Our Town was a wonderful story, exploring the lives and deaths of those living in a quiet little town. It is minimalistic both in its concept and setting, however the story meanders along with a surprising amount of depth and development. As it is intended to be a play, it is mainly dialog, with a narrator (who is a main character) explaining the quaint town and its past, as well as its future.
In my opinion, character development is one key part of the play. It shows how unstable one’s life can be, while also pointing out how oneself is still kept intact after all the changes in life. In my opinion, we saw the most change in Emily, although that may just be since she was a main character As she grew to love George, and as he grew to love her, they both changed just slightly, with both becoming more mature, and losing some of their childlike joy, and after she died, that joy was lost altogether.
The most important (in my opinion) facet of the story is most definitely it’s view on mortality. Within the story, death is treated without much regard. There is still grieving and such, however it is displayed in a startlingly nonchalant way. Nearing the end of the story, the spirits of the inhabitants of the town all begin to converse with each other. It is revealed that Emily died during childbirth, and George’s mother has also passed. As people visit their graves, they converse about life, painting it as an existence of ignorance. Emily figures out she can relive her memories, as well. She is strongly advised not to, however does it anyways, and comes back devastated, realizing her experiences will never be the same. I felt that this story was very good. It definitely was gripping at times, and really painted a picture of how life and death intertwine. I believe it was a great story, masterfully executed, and as simple as it needed to be.