Breaking The Fourth Wall In Our Town By Thornton Wilder

The play Our Town written by Thornton Wilder is considered a modern piece of literature. One way this is considered an unique piece of literature is by breaking the fourth wall. The breaking of the fourth wall is done by the stage manager in this play. The breaking of the fourth wall is someone from the play interacting with the audience. If just one character interacts in this way is considered breaking of the fourth wall. The stage manager interacts as if he is in the play, but yet he still talks and relates somewhat to the audience. The playwright Thornton Wilder forces the audience to use their own imaginations to “see” his imaginary image of the New England town of Grover’s Corners because of the lack of props. The effect of the stage

manager’s words are both cinematic and hypnotic; it accomplishes what mere scenery could not.
Breaking the fourth wall is shown in act I. In the act, the stage manager talks to the audience, but he also acts as if he is a character and not the stage manager who happens to be the narrator of the story. For example, “right here…’s a butternut tree (returning to his right place by the pillar he looks at the audience for a minute).”(Wilder 6). There are several different places, ways, and motions the stage manager continue to break the fourth wall in the story as they act it out in the play. During act I, the stage manager has a tendency to act as if he is playing a role in the play, while he is really just the stage manager. Not only did the stage manager come out and talk the way he did, but he got professor Willard out of the audience. Professor Willard and the stage manager talked on stage; their topic of discussion was the town and gave its facts and history: “The town, Grover's corners, New Hampshire- just across the Massachusetts line.” (Wilder 25). The professor went over the history. While the history of the town was nice, they had to get on with the play. There was a belligerent man in the back of the auditorium and he says, “Is there no one aware of- …” the stage manager says, “Come forward, will you, where we can all hear you- what were you saying?...” (Wilder 25) The man in the back of the auditorium was watching the play, even he could tell some townspeople couldn’t even see what was wrong with their town.(Wilder 25) … Knowing this the man that was in the back of the auditorium continued with this and him and the stage manager talked, in front and with the audience. That’s the end of the First Act, friends. You can go smoke now, those who smoke, this interaction between the stage manager and those who are in the auditorium is breaking the fourth wall, just not as much as it's the end of the act. He was telling the audience that it was intermission time.
Act II isn't about introducing the town since that has been done, this act is about love and the past.

“You’ve gotta have love to have life, and you’ve got to have life to have love life… that’s what they call a vicious circle.” (Wilder 49). … Being as you go back in time in this act, the stage manager starts at a street cart selling things. Walking on the street to the cart that sells ice cream and things, the stage manager is the one serving it as if he is in the play once again. Feeling that the stage manager wants to have a more significant role in the play, saying this maybe he should’ve signed up to be something besides the stage manager. If he would’ve did this then most likely it would be harder for me to identify breaking the fourth wall. Now after explaining how Emily and George got to the stand selling ice cream. Hello, George. Hello, Emily.- What’ll you have?- Why, Emily Webb,- what you been crying about? The stage manager previously interacted between the scenes in act I, the stage manager is still talking to the audience while being in the play. Stage manager works with the faucets, since he is now part of this scene in the play. Talking with the characters, audience he claps his hands as a signal, saying now we’re ready to go to the wedding. in this act the stage manager thinks he has a right, since he's the minister of the wedding he can say more about it. Talking about weddings and all, the stage manager states that he has performed several in his lifetime. After performing the ceremony, the kissing part was enough. He pushes them off the stage, they lean back and shout a few more cat calls. “He looks at the audience for the first time…”pg.77 This is saying that he hasn't looked at the audience before, knowing he has and has also interacted with them this isn't very true. The stage manager doesn't necessarily take the same effect on ending the second act the same way as act I. Beginning act III, this act isn’t a very happy. Actually this act is

about death. The stage won't talk as much in the act, to the audience. Reasoning for the stage manager talks very little is, because of the “ghost” of the town talk… the ghost are the people who have died during the past nine years and then again here recently. The stage manager does explain that nine years have passed, he turned to the audience, then turned back to the stage.
Now you see breaking the fourth wall took talking with the audience, interacting in the play, and later explaining key features for us reading/watching the play. The stage manager in “Our Town” knew what it took. Thornton Wilder designed this story/play to be acted out like this, just think what it would be like if there wasn't a stage manager. Knowing that the fourth
wall was being broken by the stage manager, and once by not just him but also, Professor Willard. They were seen breaking it back their discussion about the town with the audience in a
way. The stage manager's role is without a doubt most important. If it wasn't for Thornton Wilder writing this with a stage manager it wouldn't be very good, and therefore we also wouldn't have a way to break the fourth wall.