Our Town -- by Thornton Wilder (1938)

Description

The show is set in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, a fictional town. Our Town is split into three acts based on daily life, love and marriage, and death. Wilder confesses the play was written out of frustration with theater. Wilder yearns to capture the audience's imagination and humanity's realities in his play about life. The plot is purposefully trivial. Wilder draws the audience to the minutiae of life to raise awareness about the lack of appreciation of everyday living. Narration is provided by the "Stage Manager." A few families are examined by the manager, such as the Gibbs' and Webb's. The romance between George Gibbs and Emily Webb is a major plot-point. In the final act, Emily joins others in death and is given the opportunity to pick a day to review. Her realizations are quite depressing--she recognizes that living people simply do not appreciate the lives they have. It's similar to "A Christmas Carol" in its reflective epiphanies. It's akin to Sunday in the Park with George in putting the ordinary on a pedestal. It's like "It's a Wonderful Life" in its sentimental preachy-ness.     

Main Characters
Stage Manager, narrator
Dr. Gibbs and Mrs. Gibbs
George Gibbs
Emily Webb
Mr. and Mrs. Webb
Mrs. Soames
Howie Newsome

The play is the most-produced play in American history. The show's essence and message are summarized in a wonderful CBS profile.

Candid Reaction

  • The simplicity of stage design and props makes me question if the show is viewed as avante garde or traditional. 
  • The imagination is quickly called into action in this play
  • These conflicts are so commonplace
  • The recalculation of the town's population is effective in developing theme 
  • To have a character named "Belligerent Man" is hilarious to me. 
  • Is the belligerent man's dialogue a commentary on the role of the theater? Is the role of theater to depict reality truthfully or to make a commentary about reality?
  • The repetition of "thousand" and "million" is not lost on any reader
  • For an entirely bland first act, the ending is satisfying. The difficulty experienced in viewing the moon is a splendid little way to develop theme. 
  • The common is made profound when given a universal viewpoint, as illustrated in the address joke at the end of Act One
  • The stage manager is right-- the passage of time is extraordinary
  • Daunting to think of millions of ancestors watching your marriage or life. 
  • Emily's desire for her life to remain comfortable is relatable to any human being. 
  • "Lugubriousness"?! Thanks for including that SAT word, Thornton. 
  • This act makes me sad. 
  • Emily's question is riveting, "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? -- every, every minute" (62). 
  • And that, my friends, is what I call an indictment on mankind. 
Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning

 1.  The Message/Plot

I think that the nakedness of the play is its appeal. It exposes humanity without frills or folly. The message is timeless and the manner in which the message is delivered does not require bells and whistles. The themes of the play resonate with the primal spirit (oxymoron?) of mankind.

Classroom Implications

I can see this text being used in relation to theme, tone, point of view, and diction. It could be fun to have students keep a journal on their everyday lives while discussing this text.

Personal Takeaway

Theater can shape perspectives.

Ranking

Dialogue
Characters
Plot/Conflict
Symbol/Literary Devices
Overall Enjoyment
TOTAL SCORE





5.5
0
Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character
Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity
Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping (.5)
Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story 
Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1
Not consistently realistic
Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity
Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points
Devices somewhat enhance story (1) 
Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1)
2
Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters (1.5)
Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (1.5)  
Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!
Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation
Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idiot's Delight -- by Robert E. Sherwood (1936)

Image
Description Idiot's Delight is Robert Sherwood's first of three Pulitzer Prize-winning plays. The play starred Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne -- a pairing who has a Broadway theater named after them. The play is set at the Hotel Monte Gabriele in the Italian Alps near Switzerland and Austria. Keep in mind that the play is written in between WWI and WWII. The play takes place "in any imminent year" . . . Disturbing? I think so. The play centers on an assortment of international travelers who find themselves stuck in a hotel due to travel restrictions from a looming war. The individuals talk with each other and get to know each other. The play contains classic comedic hallmarks such as mistaken identities and a unification of a couple at the end. However, the play also contains a grim warning to the world: humans are capable of thoughtless evil.  Candid Reactions The Captain confesses, "I too, am a pawn" (16). This line is layered. It is both funny an...
Read more

Alison's House -- by Susan Glaspell (1931)

Image
Description I've reached a point in this project I both dreaded and anticipated with much joy. I am happy to say that I've been able to access these plays either through my own collection or from my local libraries. However, there are some plays that are simply not accessible in these libraries. It frustrates me that my timeline is now less in my control, but it excites me that interlibrary loan exists and can do the hard word for me! Susan Glaspell's Alison's House  is the first play I have had to receive via ILL. The 1931 play is based on Emily Dickinson's life. The play is set on New Year's Eve of 1899 at the Stanhope house . . . or Alison Stanhope's house . . . even though it wasn't her house . . . She did live there on the second floor in her private room. The family is preparing to leave the house and must determine what to do with the remains of her room. Several members of the family have differing opinions on what should be done. Do they pre...
Read more

Rankings

9.75 -- Fences by August Wilson ( 1987 ) 9.5 -- The Subject Was Roses by Frank D. Gilroy (1965) 9.25 -- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (1955) 9.25 -- The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn (1978) 9.25  --   Long Day's Journey into Night  by Eugene O'Neill  (1957) 9.25 -- Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (2007) 9.25 -- Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks ( 2002 ) 9.0 -- Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner (1993)   9.0  --  Anna Christie  by Eugene O'Neill  (1922) 9.0 -- Cost of Living by Martyna Majok ( 2018 ) 9.0 -- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1949) 9.0 -- Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (2005) 9.0 --  The Flick by Annie Baker (2014) 9.0 -- 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman (1983) 9.0 -- Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes ( 2012 ) 8 .75 --  Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill (1920) 8.75 -- How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel ( 1998 ) 8.75 -- ...
Read more