Thornton Wilder's Play Our Town Term Paper

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Their dreams are more depressing than they are inspiring. When, for example, Mrs. Gibbs expresses her desire to see Paris, the audience knows she will not ever get to achieve her dream because of her husband's stubborn closed-mindedness. Emily's frustration with the lack of awareness on the part of the living in the third act also draws attention to the stubborn clinging to outmoded ways of thinking that can characterize small town existence. Wilder explores small town insularity with aplomb in Our Town, and this in-depth exploration is the play's greatest strength.

Globalization dawned around the turn of the century, introducing East to West and West to East and in Our Town, Wilder delves into Buddhist and other Eastern philosophies. The playwright does so subtly and possibly unintentionally, examining the barriers between reality and fiction, life and death. The Stage Manager begs the audience to rethink their role as viewers. Whereas most plays take for granted the audience's suspension of disbelief, their unwavering attention to the characters and their concerns, in Our Town, the audience is asked to participate more fully than they normally would. This element is ultra-modern and ultra-realistic in keeping with the modernist theme that evolved in the arts during the fin-de-siecle. The Stage Manager's dramatic irony also adds an Eastern element to the play by demanding a be-here-now attitude on the part of audience members. Instead of passively accepting what transpires on stage, the audience is continually reminded of watching a play. Being asked to relate the play's plot and theme to their own life, the audience views the production with an engaged and self-reflexive attitude.

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The Buddhist undercurrent culminates in Act Three, when Emily has died. Meeting the dead encourages Emily to appreciate her life and life itself to an extent she never could when she was alive. This is the turning point of the play, the moment at which Wilder clarifies the reason for writing Our Town.

Our Town is emblematic of turn-of-the-century America. Thornton Wilder's play includes subtle references to modernization. In keeping with the suggestion that small town values include insularity and resistance to change, Wilder does not make any overt references to industrialization or urbanization. Instead the insight into every day life in Grover's Corners lends insight into how America was changing at that crucial period in world history. Although gender values and social roles were generally unchanged, persons of Emily's and George's generation were on the brink of a major turning point at which the world's balance of power would indelibly change. The coming World Wars would alter the geo-political landscape in Europe and propel America onto the world's stage in a role that the nation had never served before. Wilder hints at the dramatic future of America through his time capsule and also through his use of the Stage Manager, who directly addresses the audience in a dramatically ironic manner......

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