Our Town :: essays research papers

Wilders passionate plea in the short-change is to hold every moment of every day, for life is a fleeting thing. With troubles promptly expanding in Europe and war becoming a looming reality, people were deluge with the negative aspects of life. To see Our townspeople was to escape from the negative and rejoice in the ordinary it reaffirmed faith in the unchanging moral values of subaltern town living. It was obviously the balm that audiences needed in the midst of a pessimistic and changing world. Through his take on, Wilder tries to teach the audience to take into custody the moment and enjoy living. There argon no guarantees about a certain life span, as evidenced by the premature deaths of Emily Webb and her brother, Wally tomorrow may be too late. By calling the drama Our Town and portraying ordinary people and events, the people in the audience and the readers of the wreak can identify with the theme and apply it to their own lives. Our Town is an eccentric play in stru cture. It intentionally contains little action, in order to take the theme nothing exciting or suspenseful happens in either of the three acts, just as nothing exciting happens in Grovers Corners. The play also ignores most dramatic conventions. In the beginning, the Stage Manager saunters on to an empty stage to talk directly to the audience he tells them that the play is ready to begin. He then describes the appearance of Grovers Corners and its inhabitants. The play also ignores the single of time and deposit. Between the first and second acts, three years pass. hence between the second and third acts, another nine years pass. In addition, the omniscient Stage Manager has repeated flashbacks to the past and flash-forwards to the future, further negating a unity of time. The play also has many locations. Although the entire play takes prat in or around Grovers Corners, each act has a distinct and distinct key setting. In Act I, most of the action takes place in the homes of the Webbs and the Gibbs often the activity in both homes is seen on stage at once, in order to emphasize the sameness of things in this small town. The second act is set largely at the church, where Emily and George are married.