Literary Techniques and Symbolism in Wilder’s Play 'Our Town'

Our Town is American playwright, Thornton Wilder’s, Pulitzer prize-winning play. It is widely considered an American classic with a simple plot following the everyday lives of the people in a small fictional town set in America – Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire near Massachusetts. This play only contains three acts, which are: Act 1, “Daily Life”; Act 2, “Love and Marriage”; and Act 3, which is known as “Death and Afterlife”. It is narrated by the Stage Manager, who follows the specific life of the Gibbs and Webb family. The play Our Town uses many techniques - some of them are analysed in this essay to demonstrate the ideas, Wilder had wanted to interpret. Such as, conveying the message of the importance of being at home from the plot; how the narrator is used to tell us nothing is permanent, and everything changes gradually; and how the reoccurring hymn is symbolic. The literary techniques in the text are used to explore and evaluate these ideas which Wilder has purposely done.

In the play, Our Town, the plot revolves around how the town develops from 1901 to 1938, and rather than having a dramatic climax – it demonstrates the simplicity of ordinary life in a small town. The plot portrays the meaning to be content with having no “adventure” and to preferably, accept how life will play out in its traditional pace of life. Characters who tend to see this concept of no exploration or adventure, are subtly connected to the well-known phase, “there’s no place like home”. This paraphrases to the realisation that they are truly at ease and comfortable at their home. For example, George Gibbs doesn’t consider going to college after proclaiming his love to Emily Webb, because he could have everything in a place where he already considers a home. There is also Dr. Gibbs, who refuses to go to Europe and rather stay in Grover’s Corner, as he is contented there already. He is also slightly fearful that leaving his home will make him discontent. These characters built an ignorance to the outside world, and demonstrates in the plot, that they were content with the simplicity of life in their small town.

The predominant figure, the stage manager, plays a significant role as the narrator and guides the audience throughout the development in Grover’s Corner. The subtle changes are revealed in his variety of dialogues about Grover’s Corner as the years go by. This life lesson is essentially related to a Buddhism teaching of impermanence, as one of the important doctrines and part of the three marks of existence. It is about how things have no permanent self, or an unchanging soul. For instance, the transportation difference from Act 1, 1901, to Act 3, 1913; the Stage Manager tells us that “Horses are getting rarer. Famers coming into town in Fords”. This difference describes how the transportation have developed from the former years, as going by horseback is declining and the latter is increasing. There are also how the town folks now lock their doors at night, “Everybody locks their house doors now at night. Ain’t been any burglars in town yet, but everybody’s heard about ‘em.” Though nobody has been robbed yet, the stage manager slyly tells us that communication has increased, as the town’s citizens have heard about these events. The narrator reminds us at Emily’s burial, the end of the play, that life is impermanent – that everything changes gradually.

Throughout the play, symbolism is derived from the song “Blessed be the Tie that Binds”. This hymn has made a notable appearance in each Act, which involves Emily, George, and Mr. Webb. Its initial arrival is heard from choir in the distance, while Emily and George are doing their homework, told as “You can hear choir practice going on in the Congregational Church. The children are at home doing their schoolwork.” In the Act of Love and Marriage, Emily and George are getting married, and the song surfaces as Emily grows nervous, doubting everything. Then it ends as Mr. Webb comforts her; assuring her that she’ll be in good hands. The final appearance of this hymn is performed by the group by the grave, just as Emily arrives in the afterlife, this passage involves George and Mr. Webb, once again. There is a clear link between the song title, and this pattern. As this song symbolises the blessed nature of relationships, such as Emily had with George and her father. However, Wilder clarifies that these relationships are not eternal, when the narrator states, “. . . all those terribly important things kind of grow pale around here”. The symbolism of the hymn, “Blessed be the Tie that Binds” rather expresses how valuable the nature of finite relationships truly is.

Our Town has rather impressively described many important ideas by manipulating the literary techniques purposefully. Throughout the three-act play, the plot has described the being content with simplicity; the role of the stage manager has been influenced to narrate the gradual change and impermanence of life; and lastly, how symbolism explains the reoccurring hymn to be the significance of finite relationships. Wilder has managed to effectively teach many hidden life lessons which are to be realised by many.