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Our Town Analysis

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Steffirah Eliscar Summer Reading Entry #1 5 August 2015 After reading the first couple of pages in Our Town by Thornton Wilder, I must say that I am not particularly impressed. The first act is filled with descriptions of the town. The stage manager provides the audience with unnecessary details such as anthropological data, and the population of the town. This play does not seem to have a plot or storyline. It just depicts what the characters are doing at the moment. From what I understand so far Grover’s Corner is located in New Hampshire. It is a small farm town where everyone knows everyone. Financially speaking everyone seems to be on an even plainfield except for the Cartwright family. There are a few churches scattered here …show more content…

He is also the choir director for one of the churches in town. He is the talk of the town as Mrs. Louella Soames, Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb demonstrated by gossiping about him after choir rehearsal. On the same night Constable Warren and Mr. Webb see Simon in the street, only Mr. Webb offers to walk him home. What I found interesting and confusing at the same time was that not one person in town wondered what his reasons for drinking were. Grover’s Corner seemed like the kind of town where everyone was acquainted and if someone had an issue everyone would pitch in together to help or at least talk to the person. What I also found interesting was that Dr. Gibbs the town doctor, did not pay him a visit or offer to help him either. Dr. Gibbs seems like he really enjoys his job of helping people and I would assume he would want to do the same for Simon Stimson I'm curious to know what will happen to Simon by the end of the novel and if at least one person will reach out to …show more content…

This hymn is playing in the background of many significant scenes in this play such as a conversation George and Emily while doing homework in act one, their wedding in act two and Emily’s funeral in act three. During her funeral Emily says that it was her favorite hymn. The significance of this recurring theme is that it shows as Mrs. Gibbs puts it that “Yes...people are meant to go through life two by two. ‘Taint natural to be lonesome” (Wilder 54). This song played during each stage of Emily and George’s relationship. The friendship stage, the newlywed stage and unfortunately the stage where one of them dies. I think this hymn means that we should treasure the ties and relationship that we have with people in our lives because life is fleeting. It could also be demonstrating the cycle of life. The first time the song is played George and Emily were kids. The next time it plays they have just graduated high school and are getting ready to start their lives as husband and wife. The last time it plays although one of them has died they have started a family of their own and a new cycle of

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