Our Town Play Themes

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Thornton Wilder wrote about how he thinks the character should be acting in the moment. There were many themes in Our Town, but the one that stood out to me the best would be carpe diem. Carpe diem would best be described as making the most of the present and not caring too much about the future. This theme is present in many of the acts. The narrator begins the play by talking about the families. He then sets up two tables with a couple of chairs at each table. The tables and chairs represent the two main families in the play, the Webb family and the Gibb family. Each family has a trellis in place of the back door. In the morning, we watch as each mother of the household wakes up and lights the stove. Both mothers then begin making breakfast for the family. As the mothers begin making breakfast, the Stage Manager tells the audience that Mr. and Mrs. Gibb’s have died in 1901. While the stage manager continues to talk, we see that the families are sitting in the kitchen. Mr. Gibbs is also known as Doctor Gibbs. By this time in the movie, we can see that all of the characters are living in the moment. The characters aren’t worrying about the Stage Manager. The characters worry only about them and are currently living “life” to the fullest. In Act One, Emily is on her way home from school. George also walks down the street, …show more content…

The Stage Manager tells the audience that three years have passed by and now George and Emily are getting married. The morning is very rainy, but nevertheless, perfect. A sudden flashback appears and we see that George and Emily are in high school together. THis flashback is of George carrying Emily’s books. Emily begins to cry because she offended George and now feels bad. George wants Emily to go to the local ice cream shop and have some ice cream with

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