The reader may be puzzled at Act I. In Our Town, each act must be interpreted in terms of the entire play. First, Wilder concerns himself with birth in the first act, marriage in the second act, and death in the final act. Thus, Act I opens with dawn, the birth of the day, as well as the birth of twins. In addition to human birth, Wilder reveals the beginning of a friendship which will develop into marriage. In the guise of the Stage Manager, the playwright becomes a kind of midwife: He delivers each of the main characters as literary creations and symbolic mirrors of the typical boy/girl relationship.
Furthermore, in terms of the whole play, Wilder presents a plea for the viewer to enjoy life to its fullest. In the last act, he notes that most people live their lives without appreciating the small, insignificant moments. These small things later become important when death takes them away. To present this theme, Wilder painstakingly introduces the audience to the seemingly mundane aspects of life. Therefore, the first act presents short scenes from life as entertainment and, more important, as lessons. These short scenes become especially important to the play as a whole. A review recalls what each scene contributes to the total effect:.
The first scene presents a paper boy and a milkman. One delivers nourishment for the mind and the other delivers food for the body.
Then, two families, like families everywhere, involve themselves in getting children ready for school. The third scene shows two mothers conversing. Their friendship represents the kind of support system that flourishes in a small-town environment.
The fourth scene reveals a boy and a girl returning from school. Their walk together suggests the “two-by-two” arrangement which evolves into love and marriage in Act II.
The fifth scene depicts a bright student helping a slower student. In this stereotyped vignette, the brighter student is the girl, who helps an athletic, baseball-minded boy. The sixth scene shows a father promising to raise his son’s allowance but suggesting subtly that the boy help his mother more.
The seventh scene depicts choir practice at a Protestant church and the concern of choir members for the organist’s alcoholic addiction. In almost every social setting, there are people who drink too much and about whom others gossip. The final scene shows these various people retiring for the night. One couple takes a walk to look at the moon. Another person is concerned that his son will take up smoking.
In each scene, the activities represent the normal, day-to-day life of average people. These are the events that comprise human life. They are the facets of living which people take for granted and perform by rote. The older we get, the more we realize the value of these moments—and how little we valued them at the time. After death, they are gone forever. Wilder emphasizes these seemingly insignificant details in order to reverse the usual conception of what is important. Thus, he concludes that it is not the momentous events but the trivialities that become meaningful. To stress the universality of these events, Wilder sets the stage with no scenery, thereby denying dramatic illusion. Because he forces the viewer to fill in the blanks left by the barren stage, each viewer creates an individualized and detailed mental picture. The words that the characters speak become more significant because they are the only source of imagery.
Because Wilder does not build anticipation of events that are to come, the viewer perceives no mysteries to be resolved. Even the matter of Simon Stimson’s drinking creates little tension, since the matter is presented mundanely and without alarm. The experience of Act I, ending with a reminder that it is time for smokers to adjourn from the theater, breaks any illusion of traditional drama and reminds the audience that they are not viewing a typical play.
Behind Wilder’s emphasis on a bare stage is a subtle understanding of how our minds work during a play. We can imagine any small town. Set on the individual mental stage conjured up in each viewer’s mind, the significance of small glimpses of human interaction develops into a major assessment of what makes life worth living. Thus, the audience is left with small, realistic details of life in a small town—in any setting, in any time.
