Emily talk through their second story bedroom windows, represented by ladders: their simple actions complemented by the simple set. Act II, “Love and Marriage,” takes place three years later on George and Emily’s wedding day. After listening to Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs talk about their own wedding day, the Stage Manager transports the audience back to the days of George and Emily’s high school courtship. In this scene, Emily expresses her disdain for George’s conceited behavior. To make amends, George buys Emily an ice cream soda presented in an imaginary glass by Mr. Morgan, played by the Stage Manager. As this glimpse into George and Emily’s past comes to an end, George decides not to go to agriculture school so he can remain in Grover’s Corners, close to Emily. Then, the audience again finds itself at George and Emily’s wedding. The Stage Manager, now playing a minister, focuses the audience’s attention on the tearful and anxious families before George and Emily blissfully run up the aisle, ending Act II. In Act III, Wilder focuses on the end of the life cycle. Nine more years have gone by and Emily has died in childbirth. As the funeral procession crosses the stage, Emily, dressed in white, emerges from behind the mourners’ umbrellas and sits next to the deceased Mrs. Gibbs in the graveyard. Emily begins to question what it means to live and die, and, although warned against it, chooses to relive her twelfth birthday. Deeply saddened by everything she failed to notice while alive, Emily asks the Stage Manager to take her back to her grave but hesitates a moment to say good-by to the world. As Emily accepts her death, George falls at her feet in grief. While watching George, Emily asks Mrs. Gibbs, “They don’t understand, do they?” to which Mrs. Gibbs responds, “No, dear. They don’t understand.” 3 As Emily settles in with the dead of Grover’s Corners, the Stage Manager bids the audience a good night.

Critical Analysis

Thornton Wilder’s 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning play made its debut at Princeton, New Jersey’s McCarter Theater before ultimately moving to the Henry Miller Theatre in New York City. In the New York Times review, Brooks Atkinson called Our Town “one of the finest achievements of the current stage…a hauntingly beautiful play.” 4 Despite the myriad of interpretations of Our Town , most critics agree that the play is a microcosm of the life cycle. As Haberman writes, “[Wilder] is reminding the audience of how precious daily life is, because it determines our true reality…our enduring identity is not derived from the things and the events because they are familiar and repeated, but from our ever-new, ever-fresh relation to them.” 5 Wilder also demonstrates that these aspects of daily life and their constant renewal are universal to all generations and cultures. While Act I covers “Daily Life,” Act II explores “Love and Marriage.” Once the audience is transported back to George and Emily’s wedding day, they hear various characters’ opinions about marriage, which compels them to make their own judgment and promotes the idea that while marriage may be another part of daily life, “each marriage is different from all the others, and no definition could satisfy everybody.” 6 Our Town ’s emphasis on the universality of daily life, conscious audience engagement, and minimalist theatrical style are a few of the signature techniques which have qualified Wilder’s work both at home and abroad as the “most representative and significant product of the modern American theater.” 7 Our Town has been praised by scholars, such as Rex Burbank, for its simplicity and tragic vision. 8 While some audience members did not find the visual simplicity of the set compelling, “Wilder’s purpose in using the bare stage was, in part, to set his audience free from the meaningless particularity of the box-set.” 9 Since the play’s tremendous success in New York, Our Town has become a popular play in schools and community theaters primarily because of its minimal scenery requirements. Yet as Our Town ’s popularity has grown, so have the number of gross misinterpretations of it. Most often these productions are overly sentimental and romanticized, thus undermining Wilder’s philosophical themes and Burbank’s tragic vision reading. A “debate” on Our Town ’s classification as a tragedy occurred between Arthur Ballet and George Stephens. In 1956 Ballet nominated Our Town as “the great American drama.” Ballet pointed out the Stage Manager’s likeness to a Greek chorus as well as death acting as “the fear-agent employed as catharsis.” 10 In response, Stephens denied Our Town its tragic status and instead labeled it as “gentle nostalgia or, to put it another way, sentimental romanticism.” 11 As if anticipating Stephens’ objection, Ballet concluded his argument with his own definition of tragedy: “Tragedy, in its finest sense,… should point the way to a higher level of understanding of man as a creature revolving in the cosmos.” In this Aristotelian vein, perhaps the most tragic event in Our Town is George collapsing in front of Emily’s headstone, signifying “the most universal lament of them all: that we, our loved ones, everything living, dies.” 12 It is in these final moments of Our Town , whether they are classified as tragic or sentimental, that the audience may catch a glimpse of the profound understanding and respect Wilder had for life.

1 Haberman, 66. 2 Bryer, 110. 3 Wilder, 208. 4 Atkinson, Brooks. “Our Town.” The New York Times 5 February 1938, late ed. 5 Haberman, Donald. Our Town: An American Play. Boston: Twayne, 1989, 74. 6 Haberman, 59. 7 Corrigan, Robert. The Modern Theatre . New York: MacMillan, 1964. 8 Burbank, Rex. Thornton Wilder . New York: Twayne, 1961. 9 Haberman, 22. 10 Ballet, 247. 11 Stephens, 262. 12 Konkle, 135.

Bibliography

Almeida, Diane. “Four Saints in Our Town : A Comparative Analysis of Works by Gertrude Stein and Thornton Wilder.” Journal of American Drama and Theatre . 9.3. (1997 Fall): 1-23.

Ballet, Arthur H. “In Our Living and in Our Dying.” English Journal. 45. May 1956: 243-49.

Brown, John Mason. “Wilder: ‘Our Town.’” Saturday Review of Literature . 32. (1949): 33-34.

Cardullo, Bert. “Whose Town?” Notes on Contemporary Literature . 26.4. (1996 Sept): 3-5.

Cardullo, Bert. “Whose Town Is It, Anyway? A Reconsideration of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town .” CLA Journal . 42.1. 1998 Sept: 71-86.

D’Ambrosio, Michael A. “Is ‘Our Town’ Really Our Town?” English Record . 22.1. (1971): 20-22.

Galle, Jeffery. “Pedagogical Strategies for Teaching Our Town to a Crowd of Huck Finns.” Louisiana English Journal: New Series . 4.2. 1997: 72-75.

Hoberman, J. “Our Town.” Sight and Sound . 14.2. (2004 Feb): 24-27.

Londraville, Richard. “ Our Town : An American Noh of the Ghosts.” Blank, Martin (ed.), Brunauer, Dalma Hunyadi (ed.), Izzo, David Garrett (ed.). Thornton Wilder: New Essays . West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill, 1999. 365-78.

McClanahan, Rebecca. “Our Towns.” Gettysburg Review . 16.2. 2003 Summer: 217-32.

Scott, Winfield Townley. “ Our Town and the Golden Veil.” Virginia Quarterly Review 29 (1953): 103-17.

Shen, Min. “‘Quite a Moon!’: The Archetypal Feminine in Our Town .” American Drama . 16.2. 2007 Summer: 1-14.

Stephens, George D. “ Our Town —Great American Tragedy?” Modern Drama . 1. 1959: 258-64.

Toten Beard, DeAnna. “ Our Town and Modernism: Thornton Wilder, Gertrude Stein, and The Making of Americans.” Texas Theatre Journal . 2.1. 2006 Jan: 21-31.

Turner, Jeff. “No Curtain. No Scenery: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and the Politics of Whiteness.” Theatre Symposium: A Journal of the Southeastern Theatre Conference . 9. 2001: 107-15.

For further discussions of Our Town , please visit the Bibliography .

[ Back to Works ]

Thornton Wilder

• Literature Notes
• Structure and Technique of Our Town
• Play Summary
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis
• Act I: Part 1
• Act I: Part 2
• Act I: Part 3
• Act II: Part 1
• Act II: Part 2
• Act II: Part 3
• Act II: Part 4
• Act III: Part 1
• Act III: Part 2
• Act III: Part 3
• Character Analysis
• Emily Webb Gibbs
• George Gibbs
• Editor Charles Webb
• Doctor Frank Gibbs
• Mrs. Julia Gibbs and Mrs. Myrtle Webb
• The Stage Manager
• Thornton Wilder Biography
• Critical Essays
• Thematic Structure of Our Town
• Language and Style in Our Town
• Wilder's Philosophy
• Our Town from the Current Perspective
• Essay Questions
• Practice Projects
• Cite this Literature Note

Critical Essays Structure and Technique of Our Town

In Our Town, Thornton Wilder sets himself apart from Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, William Inge, and other playwrights of the American theater of his time by his innovations. He uses the typical three-act division as the basic structure of his play, but from this point on, he varies from tradition. He employs a structure which illuminates a theme of timelessness and which allows him to present a generalized view of small-town life in America.

He structures each act around a central idea. Act I is called "Daily Life " Interjecting himself as spokesman, the Stage Manager steps out on the stage and narrates simple facts about the town. Then, the milkman and paper boy make their rounds. The two families which are the focus of the drama get their children off to school. Later, two of the children return home from school. These short, pictorial scenes are dramatic moments intended to render a nostalgic picture of everyday activities. Between the scenes, the Stage Manager interprets for the audience. Wilder's technique is clearer in the second act where the stage manager explains what is happening in the wedding scene. In his words: "There are a lot of things to be said about a wedding; there are a lot of thoughts that go on during a wedding. . We can't get them all into one wedding, naturally, and especially not into a wedding at Grover's Corners " To increase his appeal, Wilder intimates that this is a universal wedding. He does so by choosing predictable aspects of any American wedding. In similar fashion throughout the play, Wilder presents the common and recurrent aspects of life.

The focus of the play then develops from "Daily Life" in the first act to "Love and Marriage" in the second act and "Death" in the last act. This final act shifts the setting from the streets of Grover's Corners to the cemetery on the hill outside town. Thus, Wilder presents a unified whole — human life summed up in three acts, all of which flow along in a perfectly normal pattern. Wilder reveals a bare stage featuring no scenery and few props. This minimalist technique, which he pioneered with Our Town, makes everyday objects represent larger structures: A counter becomes the drug store, and a trellis symbolizes a whole house and garden. His purpose in reducing the scope of his staging is to emphasize ordinary things and to restore importance to life's trivia. By activating the audience's imagination, he stimulates them to conjure up for themselves the larger objects and themes that he is suggesting.

This technique of saying more with less has other purposes. First, by having no definite scenery, the play transcends Grover's Corners and becomes universal. It can be reproduced on almost any stage in any country. Even in a foreign land, the audience can visualize local towns. Also, Wilder is interested in presenting a true picture of life. To do so, he breaks with realism and demands that members of the audience supply their own up-to-the-minute mental realism to flesh out sets and staging.

Previous Thematic Structure of Our Town

Next Language and Style in Our Town

“Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder

In his theatrical masterpiece, Our Town , Thornton Wilder dramatically focuses on three essential stages of human life, namely birth, marriage, and death. The first part of the play describes the daily lives of human people in a family or a community. The second act highlights the importance of relationships/companionship among people, while in the last scene, Wilder concentrates on the theme of death. Whereas the first two acts of the play may evoke happiness and laughter in the audience, the last act elicits sorrow and may draw tears in an emotional person. Death is inevitable, however, Simon Stimson’s speech and the tragic end of the play enlighten the society about the importance of appreciating each other in our daily lives.

Although most people fear the cemetery, the sight of a corpse and ghosts/devil Wilder includes these elements in his play. Therefore, if any dead person resurfaces among the living, the society associates him/her with evil. Despite the aforementioned facts, why does Wilder include a cemetery or death in the last scene? Wilder emphasizes on the death and eternity to propel the audience to appreciate life. Emily is one of the main characters in the play. Unfortunately, at the end of the play, she dies due to complications arising from childbirth. Through the spirit of Emily, Wilder calls upon people to cherish every step, activity, and person in their lives.

For example, Emily realizes after her death that her parents were beautiful. Therefore, her decision to appreciate their beauty seems futile because she is a spirit during the time of this realization. Similarly, Emily’s mother is too busy to value her life, even on the day of her daughter’s birthday. Due to disappointment, Emily says, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute” (Wilder Act III)? Therefore, Wilder uses Emily’s spirit to urge people to cherish and be grateful for being alive-during their lifetime. Furthermore, Wilder cautions people against embracing their daily activities or daily routine that they forget to appreciate little occasions in their lives. Although Emily’s mother is a good woman who struggles to accomplish her role as a wife, she fails to embrace the simple happiness that human beings encounter.

Emily is unhappy with the way people on earth conduct their everyday lives. According to her, although time is a valuable asset in human life, people (the living) lack the spirit of gratefulness. Sadly, all these things pass unnoticed to them. Likewise, all the other characters that appear, as dead people in the last act, are aware of how living people in contemporary society, devalue time and happiness. Consequently, they had cautioned Emily against revisiting the earth. Therefore, Emily is like a mirror to society, Wilder uses her to ask the audience or society to change their behavior or lifestyle.

Wilder uses the last act, especially Emily’s behavior, after death to shows that most people on earth value life after losing it. However, this enlightenment only dawns on them when there is not time to rectify their failures. The major irony is that some of them like Emily resort to sobbing due to bitterness. Before her spirit leaves the earth, she says, “Oh earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize… Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it” (Wilder Act III)? This acts as the evidence of her regrets for being ungrateful while alive. In addition, the stage manager also cautions people about carrying out their activities in haste. Most people are after money, education, or wealth, and in the process, they forget about their families, friends, and children, among others. People should learn to share light moments with each other more so in their relationships.

In reality, Simon Stimson is an alcoholic choirmaster. After his death, he gives a speech showing disappointment in the social lives of people on earth. According to him, “people move about in a cloud of ignorance” (Wilder Act III), which shows that oppression, inhumanity, and evil are some of the common aspects of human behavior on earth. Most people on earth not only lack the virtue of compassion but also lack respect for human life. On the other hand, the oppressed people are unable to retaliate because of fear and lack of effort to value their lives. Simon Stimson says, “Human existence is nothing but ignorance and blindness” (Wilder Act III).

This statement proves his dissatisfaction with the way of life of people on earth. Although Simon Stimson is correct in his philosophy about life, his actions, behavior, and crude way of life might make the audience or reader disapprove of his assertion. Besides, being an alcoholic, he voluntarily committed suicide to end anguish in his life. While on earth, he turns to alcoholism as the only way to forget about his troubles. Actually, a person who had interacted with him in real life will not accept to follow his advice. However, the critical consideration of Simon Stimson’s speech in the contemporary world proves that he is right. The world is full of greedy people whose aim is to oppress the poor. Most people are after wealth, and in the process of acquiring what they need, they not only stumble on the less fortunate but also kill some of them. Political upheavals, civil wars, and social injustice/inhumanity on earth are on the rise because of greed. Despite being a drunkard, Simon Stimson secretly observed the inhumanity that prevailed on earth. Finally, Simon’s words are like a wakeup call for the oppressed people or communities.

Wilder’s decision to include death and inhumanity in the last scenes does not evoke depression in the audience but rather gives them insights about life. His play describes human nature in three stages, birth, life, and death. He includes the hymn, “Blessed be the tie that binds” (Wilder Act II) to put emphasis on life. Analysis of Wilder’s play shows that an adult’s life encompasses relationships, education, and amassing wealth, but people should also value their happiness. Of all the three, only the relationship’s human connection seems more vital because Mr. Gibbs says, “Tain’t natural to be lonesome” (Wilder Act II); however, wilder compel people to find happiness and love during their daily lives. Therefore, by focusing on the lifestyle of his characters before death, he calls upon society to live happily and to appreciate all that life offers. Both Emily and Simon Stimson live different lives on earth, but they rate the people of the earth in the same fashion. While a drunkard (Simon Stimson) can note that inhumane activities are on the increase, a well-educated girl from a rich family (Emily) also notes that people on earth lack the spirit of appreciation.

Cite this paper

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2020, May 15). “Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder. https://studycorgi.com/our-town-a-play-by-thornton-wilder/

"“Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder." StudyCorgi , 15 May 2020, studycorgi.com/our-town-a-play-by-thornton-wilder/.

StudyCorgi . (2020) '“Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder'. 15 May.

1. StudyCorgi . "“Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder." May 15, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/our-town-a-play-by-thornton-wilder/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "“Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder." May 15, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/our-town-a-play-by-thornton-wilder/.

StudyCorgi . 2020. "“Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder." May 15, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/our-town-a-play-by-thornton-wilder/.

This paper, ““Our Town” a Play by Thornton Wilder”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: May 15, 2020 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

78 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Act Summaries & Analyses

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

How does Wilder’s choice to make the play metatheatrical illustrate and solidify the idea of ordinariness and universality found in the play?

The passage of time brings countless changes, yet things seem to remain the same. How does Our Town exhibit the cycle of life, love, and death that continues throughout human history?

What does the Stage Manager mean when he says, “There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being” (88), and why is this statement significant to the play?

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now

Related Titles

By Thornton Wilder

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Thornton Wilder

The Matchmaker: A Farce in Four Acts

The Skin of Our Teeth

Featured Collections

American Literature

View Collection

Community Reads

Dramatic Plays

Mortality & Death

Pulitzer Prize Fiction Awardees &...

Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love

by Thornton Wilder

• Our Town Summary

Our Town opens with "no curtain, no scenery." The Stage Manager , who serves as a narrator and an intermediary between the audience and the characters, introduces the play and the production. He tells us that we will be considering the town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire: an ordinary town at the turn of the twentieth century with no particular claim to fame. The Stage Manager walks us through the opening of a day in 1901, and the morning rituals of the Webb and Gibbs families. Dr. Gibbs is on his way home from delivering twins. Both mothers come downstairs and prepare breakfast, while their children - Emily and Wally Webb , and George and Rebecca Gibbs - get ready for school. Once the children have left, Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb talk outside about their husbands and about travel until the Stage Manager interrupts the scene.

He introduces two experts on Grover's Corners: a professor and the town newspaper editor Mr. Webb , who give us a socioeconomic account of the town. Individuals in the audience question Mr. Webb about alcohol abuse, love of culture, and social awareness in the community. When the interview has finished, the Stage Manager brings us back to the day at hand. Emily and George are on their way home from school, and George tells Emily that he can see her at her desk from his window. She agrees to help him with his homework in the future.

The Stage Manager pauses the narrative and tells about the time capsule that will be placed in the cornerstone of the new bank in Grover's Corners. A copy of Our Town will be included in the time capsule, so that future people will know how the citizens of Grover's Corners lived, loved, and died.

When the day resumes, it is evening; the town choir sings the hymn, "Blessed be the tie that binds." George and Emily sit atop of ladders, representing their second floor bedrooms, as Emily helps George with his homework. Emily gazes at the moon while George moons at Emily. Mrs. Gibbs comes home from choir practice and tells her husband that Simon Stimson , the choirmaster, was drunk again. Dr. Gibbs also calls George downstairs and reprimands him for not helping his mother with chores. Mr. Webb walks home from work and runs into the drunken Simon, who resists Mr. Webb and the constable's perfunctory efforts to look after him. Back upstairs in the Gibbs house, George and Rebecca continue to look at the moon, and Rebecca wonders about a letter her friend received, with an address line that included unnecessary information about the girl's location in the solar system. The Stage Manager dismisses the audience for intermission.

The Second Act begins much like the first act, but three years later on Emily and George's wedding day. Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs talk about how young the couple are, and what their own marriage was like in its early days. George goes next door to visit Emily, but her parents prevent the bridegroom from seeing his bride; he chats awkwardly with Mr. Webb about the value of marriage.

The Stage Manager interrupts and presents a flashback to a year previous, when George and Emily first realized that they were meant to be together at the end of their junior year of high school. George has just been elected class president and Emily elected class secretary and treasurer. While walking home, George asks Emily why she does not treat him the same way she used to, and she says that he has changed a lot since his success as a baseball player. She says that George has grown arrogant and has failed to notice her affection. George says that he appreciates her criticism and will try to change, and that he hopes she will write to him when he goes away to college. After talking about it a little more, George realizes that he does not want to go away to college after all, not if it would mean losing interest in the people of Grover's Corners. He asks Emily if she would possibly be his girl, and she says that she always has been.

The Stage Manager ends the flashback, and introduces the wedding scene. He steps into the role of the minister, and talks about the institution of marriage. While walking down the aisle, George and Emily panic, but their parents reassure them and the Stage Manager/Minister goes on with the ceremony.

The Third Act begins nine years later, and takes place in the cemetery, signified by three rows of equally spaced chairs on one side of the stage. Mrs. Gibbs, Wally Webb, Simon Stimson, and others sit in these graves. The Stage Manager introduces the cemetery and discusses the nature of death and the soul. On the other side of the stage, the undertaker talks to Sam, a Grover's Corners boy who has been out of town for the last few years. He has returned to town for Emily's funeral - she died in childbirth. He also notes the graves of Mrs. Gibbs and Simon, who killed himself.

The funeral party enters, with black umbrellas. The dead talk amongst themselves, commenting on the weather and the choice of hymns. Emily emerges from among the mourners and sits down next to Mrs. Gibbs. She is anxious and talkative, and she attempts to update her mother-in-law on her life since she died, but Mrs. Gibbs is not much interested. Emily wonders how long it will be before she stops feeling connected to the living people. She realizes that she has the ability to go back to one day of her life and re-live it, and she asks the Stage Manager for permission to do so. Mrs. Gibbs warns her that it is not a good idea to return to her life, but Emily insists, and chooses her twelfth birthday.

The Stage Manager begins to describe Grover's Corners for Emily as he did for us in the first act, and she sees the town appear on the empty side of the stage. Emily watches as her mother prepares breakfast and lays out her birthday presents, and then she enters the room and both says her lines as twelve-year-old Emily and comments on the scene she is watching. She finds it very distressing. Emily begs her mother to slow down and look at her, to appreciate how happy they were, but the scene just charges forward and Emily can't stop it. She tells the Stage Manager that she sees now why they warned her not to go back, and she says goodbye to living world and returns to the cemetery. She is saddened by the experience, but wiser, and better able to detach herself when George appears and flings himself at the foot of her grave. Emily surmises that the living are incapable of understanding life. The Stage Manager draws the curtain, and sends everyone home.

Our Town Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Our Town is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Match these -.-

1) "They'll have a lot of troubles, I suppose, but that's none of our business.

Everybody has a right to their own troubles." Doctor Gibbs

3) George, I was thinking the other night of some advice my father gave me when I got...

What type of behavior does the Stage Manager describe as “layers and layers of nonsense”?

stfu you stupid bean. I can tell your from mexico

What does Bessie’s reluctance to change her route reveal about the daily routine of the residents of Grover’s Corners?

It represents the lack of change in their society: the comfort they find in the familiar and the routine. These routines are part of their identity.

Study Guide for Our Town

Our Town study guide contains a biography of Thornton Wilder, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Our Town
• Character List

Essays for Our Town

Our Town essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Our Town by Thornton Wilder.

• Hymns and Music as Markers in Time and Part of Rituals
• An Essential Foundation: The Role Setting Plays in American Theatre
• The Importance of Our Town's Narrator
• Medicine in the Early 1900's: Essential Context for Emily's Death
• A Mundane Story to a Life-Changing Experience: The Act-by-Act Insights of Our Town

Lesson Plan for Our Town

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Our Town
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Our Town Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Our Town

• Introduction
• Composition

Thornton Wilder

Everything you need for every book you read..

The town of Grover’s Corners is built on the smaller community of the family. The family unit is the building block of the town, where the same family names can be found on tombstones in the town cemetery going back many years. The first act of Our Town focuses mostly on two homes, those of the Gibbs and the Webbs, where the central family structure can be seen, with husband, wife, and children. Marriage is the essential union of two people that creates this family unit.

The second act of the play is centered around the creation of a new family through the marriage of George and Emily . Mr. Webb stresses to George that he is a firm believer in the importance of marriage, and Mrs. Gibbs insists that “people are meant to go through life two by two.” However, characters in the play also regard the institution of marriage more negatively at times. Both Emily and George panic as their wedding draws near, and Emily tells her father that she does not want to get married. This is partly because marriage means growing up and leaving the comfortable family structure she is used to. While George and Emily come around to marrying each other, some doubts about marriage linger in the play. Mrs. Webb says at one point that “there’s something downright cruel about sending our girls into marriage this way,” and Mrs. Gibbs calls wedding ceremonies “perfectly awful things,” and “farces.”

Moreover, marriages in Our Town tend to place wives in somewhat submissive roles. While Dr. Gibbs and Mr. Webb are loving husbands, they tend to exert some kind of control over their wives or at least have the final word in their marriages. We see this especially when Dr. Gibbs continually squashes any discussion his wife wants to have about traveling outside of Grover’s Corners or his taking a vacation from work. Nonetheless, as the ultimately happy union between George and Emily suggests, Wilder presents marriage as a beneficial institution, the fundamental building block of both the family and the town community, even if there are tragic or imperfect undertones in the play’s marriages.

Marriage and the Family ThemeTracker

Marriage and the Family Quotes in Our Town

Almost everybody in the world gets married,—you know what I mean? In our town there aren’t hardly any exceptions. Most everybody in the world climbs into their graves married.

The First Act was called the Daily Life. This act is called Love and Marriage. There’s another act coming after this: I reckon you can guess what that’s about.

And how do you think I felt!—Frank, weddings are perfectly awful things. Farces,—that’s what they are!

Yes... people are meant to go through life two by two. ’Tain’t natural to be lonesome.

Don’t you misunderstand me, my boy. Marriage is a wonderful thing,—wonderful thing. And don’t you forget that, George.

George, I was thinking the other night of some advice my father gave me when I got married. Charles, he said, Charles, start out early showing who’s boss, he said. Best thing to do is give an order, even if it don’t make sense; just so she’ll learn to obey. [...] Well, Mr. Webb... I don’t think I could... So I took the opposite of my father’s advice and I’ve been happy ever since.

Oh, I’ve got to say it: you know, there’s something downright cruel about sending our girls out into marriage this way.

And George over there, looking so ...! I hate him. I wish I were dead. Papa! Papa! Emily! Emily! Now don’t get upset... But, Papa,—I don’t want to get married.... Sh—sh—Emily. Everything’s all right. Why can’t I stay for a while just as I am?

Themes And Ideas In Thorton Wilder's Our Town

Many people believe that when they die, they have lived life to the fullest, having lived each day joyfully. However, in Thorton Wilder’s Our Town, that thought process is challenged. In the 1940 version of Our Town, distributed by United Artists, Thorton Wilder uses themes and ideas to defy the expectations of the audience in a seemingly simple play. Doing so, he urges the audience to listen to the characters and the messages that they send. Through Thornton Wilder’s utilization of themes, ideas, and a centralizing character, he crafts Our Town in a way that makes the audience reevaluate their own lives, while simultaneously making them question their eventual death. Wilder uses the form of the play to create a connection between the characters of the play and the audience so that the audience can sympathize with the characters. The play deals with simple, everyday life , thus relating the content of the play to the audience. Wilder uses a reference to normal activities in the life of a small American town. For example, parents wake up their kids early for breakfast and school, something that people often take for granted. Howie Newsome arrives every day with the milk, and the newspaper arrives twice a week, each a …show more content…

Wilder first uses minimalism at the beginning of the play, thus wanting to convey a need to remove unnecessities early on. The use of a minimal stage in Act I places emphasis on what is said rather than what is seen by the audience (Papajewski). The stage is opened with nothing but two tables and a few chairs. Doing this, Wilder omits scenery and most props. Moreover, there are no breathtaking effects in the play, contributing to the minimalistic way that Wilder created it (Wiles). The minimalism that Thorton Wilder uses not only acts as a literary theme in the play, but it also helps in getting his message across more

Laura Ingalls Wilder Research Paper

Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls Wilder was a children 's book author. She is the author of the famous Little House on the Prairie series. She had a very interesting life and career. She also had a very fun filled life.

Compare And Contrast Hitchhiker And An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

Everyone with a family cares for each other, even when they are dying or want to die. Sometimes when family members are dying, it brings the family close together, which is a good thing. But sometimes the one family member feels left out or they don’t what is happening in their life, so they want to die, which is not always the best answer. “The Hitchhiker” by Lucille Fletcher is a play about a son that is going to California for a trip. “ An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” is a short story that is about Peyton who died hanging from a bridge.

Similarities Between Maxson And Willy Loman

The Similarities of Willy Loman and Troy Maxson in Death of a Salesman and Fences Willy Loman and Troy Maxson, as the protagonists of Death of a Salesman and Fences, respectively, has shown significant similarities in the plays over their social status, personalities, and relationship with their family members. On the other hand, there are also many noteworthy differences between them to be discussed, such as those in understanding of their own status, in the expectation toward the children, and in their family and friend’s reaction at the demise of themselves. Willy Loman and Troy Maxson share similarly hard-pressed life situation, but they view such hardship completely differently. In the play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is a figure deeply focusing on his fame and relationship with his social friends. As a salesman, Willy dreams of making successful deals as well as becoming appreciated by other people.

How To Stop Panic In The Crucible

This shows that people need to do the right thing no matter how hard it is so that events in real life do not get out of hand like they did in the play and like they did in the real Salem Witch

Brief Summary Of The Play Our Town

The play Our Town is about the people of a small town of Grover's Corners in New Hampshire. This play focuses mainly on two families, the Gibbs and the Webbs. The play portrays teenage years, love and marriage, and death throughout the three acts. Throughout the play, Emily Webb, Mrs. Gibbs, and Joe Crowell suddenly die suddenly when they had their whole lives ahead of them. Wilder conveys that death happens at any time so one should live every day like it will be their last.

How Does Delillo Present The Inevitability Of Death

Regardless how unique and unparalleled individuals throughout society may seem, there is one inevitable commonality that all of humanity must encounter: death. Don DeLillo presents the inevitability of death through the Gladney family in his post-modern novel White Noise. Through the journey and characterization of protagonist Jack Gladney, readers are capable of recognizing how uncomfortable the subject of death truly is, as well as how individuals repress their fear of dying. However, DeLillo’s also focuses intensely on other aspects of American society, such as consumerism and humanity’s impact on nature, through his unique implementation of literary elements. Analyzing DeLillo’s White Noise through the Marxist, psychoanalytic, environmentalist,

10 Out Of 12 Analysis

The cast of the play are unaware of the audience, however, the audience is able to listen to dialogue that occurs throughout the theater, whether it is in the headsets between technicians, on stage between the actors playing their characters in the play and between the director and actors who make adjustments when necessary. The third fourth wall was at its edge of breaking, where the audience is almost unable to tell whether what they are experiencing is real or not. As an observer of the rehearsal of this play, this wall was broken when I understood that what I was watching was a rehersal of a play, of a rehearsal of a play. It was difficult to describe or understand when the cast of 10 out of 12 were actually in or out of character. The complexity of this play lies in the use of metatheatre, which has been exploited to its fullest extent

A Raisin In The Sun Film Analysis

While both stage and screen portrayals were highly acclaimed there are some similarities as well as some marked differences in each interpretation. On the surface, the first difference noted between the stage and screen versions are the sets. The stage version describes the setting of the play, the Younger family living room, as a

Rhetorical Analysis Of We Were The Mulvaneys

In the following passage from the novel We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates laments that even though most everything in one’s surrounding is dying, not everyone has managed to find the adequate amount of maturity to accept the fact that they are not immortal, even though the idea of death is difficult to come to terms with. Oates conveys this universal idea and characterizes the narrator through the usage of a depressing tone and dismal imagery. The tone set in the passage is fairly dark and depressing. An “eleven or maybe twelve,” year old child should not be fixated on the idea that “every heart beat is past and gone.”

Mr. Burns Play Analysis

1. Mr. Burns presents a unique take on the field of acting. During the first act, there was a closed off and often quiet tone to the play. The characters are all spaced out and separated even as their common conversation is being given. The only time they come closer together figuratively and literally is when they’re feeling threatened.

Who Is Laura A Dynamic Character In The Glass Menagerie

In literature, certain characters are incorporated in order to influence the plot. In the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Williams shows the audience specific aspects of characters in order to influence how they are perceived. The character of Laura Wingfield develops the plot and the audience’s perception of her transitions from a timid girl to a normal woman because of her interactions with Jim O’Connor. To begin, Laura and Jim’s kiss develops Laura’s transition from girl into woman. For example, Laura seems to be innocent since she is so romantically inexperienced by the age of 23.

Charlie Brown Christmas Play Analysis

The productions of this play were successful through stage design, lighting crewing, and acting. Those three aspects made the quality of the play stand out to me, as an audience member. The production of the set design of the play was a good effort. The set design for the play staging aims for the sweet spot between feeding adult nostalgia and satisfying a new generation of children.

Similarities Between Wheatley And Anne Bradstreet

Although they lead different lifestyles, Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley both deal differently with death in Before the Birth of One of Her Children and To a Gentleman… the latter in a way that is more optimistic than the former. Many similarities are present throughout the writings of the two poets when it comes to the way they speak of death and how to cope with it. Both poets acknowledge their christian beliefs in saying that God holds all power when it comes to death and we, humans, are powerless in that domain. When talking about the fragile subject of death, Bradstreet says, “No ties so strong, no friends so dear and sweet,/ But with death’s parting blow is sure to meet./ The sentence past is most irrevocable,/

The Role Of Eternity In Thornton Wilder's Our Town

By doing so, Thornton Wilder simplifies his play and further develops the Stage Manager’s definition of eternity. The props symbolize the small details of life since their absence does not affect the play, and characters recognize the small details of life after they transition into eternity; therefore, this absence conforms to the Stage Manager’s belief that eternity serves as a bridge between ungrateful and modesty. Audience members observe the missing props in the beginning of the play: “...he stops, setting down his-- imaginary-- black bag, takes off his hat, and rubs his face with fatigue…” (Wilder 24) along with Emily’s realization of smaller details, such as how young her mother is, in Act III, after she passes into eternity. Evidently, the events in the play concur with the Stage Manager’s definition of eternity and the purpose it

Reality And Its Illusions In Raymond Carver's 'Errand'

Many fantasize when and how will die and so, Carver’s writing of Chekhov helped imagine what his might be like. The story uses “good death” to stabilize the idea of human imagination. “Errand” uses imagination

More about Themes And Ideas In Thorton Wilder's Our Town

Related topics.

• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Ginevra King
• William Shakespeare

Suggestions

• Don Quixote
• The Book Thief
• The Picture of Dorian Gray

Please wait while we process your payment

Reset Password

Your password reset email should arrive shortly..

If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.

Something went wrong

Log in or create account.

•   Be between 8-15 characters.
•   Contain at least one capital letter.
•   Contain at least one number.
•   Be different from your email address.

By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy .

Don’t have an account? Subscribe now

Create Your Account

Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial

• Ad-free experience
• Note-taking
• Flashcards & Quizzes
• AP® English Test Prep
• Plus much more

Already have an account? Log in

Choose Your Plan

Group Discount

$4.99 /month + tax

$24.99 /year + tax

Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!

Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?

Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!

$24.99 $18.74   / subscription + tax

Subtotal $37.48 + tax

Save 25% on 2-49 accounts

Save 30% on 50-99 accounts

Payment Details

Payment Summary

SparkNotes Plus

 Change

You'll be billed after your free trial ends.

7-Day Free Trial

Not Applicable

Renews April 11, 2024 April 4, 2024

Discounts (applied to next billing)

SNPLUSROCKS20  |  20% Discount

This is not a valid promo code.

Discount Code (one code per order)

SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount

SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at [email protected] . Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.

For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!

You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.

Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.

Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.

Your PLUS subscription has expired

• We’d love to have you back! Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools.
• Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools.
• Go ad-free AND get instant access to grade-boosting study tools!
• Start the school year strong with SparkNotes PLUS!
• Start the school year strong with PLUS!
• Study Guide

Thornton Wilder

Unlock your free sparknotes plus trial, unlock your free trial.

• Ad-Free experience
• Easy-to-access study notes
• AP® English test prep

Suggested Essay Topics

Popular pages: our town, character list characters, stage manager characters, themes literary devices, important quotes explained quotes, full book quick quizzes, take a study break.

QUIZ: Is This a Taylor Swift Lyric or a Quote by Edgar Allan Poe?

The 7 Most Embarrassing Proposals in Literature

The 6 Best and Worst TV Show Adaptations of Books

QUIZ: Which Greek God Are You?

Life Lessons Anyone Can Learn From 'Our Town'

Themes From Thornton Wilder's Play

• Play & Drama Reviews
• Basics & Advice
• Playwrights
• Best Sellers
• Classic Literature
• Shakespeare
• Short Stories
• Children's Books
• M.A., Literature, California State University - Northridge
• B.A., Creative Writing, California State University - Northridge

Since its debut in 1938, Thornton Wilder’s " Our Town " has been embraced as an American classic on the stage. The play is simple enough to be studied by middle school students, yet rich enough in meaning to warrant continual productions on Broadway and in community theaters throughout the nation.

If you need to refresh yourself on the storyline, a  plot summary is available .

What Is the Reason for " Our Town 's" Longevity?

"Our Town " represents Americana; the small-town life of the early 1900s, it is a world most of us have never experienced. The fictional village of Grover’s Corners contains quaint activities of yesteryear:

• A doctor walking through town, making house calls.
• A milkman, traveling alongside his horse, happy in his work.
• Folks talking to one another instead of watching television.
• No one locking their door at night.

During the play, the Stage Manager (the show’s narrator) explains that he is putting a copy of " Our Town " in a time capsule. But of course, Thornton Wilder’s drama is its own time capsule, allowing audiences to glimpse turn-of-the-century New England.

Yet, as nostalgic as " Our Town " appears, the play also delivers four powerful life lessons, relevant to any generation.

Lesson #1: Everything Changes (Gradually)

Throughout the play, we are reminded that nothing is permanent. At the beginning of each act, the stage manager reveals the subtle changes that take place over time.

• The population of Grover’s Corner grows.
• Cars become commonplace; horses are used less and less.
• The adolescent characters in Act One are married during Act Two.

During Act Three, when Emily Webb is laid to rest, Thornton Wilder reminds us that our life is impermanent. The Stage Manager says that there is “something eternal,” and that something is related to human beings.

However, even in death, the characters change as their spirits slowly let go of their memories and identities. Basically, Thornton Wilder’s message is in line with the Buddhist teaching of impermanence.

Lesson #2: Try to Help Others (But Know That Some Things Can’t Be Helped)

During Act One, the Stage Manager invites questions from members of the audience (who are actually part of the cast). One rather frustrated man asks, “Is there no one in town aware of social injustice and industrial inequality?” Mr. Webb, the town’s newspaper editor, responds:

Mr. Webb: Oh, yes, everybody is, -- something terrible. Seems like they spend most of their time talking about who’s rich and who’s poor.​

Man: (Forcefully) Then why don’t they do something about it?

Mr. Webb: (Tolerantly) Well, I dunno. I guess we’re all huntin’ like everybody else for a way the diligent and sensible can rise to the top and the lazy and quarrelsome sink to the bottom. But it ain’t easy to find. Meantime, we do all we can to take care of those who can’t help themselves.

Here, Thornton Wilder demonstrates how we are concerned with the well-being of our fellow man. However, the salvation of others is often out of our hands.

Case in point – Simon Stimson, the church organist and town drunk. We never learn the source of his problems. Supporting characters often mention that he has had a “pack of troubles.” They discuss Simon Stimson’s plight, saying, “I don’t know how that’s going to end.” The townspeople have compassion for Stimson, but they are unable to save him from his self-imposed agony.

Ultimately Stimson hangs himself, the playwright’s way of teaching us that some conflicts do not end with a happy resolution.

Lesson #3: Love Transforms Us

Act Two is dominated by talk of weddings, relationships, and the perplexing institution of marriage. Thornton Wilder takes some good-natured jibes at the monotony of most marriages.

Stage Manager: (To audience) I’ve married two hundred couples in my day. Do I believe in it? I don’t know. I suppose I do. M marries N. Millions of them. The cottage, the go-cart, the Sunday afternoon drives in the Ford—the first rheumatism—the grandchildren—the second rheumatism—the deathbed—the reading of the will—Once in a thousand times it’s interesting.

Yet for the characters involved in the wedding, it is more than interesting, it is nerve-wracking! George Webb, the young groom, is frightened as he prepares to walk to the altar. He believes that marriage means that his youth will be lost. For a moment, he doesn’t want to go through with the wedding because he doesn’t want to grow old.

His bride to be, Emily Webb, has even worse wedding jitters.

Emily: I never felt so alone in my whole life. And George, over there – I hate him – I wish I were dead. Papa! Papa!

For a moment, she begs her father to steal her away so that she can always be “Daddy’s Little Girl.” However, once George and Emily gaze at each other, they calm one another’s fears, and together they are prepared to enter adulthood.

Many romantic comedies portray love as a fun-filled rollercoaster ride. Thornton Wilder views love as a profound emotion that propels us towards maturity.

Lesson #4: Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) 

Emily Webb’s funeral takes place during Act Three. Her spirit joins the other residents of the graveyard. As Emily sits next to the late Mrs. Gibbs, she looks sadly at the living humans nearby, including her grieving husband.

Emily and the other spirits can go back and relive moments from their lives. However, it is an emotionally painful process because the past, present, and future are realized all at once.

When Emily revisits her 12th birthday, everything feels too intensely beautiful and heartbreaking. She returns to the grave where she and the others rest and watch the stars, waiting for something important. The narrator explains:

Stage Manager: Y’know the dead don’t stay interested in us living people for very long. Gradually, gradually, they let go hold of the earth—and the ambitions they had—and the pleasures they had—and the things they suffered—and the people they loved. They get weaned away from the earth {…} They’re waitin’ for something they feel is coming. Something important and great. Aren’t they waitin’ for that eternal part of them to come out -- clear?

As the play concludes, Emily comments upon how the Living do not understand how wonderful yet fleeting life is. So, although the play reveals an afterlife, Thornton Wilder urges us to seize each day and appreciate the wonder of each passing moment.

• A Summary of Our Town
• The Best Plays For New Theatergoers
• Must-Read Books If You Like Romeo and Juliet
• "All My Sons": The Main Characters
• Act 1 Plot Summary of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons"
• Love in 'Romeo and Juliet'
• Plot Summary of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing"
• Meaningful Life Lessons We Learn From Teachers at School
• The Role of Fate in 'Romeo and Juliet'
• Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Toast Quotes
• Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
• 'A Rose for Emily' Questions for Study and Discussion
• Illeism (Self-Talk)
• Hamlet Themes
• Shakespeare's Comedy 'Much Ado About Nothing'
• 35 Wedding Anniversary Wishes to Bless Married Couples

Our Town Themes

Throughout Thornton Wilder's play “Our Town” he showcases different aspect he adds to his plays and the various theme's he incorporates into them as well. Such of these aspects is the fact that he is a minimalist, and decides not to add too much props into the play Also, How Wilder created this play by simply using the Stage Manager to not only narrate the play, but also a way to make much like an ordinary citizen of Grover’s Corner. Finally Wilder created different themes to throughout his poem each theme basically created it own act as life, love and ending with death as the final act. This essay will focus on the way Widler created the Stage Manager to not only narrate and communicate with the audience, but also become a part of the play …show more content…

Instead, Wilder takes the approach of using the Stage Manager himself to begin adding more props as the play continues and keeps on addressing the audience. Wilder uses the Stage Managers to contain the minimalism to bring out the creativity of the audience in a way can imagine any almost any town they want if they have visited it or just simply visualize their own. Wilder makes the Stage Manager seem as if he is unbound by time or place because he not only narrates what going on in the present but also in the past and also in the afterlife. In a way. Wilder gives the Stage manager a God like presence, as he is able to move around freely by ignoring the confinement of time and space. There are different examples of this throughout the play such as he is able to allow Emily to go back to a certain part of her life to relive after she has died. As Emily states to the Stage Manager “I can go back there and live off all those days over again...why not?(Wilder 98). The Stage Manager responds with “Yes some have tried-but they soon come back here.” In other words, Wilder is showing the Stage Manager is basically like a powerful being in the story, he could be considered as God since he is given the power to send a spirit to a certain point in their lives. Adding to this is the fact that he is easily able to provide what is happening and what is going to happen to …show more content…

The Stage Manager not only simply introduces them to the audience but also gave notice to the character of their death. As a God like being that isn’t bound to the rules of time and space ,but still guides the people of Grover’s Corner through life, marriage, and eventually death. This was shown by the Stage Manager guiding Emily through her life by giving her advice as the store clerk in act I, being the Minster at her wedding, and finally receiving her in the afterlife. Wilder in other words gave the Stage Manager the role to play an ordinary citizen but also someone to guide them when they need the

Attitudes Towards Mental Illness in the Play Cosi by Louis Nowra

• 1 Works Cited

Stage directions are used during the play to reveal even more of the personality of each of the characters. The extremely-confident personality of Nick is made clear in the first scene, when Nick, Lucy and Lewis first enter the darkened theatre, and Nick starts to toy with Lucy in the dark, pretending to be a ghost. Stage directions can also be used to reveal the feelings of characters. When Lucy and Nick leave, and Lewis is left with Roy, you can tell just by watching the way Lewis holds his body, and moves about the stage, he feels betrayed by Lucy, and by Nick.

Our Town Play Analysis

Our Town is a play written by Thornton Wilder in 1937. Our Town is a play about the daily life in Act One, love and marriage in Act Two and death and dying in Act Three. The play is about two main characters, Emily Webb and George Gibbs. The play in Act One just goes through the daily life of the characters. Act Two it shows the love and marriage between these two characters and last Act Three shows life after death of the characters. The play has a man called the Stage Manager that is mainly a narrator throughout the play but also takes on the role of people in the town. The Stage Manager knows many thing about the people in the play Our Town.  The Stage Manager steps in, describes scenes, and seems to start and stop the action of the play whenever he wants. The Stage Manager has many similarities to God. The Stage Manager doesn't only know everything about everyone, he can also see into the future. The Stage Manager is also present in every scene watching it all play out. The Stage Manager and God are different because the Stage Manager unlike God makes

Double Indemnity Comparison

Wilder uses the main character as the narrator, who describes to the viewers/audience members, events that had previously taken place. This uniquely used technique makes Wilder’s audience go “stir crazy,” and captivates and sparks the audience's self curiosity to find out what happened. It is also important to note that this technique creates a relation between the narrator and the audience members, which is important because the audience members will hear a complete story of the character’s self experience. Through the narration the male character, relieves the stress, guilt, and burdens onto the “audience” members. We (the audience) are guided by the narrator to understand and unravel the films

The Meaning Of Life In Thornton Wilder's Our Town

Wilder’s exploration of the brevity of life is important in Our Town for many reasons. In the beginning of the book, the stage manager describes Joe Crowell in detail: “ So he would go on to get a scholarship to Massachusetts Tech. He was going to be a

The Stage Manager In Our Town By Thornton Wilder

Wilder created the Stage Manager for various of reasons. The stage Manager is unique in that his presence fills every scene, whether he is the one speaking to the audience or playing a character in the play. The Stage Manager provides background information and familiarizes the audience with Grover’s Corners and the characters. The Stage Manager is aware that the audience are present and breaks down the “fourth wall” to speak to the audience directly, ignoring the confines of the stage. “The Stage Manager wants the audience to really be there with the characters and wants us to listen and look at him” (Millman).

Our Town Movie Vs Play

The movie Our Town was a 1938 American three-act play directed by Thornton Wilder. The movie tells the story about a fictional American town known as Grover’s Corners between 1901 and 1913. Throughout the mover, the director uses meta-theatrical tools to set the play in the theatres where such play was being conducted. The main character in this film is the stage manager who addresses the audience directly. The stage manager also brings in guest lecturers into the play by fielding questions from the viewers as well as filling some of the roles (TheConnection np). The major differences between this play and others are that the actors perform without a proper set and the acting is done without props.

Some Thoughts On Playwriting By Thornton Wilder

He himself paid a lot of attention to such a matter. In his essay entitled “Some Thoughts on Playwriting” (1941), Wilder argued that there are four principles which make drama very distinctive and different from the other arts. The most relevant of these principles of the dramatic genre is that “It is addressed to the group-mind;” 3 which means that drama orientates its message a very broad audience. Stresau affirms that it is not possible to exclude the fact that Thornton Wilder paid a lot of attention to the future in his work which “contains the man of twentieth century who, in the maelstrom of toppling orders, has frighteningly lost his orientation. Faced with the question of how to live, what is left for him but to trust … the promise that grows out of the unknowable?”

Our Town Analysis Essay

Our Town is a play that takes place near the turn of the century in the small rural town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. The playwright, Thornton Wilder is trying to convey the importance of the little, often unnoticed things in life. Throughout the first two acts he builds a scenario, which allows the third act to show that we as humans often run through life oblivious to what is actually happening. Wilder attempts to show life as something that we take for granted. We do not realize the true value of living until we are dead and gone. The through-line of the action seems to be attention to the details of life. Wilder builds up a plot that pays attention to great details of living.

Paradox In Our Town

The Stage Manager maintains a somber tone throughout the play that deeply contrasts with the joy perpetually exuded by the other characters. Wilder emphasizes this contrast particularly during the wedding, in which the Stage Manager offsets the “radiant” atmosphere and digresses: “The cottage, the go-cart, the Sunday-afternoon drives in the Ford, The first rheumatism, the grandchildren, the second rheumatism, the deathbed, the reading of the will.” In this passage the Stage Manager describes life as a list of events, thereby expressing his apathy for it. Wilder, therefore, conveys the consequences of recognizing life’s finality. The finality of existence consumes the Stage Manager and causes him to disengage from his surroundings which prevents him from seeing the meaning and importance in a particular moment. His aversion to life is evident when he states, “Once in a thousand times it's interesting.” The Stage Manager merely views life as transient, and despite having the capacity to appreciate it, he is unable to because he only sees value in things that have longevity. Hence, why he is so adamant about putting a copy of the play in the time capsule he mentions because it will be preserved and “the people a thousand years from now’ll know a few simple facts about

The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder illustrates a family dodging one catastrophe after

Man-made and natural disasters will always repeat themselves differently and the human race has the power to take over it or be taken over by it. This play explores themes of drive and flexibility, as well as the failings of our species. Another theme I believe is for this play is Illusion vs. Reality. Trying to create a "real" world on the stage is what traditional realistic plays do. They encourage the audience to forget that they are watching actors play roles in a fictional play. Wilder continuously interrupts this sort of theatrical illusion to remind the audience that they are watching a performance.

Charles Baxter 's The Art Of Subtext

The first chapter, “The Art of Staging” claims “Staging in fiction involves putting characters in specific strategic positions in the scene so that some unvoiced nuance is revealed.” (Baxter 13) This includes the character’s standing positions, their proximity to each other, specific gestures and facial expressions, which give the reader more insight to the scene and the characters without explicitly saying so. This goes hand in hand with the setting of the atmosphere where atmosphere sets the dominant tone or the mood of a story. The atmosphere can be in reference to the setting or the characters themselves. Here, the reader is to read between the lines. The key to this is using a lot of detail which is crucial to providing the information.

Manipulation Of The Stage Manager In The Play Our Town

To begin, the stage manager is important because of the way he/she portrays their function through manipulation of time. The Stage Manager is more than just a narrator in the play Our Town, because he/she is there to help remind the audience to focus on the important things of the play, to help you figure out the main message. Towards the end of act I, we finish that scene with the people of Grover’s Corner finishing their normal day life. The stage manager then begins act II with, “Three years have gone by. Some babies that weren’t even born before have begun talking regular sentences already; and a number of people who thought they were right and young and spry have noticed that they can’t bound up a flight of stairs like they used to, without their heart fluttering a little” (Wilder 47).

Stage Manager's Role In Our Town

Not being the most popular play in modern society, “Our Town” along with many more of Wilder’s plays won the Pulitzer Prize. “Our Town” shows you many traditional American values, such as religion, community, family, and the pleasures of life. “Our Town” uses the role of Stage Manager as a character throughout the play. “Our Town” makes it possible for Emily to speak from the grave. Although, the events, characters, and settings of “Our Town” are unexceptional, “Our Town” addresses such a universal theme such as human condition and mortality.

What Is Community Engagement In Theatre

When I first began directing, to me, the play was the thing. My mind was focused on the goings on of the stage with limited awareness beyond its borders. It seemed that dealing with the audience was somebody else’s job. If I directed a great play, I thought, people would come and like it. Job done. “Why this play now?” was a philosophical, intellectual question—but not something I really confronted in an educational setting.

The Theme Of Existence In 'The Skin Of Our Teeth'

Wilder specifically uses characters, setting, and dialogue to present his ideas through the many themes in the play. The characters are both middle-class Americans and allegorical figures, as they represent something beyond themselves. Those characters, or allegorical figures, face natural and manmade tragedies in Excelsior, New Jersey, and the Atlantic City Boardwalk. As the characters face the tragedies, they often step out of their character and speak directly to the audience. Through the

Related Topics

• English-language films
• Thornton Wilder