“Our Town” History of This Play

Introduction

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) wrote 'Our Town' in 1938 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in the same year. Wilder's play is a deceptively simple yet powerful work of dramatic literature. The set consists of only two tables, three chairs at each, and two trellises. The characters and language are equally understated and direct. However, the uncomplicated surface of Our Town thinly veils Wilder's thematic indictment of how a materialistic society neglects human relationships, memories, and responsibility (McClatchy, pp. 32-40).

Wilder's language in the play is easy and straightforward, yet the relationships of the characters, their focus ...