In Our Town by Thorton Wilder set initially in 1901, the play fastforwards in time to 1904 and eventually to 1913, which depicts everyday life in the town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire.The play’s principal  appeal, which is a function of its misleading simplicity, is the flow which the spectator is invited inorder to identify with the characters portrayed. Barely using a stereotype, the villagers of Grover’s Corners help to remind spectators of what makes Americans different from other people; the play’s setting, meanwhile, serves to remind them of a simpler life-style which, even by 1938, had retreated behind the desire to return.

trellis: a frame or structure of latticework

gingham: yarn-died, plain weave cotton fabric, usually striped

unobtrusively: inconspicuous

chattering: to talk rapidly in a foolish way

affronted: a personally offensive act or word

alacrity: cheerfull readiness


tone: the tone is very welcoming


-Imagery:Wilder begins the play at the crack of dawn, when the town is waking up, and concludes the play with the dead in the cemetery. The repetition of the sun’s cycle parallels the life cycle, with one important distinction. The human lifespan is not as long as the sun’s. And unlike a sun, when a person dies, he does not rise again. There is hope, however, in the human life cycle: reproduction. Significantly, Emily dies while giving birth to her second child. Although it is unclear whether her baby lived, we do know she has at least one child to survive her and continue the circle of life.
-The play is an allegory of life structured over three days.
-Wilder calls for no scenery at the opening of the play, making the Stage Manager carry on a few basic chairs and tables.

 How does the structure of Our Town reflect and influence the main ideas of the play?

How does Wilder break down this barrier between the audience and the action onstage?

Why is Emily unhappy when she tries to relive part of her life after she dies?


People are meant to go through life two by two.