Literary Devices In Our Town

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People should acknowledge the little things in life more often because when it's gone...it’s gone forever. In the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder, demonstrates life lessons that tend to go an unappreciative from generation to generation. This play takes place in a small fictional town called Grover's Corner, Massachusetts during the 1901-1913 time era. Our Town is a three act play that tells a story about how people live their lives using the same routine everyday. Thornton Wilder uses symbolism, dialogue, and manipulation of time to convey his theme, life is too short, therefore people should appreciate what they have now and people should take action to change lives. One literary element Wilder uses to support his theme is symbolic …show more content…

During Act II, George and Emily, who are lovers, have a flashback to when Emily told George how she felt about him and how he has changed. The flashback takes place at Morgan’s drugstore. The two discuss their feelings toward each other while eating strawberry ice cream sodas. George also bring up the topic of him going away to agriculture college and he asks Emily to write to him when he is gone. Emily does not want him to leave Grover’s Corner because she knows it cause them to disconnect. George says, “I think that once you’ve found a person that you’re very fond of...I mean a person who’s fond of you, too, and likes you enough to be interested in your character…” (Wilder 71). What George is trying to say here is that he’s in love with Emily and he likes her for her. Later in Act III, Emily, who is now deceased, goes back to her 12th to say goodbye to all the things she left behind. She tried to tell her mom about what happened and how they used to be happy but her mom can not hear her because she is a spirit. Emily sadly says, “ I didn't realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed. Take me back---up the hill---to my grave. But first: Wait! One more look” (Wilder 108). Here, Emily is regretting living life without a purpose nor knowing the importance of appreciation of the simpler things in life. These references are examples of manipulation of time because they show how things should have been instead of how they actually were. Wilder uses Emily and George’s flashback at Morgan’s Drugstore to show the reader to never lose site of your true love and appreciate the fact that their willingness to be apart of your life. Wilder uses Emily going back to her 12th birthday as a device to convey the importance of life while she regrets not appreciating the small things in

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