Our Town (1938)
SUMMARY
Act 3
During the intermission between acts, stagehands set up rows of chairs to represent graves in a cemetery. Mrs. Gibbs, Simon Stimson, Mrs. Soames, and Wally Webb, all dead, go on-stage before the act begins. The stage manager finally begins the act, announcing that nine years have gone by since act two.
The stage manager describes some of the changes coming to Grover’s Corners. Cars are replacing horses on the roads, and everyone locks their doors at night. Still, the stage manager says that “on the whole, things don’t change much around here.”
The stage manager talks about the cemetery and points out the older gravestones from the 17th century, as well as the graves of Grover’s Corners citizens who died fighting in the Civil War. Among more recent deaths, the stage manager points out the graves of Simon Stimson, Mrs. Soames, and Wally Webb (who died young of a burst appendix). The stage manager reflects on death, saying that there’s something eternal about every human, and that deceased people linger on the earth for some time after death, becoming indifferent to earthly matters as they lose their individual identities.
Joe Stoddard, the town undertaker, enters and runs into Sam Craig, who grew up in Grover’s Corners and has returned to attend his cousin’s funeral. The two agree how sad it is when someone dies young (we do not yet know whose funeral it is) and Sam looks at various graves.
The dead Mrs. Gibbs points out Sam, her nephew, to Simon Stimson. Sam sees Simon’s grave and recalls his habit of drinking. Joe informs him that Simon took his own life.
Sam asks what caused the death of his cousin and Joe says she died in childbirth. The funeral procession arrives, including George, Dr. Gibbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Webb. Mrs. Soames asks who died, and Mrs. Gibbs answers that it was Emily.
Mrs. Soames recalls Emily and George’s wedding and how intelligent Emily was in school. A group at the funeral sings “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds.” As the casket is put into the ground, Emily enters and joins the deceased characters. She says that it feels like thousands of years have passed since she was living. She comments that her father must have remembered that “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds” was her favorite hymn. She tells Mrs. Gibbs about her home with George.
Emily comments that “live people don’t understand,” and Mrs. Gibbs agrees. Emily describes living people as “shut up in little boxes.” The funeral ends and the mourners disperse. Dr. Gibbs brings some flowers to his wife’s grave, then leaves.
Emily asks if she can go back and relive her life. Mrs. Gibbs says she can, but advises her not to. The stage manager tells her that it is painful because if she relives her life, she will watch herself living it, knowing the future and all that will happen to everyone. Mrs. Gibbs tells her that dead people are supposed to forget their lives on earth and move on.
But Emily is determined relive some of her earlier life. Mrs. Gibbs tells her to at least choose an ordinary, unimportant day. Emily chooses her twelfth birthday and goes back to February 1899. She is astonished to see Grover’s Corners as she remembers it from her childhood. She sees Howie Newsome, Constable Warren, and Joe Crowell talking and remarks that Constable Warren has since died.
Emily sees her mother, Mrs. Webb, and is amazed at how young she looks. Mr. Webb walks up Main Street, returning home from a trip to New York. Mr. Webb talks to Constable Warren, who describes how he saved a Polish man from freezing out in the snow. Mr. Webb exclaims that he must write about it in the newspaper, but Warren tells him it wasn’t a big deal.
Mr. Webb arrives home and talks with Mrs. Webb about the cold weather they’ve been having. Mrs. Webb reminds him that it is Emily’s birthday. Meanwhile, Emily says that she “can’t bear it” and is amazed at how young her parents are, though she knows they have actually grown old. She enters her family’s house.
Emily talks with her mother but is finding reliving her life to be more and more difficult. Mrs. Webb makes Emily breakfast and shows her a present George brought her earlier that morning. Emily tries to tell her mother all about the future, how she married George and had a child, how Wally died. Mrs. Webb doesn’t appear to register any of this, though.
Emily tells the stage manager that she can’t go on reliving her life, because “it goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another.” She begins to cry and asks the stage manager to take her back to the cemetery. She asks him, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” and he answers no.
Emily returns to the other deceased characters and tells them she should have taken their advice about not going back in time, calling human beings “just blind people.” Simon Stimson agrees and tells her that now she knows being alive means living in “ignorance and blindness,” though Mrs. Gibbs responds that “that ain’t the whole truth.”
An anonymous man among the dead starts speaking about his son, a sailor, who used to say that it took millions of years for the light from stars to reach earth, which the anonymous dead man found incredible. Meanwhile, George walks into the cemetery and kneels before Emily’s grave in grief, much to the disapproval of some of the dead. Emily comments that the living don’t understand, and Mrs. Gibbs agrees.
The stage manager slowly draws a curtain across the stage as he gives a final speech. He says most people are going to sleep now in Grover’s Corners, and the stars are visible in the sky “doing their old, old crisscross journeys in the sky.” He tells the audience good night, tells them to get some good rest, and the play ends.
Act 3
During the intermission between acts, stagehands set up rows of chairs to represent graves in a cemetery. Mrs. Gibbs, Simon Stimson, Mrs. Soames, and Wally Webb, all dead, go on-stage before the act begins. The stage manager finally begins the act, announcing that nine years have gone by since act two.
The stage manager describes some of the changes coming to Grover’s Corners. Cars are replacing horses on the roads, and everyone locks their doors at night. Still, the stage manager says that “on the whole, things don’t change much around here.”
The stage manager talks about the cemetery and points out the older gravestones from the 17th century, as well as the graves of Grover’s Corners citizens who died fighting in the Civil War. Among more recent deaths, the stage manager points out the graves of Simon Stimson, Mrs. Soames, and Wally Webb (who died young of a burst appendix). The stage manager reflects on death, saying that there’s something eternal about every human, and that deceased people linger on the earth for some time after death, becoming indifferent to earthly matters as they lose their individual identities.
Joe Stoddard, the town undertaker, enters and runs into Sam Craig, who grew up in Grover’s Corners and has returned to attend his cousin’s funeral. The two agree how sad it is when someone dies young (we do not yet know whose funeral it is) and Sam looks at various graves.
The dead Mrs. Gibbs points out Sam, her nephew, to Simon Stimson. Sam sees Simon’s grave and recalls his habit of drinking. Joe informs him that Simon took his own life.
Sam asks what caused the death of his cousin and Joe says she died in childbirth. The funeral procession arrives, including George, Dr. Gibbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Webb. Mrs. Soames asks who died, and Mrs. Gibbs answers that it was Emily.
Mrs. Soames recalls Emily and George’s wedding and how intelligent Emily was in school. A group at the funeral sings “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds.” As the casket is put into the ground, Emily enters and joins the deceased characters. She says that it feels like thousands of years have passed since she was living. She comments that her father must have remembered that “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds” was her favorite hymn. She tells Mrs. Gibbs about her home with George.
Emily comments that “live people don’t understand,” and Mrs. Gibbs agrees. Emily describes living people as “shut up in little boxes.” The funeral ends and the mourners disperse. Dr. Gibbs brings some flowers to his wife’s grave, then leaves.
Emily asks if she can go back and relive her life. Mrs. Gibbs says she can, but advises her not to. The stage manager tells her that it is painful because if she relives her life, she will watch herself living it, knowing the future and all that will happen to everyone. Mrs. Gibbs tells her that dead people are supposed to forget their lives on earth and move on.
But Emily is determined relive some of her earlier life. Mrs. Gibbs tells her to at least choose an ordinary, unimportant day. Emily chooses her twelfth birthday and goes back to February 1899. She is astonished to see Grover’s Corners as she remembers it from her childhood. She sees Howie Newsome, Constable Warren, and Joe Crowell talking and remarks that Constable Warren has since died.
Emily sees her mother, Mrs. Webb, and is amazed at how young she looks. Mr. Webb walks up Main Street, returning home from a trip to New York. Mr. Webb talks to Constable Warren, who describes how he saved a Polish man from freezing out in the snow. Mr. Webb exclaims that he must write about it in the newspaper, but Warren tells him it wasn’t a big deal.
Mr. Webb arrives home and talks with Mrs. Webb about the cold weather they’ve been having. Mrs. Webb reminds him that it is Emily’s birthday. Meanwhile, Emily says that she “can’t bear it” and is amazed at how young her parents are, though she knows they have actually grown old. She enters her family’s house.
Emily talks with her mother but is finding reliving her life to be more and more difficult. Mrs. Webb makes Emily breakfast and shows her a present George brought her earlier that morning. Emily tries to tell her mother all about the future, how she married George and had a child, how Wally died. Mrs. Webb doesn’t appear to register any of this, though.
Emily tells the stage manager that she can’t go on reliving her life, because “it goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another.” She begins to cry and asks the stage manager to take her back to the cemetery. She asks him, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” and he answers no.
Emily returns to the other deceased characters and tells them she should have taken their advice about not going back in time, calling human beings “just blind people.” Simon Stimson agrees and tells her that now she knows being alive means living in “ignorance and blindness,” though Mrs. Gibbs responds that “that ain’t the whole truth.”
An anonymous man among the dead starts speaking about his son, a sailor, who used to say that it took millions of years for the light from stars to reach earth, which the anonymous dead man found incredible. Meanwhile, George walks into the cemetery and kneels before Emily’s grave in grief, much to the disapproval of some of the dead. Emily comments that the living don’t understand, and Mrs. Gibbs agrees.
The stage manager slowly draws a curtain across the stage as he gives a final speech. He says most people are going to sleep now in Grover’s Corners, and the stars are visible in the sky “doing their old, old crisscross journeys in the sky.” He tells the audience good night, tells them to get some good rest, and the play ends.