Even though Act II is entitled “Love and Marriage,” Wilder again arranges a routine of commonplace activities within the framework of daily life. In other words, he is repeating many of the activities found in the first act, except for the notable addition of French toast to the breakfast menu. Both the first and second acts begin with the appearance of the milkman and paper boy. Both characters discuss trivialities, such as the weather. The repetition gives an added air of realism to the scene. It makes life in “our town” seem more familiar, more predictable.
In Act II, however, these typical events occur on a wedding day. A young boy cannot understand why his high school hero can give up baseball in order to marry. The father of the groom teases the mother and reminds her of their own wedding day. The father remembers how nervous she was before they married. The mother worries that the couple are too young and that the new wife may not be capable of taking care of her son as she, the mother, has done in the past.
Mrs. Gibbs feels the need to mother George for the last time. In the name of good health, she bosses him, making him return to put on overshoes. As a means of freeing him from her control, she promises that in the future he can do as he pleases.
As a part of the prenuptial scene, Wilder has his characters discuss standard superstitions concerning weddings. He implies that old-fashioned beliefs have a basis in common sense without actually explaining them. Finally, Mr. Webb points out that people rarely pay attention to advice.
In general, Wilder tries to include anecdotal, Norman Rockwell–style activities connected with the humor and traditional elements that accompany a wedding. In this way, he evokes a sense of its importance, even though one wedding does not differ demonstrably from another.
