Brief Summary Of The Play 'Our Town' By Thornton Wilder

Our Town: Death

Our Town by Thornton Wilder begins May 7, 1901 in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. In the first Act, Wilder shows the daily life of the town’s people, starting with the characters morning routine. During this portion of the play, Wilder introduces all of the main characters. The characters mainly consist of the Gibbs and Webb families. He then goes on to narrate the daily activities of the characters, more specifically Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb. During the first Act, Wilder makes a relationship between George Gibbs and Emily Webb known. Which leads into the second Act of the play, “Love and Marriage.” Within Act II George and Emily get married. Wilder demonstrates the typical nerves that every couple gets on their wedding day. Soon the conflict is resolved and the wedding ceremony commences. The second Act ends with George and Emily coming down the aisle, then Act III begins. Throughout the play there has been daily life, love and marriage, and now for the final act there is death. Many years have passed and there is

a funeral happening, Emily’s funeral. Emily watches her funeral and wishes she could go back to be among the living. All the dead in the cemetery warn Emily against doing so, but she doesn’t listen and goes back in time to her 12th birthday. While watching the day happen she is filled with regret for taking her time for granted. Even though there is an air of sadness hanging in the third Act, Wilder ends Our Town with a certain sort of revelation to appreciate every moment of life.
Like the entire play, the set of Act III is very simple. Wilder has the bodies of the characters act as the tombstones of the deceased. Mrs. Gibbs being one of those characters along with other various late characters. In this Act, narrated by the stage manager, Mrs.Gibbs and Emily Webb are the main characters. Wilder describes Emily as naive and regretful and Mrs. Gibbs could be considered as Emily’s protector in the afterlife. “ That’s not the only reason why you shouldn’t do it, Emily. When you’ve been here longer you’ll see that our life here is to forget all that, and think of only what’s ahead, and be ready for what’s ahead. When you’ve been here longer you’ll understand.” (58) Mrs. Gibbs is trying to save Emily from the pain of learning the hard way, but eventually realizes that only way to learn is the hard way. Wilder uses Emily as symbol of the hard lesson humans’ must learn.
The plot of Act III: Death shows the last cycle of life. The feeling of this act is very ominous, but eye-opening. Conflict in this act is mostly internal. Emily is fighting with herself on whether or not go back and relive her best days. Mrs. Gibbs is warning Emily against doing so, but Emily is very adamant about going back. Eventually Mrs. Gibbs lets Emily have her way, “No! At least, choose an unimportant day. Choose the least important day of your life. It will be important enough.” (58) At this point Mrs. Gibbs is trying to lessen the pain of what Emily is about to learn.
The theme of Act III is the lesson Emily learns; that the living don’t appreciate every single moment they have while alive.

Wilder uses an interesting perspective to get his point across. When Emily goes back to her twelfth birthday and watches the whole day. Emily is sorrowful that she forgot to appreciate her time on earth, then her sadness drifts to the loved ones she left behind and their lack of knowledge, “They don’t understand, do they?” (64) Wilders utilizes this act to demonstrate humans’ ignorance of taking every breath they breath for granted. Act III really resonated to me and how I see the world. Lately I have been thinking about the significance of days. Any day that might be ordinary to me might hold all the meaning in the world. That day could be holding the most uncontainable joy or sorrow. And even on my worst day I remember this, and I begin to breath with contented joy because on this most ordinary day…I am

alive.