Our Town

Wilder's refuge in these matters seems to be his desire to present a positive — although not completely Pollyanna — portrait of small-town America. To his credit, he nods briefly toward the question of women's rights with Mr. Webb's admission that, as a young groom, he rejected his father's advice to force his wife into obedience. Perhaps even stronger evidence of Wilder's evenhandedness is his placement of Emily at the forefront of the play. It is Wilder's deliberate choice that a woman — obviously well educated, strong-willed, and contemplative — serves as the focus of the drama. Wilder in no way demeans her feelings, desires, and intuitions. Rather, he elevates Emily by allowing her to experience the central transformation. It is through the eyes of a young woman that the audience perceives the key theme. As Emily experiences the blindness of her own family to the joys of life, she bursts into tears, too overcome by earthly beauty to express herself any other way. Her delicacy and sensitivity are her saving grace. With womanly wisdom, she internalizes the fact that the living are incapable of valuing earthly treasures.