Our Town by Thornton Wilder
The play takes place in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire and tells the story of the blossoming love between two young residents, George and Emily. The two have known each other since childhood; being neighbors, it is easy for them to converse through their windows on the second floor. As they grow older, George becomes condescending and full of pride as Emily defends his behavior when other children choose to make comments on it. George is touched by her actions and vows to try to be a better man who is worthy of her kindness. Despite some anxiety, the two eventually get married and live happily together. Sadly, this happiness does not last long as Emily dies during childbirth later on. Emily’s ghost watches her funeral alongside the other ghosts of residents who have passed away. While speaking to them, she makes the discovery that she is able to go back in time and view memories of happier times. Although she was advised against it, Emily chooses to go back to see her 12th birthday. She returns to the present day sadden by the fact she could never be as happy as she was on her ninth birthday ever again. As she laments on this thought, George appears at her grave and kisses the headstone. Emily then remarks that the living just don’t understand.
The theme of the story is the inevitability of death. Over the course of the play we are informed of the deaths of some of the residents in the town. The residents are both young and old, male and female, minor and major characters. They include Joe Crowell, young and smart, who was to become an engineer but died in the war, George’s parents, and Emily. All of them were good people and yet they could not avoid death.
The tone is best describe as morbid but cheerful as well. We are informed by the narrator of the impending death of the characters, we know how they will die and when. At the same time we are given a love story to uplift our spirits and give us hope of a happy ending. This hope is crushed by the death of Emily and the sad tone continues on in her afterlife. She regrets not cherishing life enough and can only watch as George cries himself to sleep next to her grave.
The play serves as an allegory for life. It begins and ends but can also be a continuous cycle through reproduction. Emily dies during the birth of her second child but the circle of life continues with her children.
The narrator often breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience directly and informing them of the events that occurred which resulted in the death of so many of the characters.
If viewed on stage, the play makes use of spare props. That is, having as little props as possible so that the audience can focus more on the characters and plot rather than the environment or space that they are in.
As readers, we read the play in third person point of view. We know the actions of the characters but are not given specific insight into a certain character’s thoughts or opinions.
Foreshadowing is present in the story as well. Although we are told of many of the deaths of the characters, we are not told of Emily’s. Instead on the day of the wedding, George goes to visit Emily’s family where they tell him it is bad luck to see the bride on before the ceremony. George does not see Emily but he sees her father instead. After George leaves, Emily’s father exclaims to his wife that it is also bad luck to see the future father-in-law before the ceremony as well. This implies that something terrible will happen to either George or Emily.
The watch of the narrator symbolizes the passing of time and the certainty of death(time running out) while the blooming flowers and birth of Emily’s child represent the life cycle and beauty of nature in spite of death.
The author makes use of direct characterization rather than indirect to get the plot moving in such a short amount of time. He flat out describes George as an honest, young man who is mindful of the opinions of other while also describing Emily as a pretty and smart girl.
