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. Through the use of small town characters and the element of simplicity, thornton wilder creates universal themes about the cycle of life that reign eternal even today. Thornton wilder s pulitzer prizewinning drama of life in the mythical village of grovers corners, new hampshirean allegorical representation of all lifeis an american. See all books authored by thornton wilder, including our town. Therefore the main aim of this paper is to give an analysis of how thornton wilder tries to teach the audience through several messages implied in our town. Emily has died in childbirth and is about to be buried. The play tells the story of the fictional american small town of grovers. It is a small town, roughly 2600 people, who mostly farm. Our town is a play filled with words and sentences totaling about 112 pages. Wilder s greatest and bestknown work as a playwright, our town opens with the stage managers introduction to grovers corners, a fictional town based on peterborough, new hampshire where wilder often spent his summers. The play is considered a classic portrayal of small town american life.
Wilder wanted the characters themselves to be as representative and archetypal as possible, so that the audience would not tie these events and ideas down to individual character types, but generalize the story to themselves. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The brightest student in her school, she is very much aware of her good qualities. In fact, in the first two years that amateur companies were legally allowed to perform the play, our. Thornton niven wilder was born in madison, wisconsin, on april 17, 1897, the only survivor of twin brothers. The collected short plays of thornton wilder, volume ii by. Our town, drama in three acts by thornton wilder, produced and published in 1938. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of our town by thornton wilder. Thornton wilders pulitzer prizewinning our town tells the story of a small town. One of the most honored and versatile of modern writers, thornton wilder combined a career as a successful novelist with work for the theater that made him one of this centurys outstanding dramatists. The act opens with the appearance of the stage manager, who speaks directly to the audience. Third, he knows what will happen in the future, and sometimes comments on events that will happen to characters years later. Stimsons misfortunes to explore the limitations of small town life.
Our town, by thornton wilder is a play that takes place in a small fictional town of grovers corner, new hampshire. Our town shows us the power of god in all aspects of our lives. This study guide consists of approximately 24 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of our town. Our town study guide contains a biography of thornton wilder, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Wilder wanted the characters themselves to be as representative and archetypal as possible, so that the audience would not tie these events and ideas down to individual character types. Act ii opens with a monologue from the stage manager. Wilder uses george and emily s relationship to ponder the questions of love and marriage in general. Character analysis of our town by thornton wilder 770. With this play, thornton wilder tries to get us in general not to live life in a blur and to stop and smell the roses. Since its debut in 1938, thornton wilder s our town has been embraced as an american classic on the stage. Act i, which wilder calls daily life, is a recreation of the normal daily activities found in a small new hampshire town. Narrated by the stage manager, we follow the gibbs and webb families, residents of grovers corners, through twelve years. Thornton niven wilder april 17, 1897 december 7, 1975 was an american playwright and novelist. But what amazes me most is the realistic view of our.
It is an example of meta theatre, and chronicles the lives. Our town plot summary, character breakdowns, context and analysis, and. With the start of world war ii, wilder enlisted in the u. His mother, the daughter of a minister, and his father, a strict, moody newspaper editor, both had a strong influence on the view of the world that he would eventually develop. Our town questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on our town. Doc gibbs refuses to take time to rest when his services are in demand, and mr. He tells where all of the main buildings of the town are located and gives pertinent facts about grovers corners. In the 1930s, wilder moved from novels to broadway.
Even though it was written over 50 years ago it still resonates deep within its audience, our town is full of relatable characters that everyone has known at some point in their lives. The play our town tells the story of two simple families, the gibbs and the webbs, living in the town of grovers corners, new hampshire. At sixteen, she is at a stage of life where she concentrates on looks and appearance. Next, there is a summary of the play and its characters and a discussion. Both won pulitzer prizes, and neither has ever been out of print. It was an early short novel, however, that first brought him fame. Our town character analysis our town is an american classic written by thornton wilder in 1938. Our town is a short powerful play by thornton wilder. Charles webb the editor and publisher of the sentinel, the towns newspaper, and one of its most. Our town is a play by thornton wilder that revolves around life in the small town of grovers corners, new hampshire. Join stageagent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Our town really refers to grovers corners, an imaginary small town.
The town they describe is grovers corners, new hampshire. This edition of the play differs only slightly from previous acting editions, yet it presents our town as thornton wilder wished it to be performed. Thornton wilder knew this, and very carefully reminds us of this open secret. A play in three acts, and the bridge of san luis rey, and more on. Expectations of living in our town the play our town by thornton wilder relates directly to the quote this is the story of america. Our town really refers to grovers corners, an imaginary small town located in new hampshire, just across the massachusetts line. A landmark in american drama, thornton wilder s pulitzer prizewinning our town tells the story of a small town, grovers corners, new hampshire, in order to tell us the story of every town, the whole world over. The play is especially popular in amateur productions, put on by schools or community groups. Telling the story of grovers corners, a fictional small town, it takes place between 1901 and 19, tracking the lives of a group of ordinary, smalltown americans as they go about their daily routines. Our town leaves us with a sense of blessing, and the unspoken but palpable command to achieve gratitude in what remains of our days on earth. In the opening scenes, she is entering young womanhood.
Our town is one of the most performed and bestknown plays in american theater. The most prominent characters in this act, the dead souls who already inhabit the cemetery, sit in chairs at the front of the stage. Daily life, love and marriage, and death and eternity. What is an example of foreshadowing in our town by thornton wilder. Our town summary our town by thornton wilder summary and analysis. The main character is the stage manager of the theatre who directly addresses the audience, brings in guest lecturers. Our town conflictprotagonistantagonistclimaxoutcome. Because they have been widely read or performed abroad, this novel and play are not only. Thornton wilder s our town is widely considered to be a classic american play. 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. Everybodys doing what they think theyre supposed to do. It portrays our environment, lives, and death within the very few pages. The characters in our town are married, or will be married, and sex before marriage is unheard of.
The story is so vivid, it draws one into the town, and the lives of the characters. Our town the stage manager welcomes the audience into the theater as he introduces the people and places of grovers corners, new hampshire. Our town settingcharacterscharacter list by thornton. Free study guide for our town by thornton wilder book summary. Our town characters breakdowns including full descriptions with standard casting requirements and expert analysis. Described by edward albee as the greatest american play ever written, the story follows the small town of grovers corners through three acts. Thornton wilder s pulitzer prizewinning drama of life in the mythical village of grovers corners, new hampshirean allegorical representation of all lifeis an american classic.
He informs the audience that the play is moving forward three years in time. Like emily, a character of our town, mentioned, people are not aware of how precious life is. It is an example of meta theatre, and chronicles the lives of ordinary, everyday people, during their ordinary, everyday lives. Thornton wilder books list of books by author thornton. Our town is full of foreshadowing, perhaps more so than in almost any other play. Thornton wilder has 95 books on goodreads with 1459 ratings. The lesson begins with a brief background of the author.
Emily and george, who have been sweethearts for many years, are engaged. Never cut out for small town life, he escapes to the bottle and, eventually, to suicide. It puts plainspoken lyricism on an empty stage with a story as simple as life and death wilder was also an. The play takes the audience through the cycles of life, with the purpose of getting a universal message stating that life shouldnt be taken for granted. The play tells the story of the fictional american small town of grovers corners between 1901 and 19 through the everyday lives of its citizens. He won three pulitzer prizesfor the novel the bridge of san luis rey, and for the plays our town and the skin of our teeth and a u. Our town our town, by thornton wilder, written in 1938, was first performed at the mccarter theatre, new jersey, on the 22nd of january1938. Second, he occasionally leaves his role as narrator to take on the parts of several characters in the play. A minimalist theatrical style sets apart the 1938 recipient of the pulitzer prize for drama. The setting of our town is crucial to the meaning of wilder s play, as indicated by the title.
The protagonist of the play is not a single character, but all of the small town people who live in grovers corners and take life for granted. Grovers corners is the perfect picture of an american town before urbanization automobiles are a novelty, everyone is up in each others business, and milk is still delivered fresh every morning. Our town is a 1938 metatheatrical threeact play by american playwright thornton wilder which won the pulitzer prize for drama. It is the simple story of a love affair that asks timeless questions about the meaning of love, life, and death. The thematic material of our town is often misunderstood as a look at the ordinariness of daily life and how tedious the mundane is, but this is a short sighted claim to wilder s writing, as he provides much more depth and texture than that. Created using powtoon free sign up at youtube create animated videos and animated presentations for free. Whether we understand it or not, every second of us is part of the everything. All in all, our town by thornton wilder is an exceptional play. Stimson appears in the group of dead souls in act iii, having committed suicide by hanging himself in his attic. The setting of our town is crucial to the meaning of wilders play, as indicated by the title. He is perhaps most notable for his short speech in act iii, when he says that human existence is nothing but ignorance and blindness.
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