Grover's Corners 'Our Town' Wilder

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People always say how they would love to live in a small town. That they love the feeling of unity and being close with everyone in the city. In Our Town, Wilder (the author) infers to the fact that the town endures zero privacy (everyone knows everyone’s business), expectations, and people seem to be going through the motions of life, and he does not intend to idealize Grover’s Corners as an establishment of uncompromising brotherly love. Wilder makes a point to include in the play characters who criticize small town life, and Grover’s Corners specifically. I believe that Our Town is a criticism of small town life because there is no personal privacy and people go through life hoping to live up to everyone else’s expectations, missing life’s moments of happiness.
There is a saying that nothing is faster than small town …show more content…

In Grover’s Corners, there are three life events: Birth, Marriage, Death. The rest is a blur. In Our Town, the stage manager says, People are meant to go through life two by two. ’Tain’t natural to be lonesome.” They expect marriage. Without going through it, you are looked down upon. Also, there is a sense that people are trapped in Grover’s Corners. People are anticipated to carry on the family business on the farm, shop, etc. Likewise, people don’t go through life with meaning. They don’t treasure the little moments of joy in life. This idea of trying to do what we are “supposed to” still occurs today. We still have standards we are set to achieve: making good grades, going to college, marriage, retirement, etc. All good things, but you are judged based on your achievement of these “goals”. Even today, people have expectations for kids based on their parents’ achievements, career, etc. Expectations can decide how your life goes and how happy you

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