Our Town

Our Town, written by Thornton Wilder in 1938, is sometimes known as one of his best works. "Beautiful and remarkable-one of the sagest, warmest and most deeply human scripts to have come out of theatre...A spiritual experience" (Burbank 151). The play deals with at least three themes. The first theme appears in the first act dealing with daily life. A second theme shows up in Act II dealing with love and marriage. The third theme appears in act III having to do with death. Set on May 7, 1901, the play is told by the omniscient stage manager whose purpose is to provide exposition of background facts. In the first act the stage manager introduces two families: the Gibbses and the Webbs. In act I, Wilder shows us the "activities that go on…

In Thornton Wilder's play entitled Our Town, the Stage Manager argues that everyday life has more importance than the major events historians remember and the archaeologist dig up. Clearly, the Stage Manager made strong, yet an argumentative claim. In this essay, Our Town will be addressed, along with evidence proving the Stage Manager's claim accurate, and counterclaims from many different resources. First, “Our Town” is a 1938 three-act play that tells the story of the fictional American…

In the play, Our Town, there are numerous characters which have their own unique personalities and meet different fates. The character that stuck out to me was Joe Crowell, Jr. He is the town’s paperboy and is a star student. The stage manager then informs the audience of his death. Joe in the future will be killed in France during World War I. This character stuck out to me because of how I could relate to the characters monotonous daily routine as a paperboy. In my own life, I have a daily…

In Our Town, the geography of the book enhances its message. Right in the first paragraph, we are given the longitude and latitude of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, which is where the play is set. These coordinates give us a lot of detail about the setting. We know that it is in New England, an area that experiences all four seasons. The seasons correspond with the theme of the book about how fast time passes. The spring corresponds with the beginning of life, while the fall corresponds with…

In this world, everyone has a time limit; moreover, some have more time than others. It is inevitable to beat death. That is why we are told to live life to the fullest because we never know when our time is up. Our Town is a play in three acts by Thornton Wilder that portrays this way of life. Wilder expertly utilizes the setting and literary devices to show that humans should appreciate the beautiful transient life one is given. The whole play is basically structured in three days. Thornton…

Algona High School’s production of “Our Town” by playwright Thornton Wilder shows that life in itself is beautiful and interesting, but that humans take it for granted every day. This is shown by the activities of everyday people living in Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire. This play shows that even the most mundane tasks and daily activities are still valuable and significant in life, and that though you may not see the end coming, it will come, and that this life we have is transient. The first…

Our Town, written by Thornton Wilder, has much to say on the subject of life and the thought we put into our living. The play is packed with characters making you see a more three dimensional town. Seeing a vast assortment of characters throughout time makes the production feel real to the audience. The main character Emily who we constantly see throughout the production grow and develop not only as a charter but as a person. Emily goes through her teenage years along with George her lifelong…

Thursday, October, 8, 2015, I was privileged with the opportunity to see the production, Our Town, written by Thornton Wilder, and directed by Rose Riordan. Our Town takes place in a small town called Grover’s Corner in the early 1900’s. Our Town is presented in a much different manor than most plays today. Instead of changing sets and meticulously hand painted backdrops, the actors use nothing but some chairs and a pair of ladders. The storyline of the play is intriguing, but not so much as the…

In the play Our Town, Thorton Wilder conveys a theme of the importance of companionship. Wilder conveys this theme using elements of the story in its progression. One element Wilder utilizes to develop the importance of companionship is the relationship between two of the characters of the play, Emily Webb and George Gibbs. In Our Town, Wilder frequently develops the importance of companionship using the relationship of the characters Emily Webb and George Gibbs, particularly in the first and…

‘Our Town’ Essay In the play ‘Our Town’ written by Thornton Wilder, Wilder gives the reader(s) a message or instead perhaps a life lesson. Wilder’s character Emily Webb says in Act III (Page 108) “ Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?- every, every minute? ” The quote is based on this woman going back and reliving her life but only finding sadness. As said Thornton wrote this as a lesson really to all the living, and here might be why. When a person passes away being able…