Feminist Theory In Thornton Wilder's Our Town

The movie Our Town was a 1938 American three-act play directed by Thornton Wilder. The movie tells the story about a fictional American town known as Grover’s Corners between 1901 and 1913. Throughout the mover, the director uses meta-theatrical tools to set the play in the theatres where such play was being conducted. The main character in this film is the stage manager who addresses the audience directly. The stage manager also brings in guest lecturers into the play by fielding questions from the viewers as well as filling some of the roles (TheConnection np). The major differences between this play and others are that the actors perform without a proper set and the acting is done without props.

Have you ever thought that even the littlest things in life can make the biggest difference? One of the themes of Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town is people never fully appreciate the wonders of daily life. People take everything for granted and don’t really realize how the little things in life actually make a huge impact on your life. Wilder shows examples of the little things in life many times in each of the acts throughout the play. Our Town is about a young couple who falls in love and ends up spending their life together. The young couple overlooks the small but important things in life. Throughout Our Town, Wilder informs us about how all people don’t appreciate the little things in life that actually make a huge difference.

4. The title of the play Our Town is not just speaking of the small town in the book, but all other towns as well. Its families and events are universal, and can relate to anyone. For example, in the very beginning of the play the Stage Manager introduces the play and its setting. He states, “This play is called ‘Our Town.’ It was written by Thornton Wilder … The name of the town is Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire … Here’s the grocery store and here’s Mr. Morgan’s drugstore … Public School’s over yonder. High School’s still father over. Quarter of nine mornings, noontimes, and three o’clock afternoons, the hull town can hear the yelling and screaming from those schoolyards … Nice town, y’know what I mean?” By describing the different places and people of the town the book makes the town relatable to the

Our Town is different from most plays. It starts with barely any scenery, forcing the viewer to use their imagination. In the beginning the set manager comes on stage and describes the scene while also making sure that everything is under control; he plays an oversoul or God-like figure. Act I describes birth. The play commences before dawn and the first call Dr. Gibbs receives that morning is for the

Shirley Jackson’s novel, The Haunting of Hill House, explores the cultural anxieties in the mid 20th century. Specifically, men use womanhood (societal norms) as purposely infantilizing women in order to confine the female mind. Jackson utilizes symbolism, metaphor, and anaphora in her novel in order to convey the message for men to stop infantilizing women. Moreover, Jackson spreads awareness that women are being confined by a system that men developed: womanhood. Hence, in effect, the novel serves as an informal protest against male repression through a medium that can be read by a wider audience —more importantly an indirect challenge to male readers. According to Krolokke, Second Wave Feminism became prominent due to cultural discontent with patriarchy during the mid 20th century. Moreover, Krolokke informs the readers that Second Wave Feminism influenced women to challenge traditional family roles and male ideologies about women not belonging in the workplace (11-12). Mid 20th century is also when Jackson published The Haunting of Hill House. So, with these historical and cultural contexts in mind, Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House ends the novel with Eleanor killing herself because she wants women to challenge the ideas of patriarchy into effect. Hence, Second Wave Feminism has a connection to Eleanor having a childlike personality (can not think for herself) because she wants women (especially young and single women) to explore their rights (their choices) and

changing attitudes toward life and the other characters in the play, particularly the women; and his reflection on the

The social climate in the play is very grim. No matter where you are in the play there are always characters who are suffering. This may be understood as the people in the play are representing the Indian Americans who lived on reservations all over America, and most of them went through suffering. Another social climate is the desire to escape there current situation. Eddie does not want to leave his sister alone, but he is tired of living on the reservation that he would rather be dead. Aunt Thelma tells Eddie how life could have been better if she could have escaped, and had a chance at an education. Mike dreams of leaving and being taken care of by his aunt. Even Katherine dreams of leaving the reservation to find a better place for her kids. There were many other social climates such as pain, depression, destructive habits, and lack of role models. There are no real role models in this play that the kids can look up to. Even Aunt Thelma has lost her child, so it is not the best example to live by.

Our Town is play written a while ago, but it relates to any time. Showing that routine is a part of everybody’s life. No matter what day and age you live in your going to have a routine. This play shows an example of two families and their daily routines. The whole play relates to routine even the different acts.

Wilder’s exploration of the brevity of life is important in Our Town for many reasons. In the beginning of the book, the stage manager describes Joe Crowell in detail: “ So he would go on to get a scholarship to Massachusetts Tech. He was going to be a

Our Town is a play that takes place near the turn of the century in the small rural town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. The playwright, Thornton Wilder is trying to convey the importance of the little, often unnoticed things in life. Throughout the first two acts he builds a scenario, which allows the third act to show that we as humans often run through life oblivious to what is actually happening. Wilder attempts to show life as something that we take for granted. We do not realize the true value of living until we are dead and gone. The through-line of the action seems to be attention to the details of life. Wilder builds up a plot that pays attention to great details of living.

In reading Our Town for myself I believe that Mr. Abbott was following the script that Mr. Wilder was laying out in his playwright. Mr. Abbott did an outstanding job of casting and placing these actors in the right roles. Also, he did an excellent job of blocking the play and moving props in and out. One thing that Mr. Abbott did very well was picking the correct space for the play. The Experimental Theater was the best decision that Dr. Abbott could have made.

On December 14th, 2000, Miss Congeniality (directed by Donald Petrie) was released, making 212.8 million dollars during its run in theaters. Sandra Bullock, the leading actress of the movie, played a character by the name of Gracie Hart. Bullock’s character is an FBI agent that must go undercover to protect the contestants of the Miss United States Pageant. The contestants were being threatened by a notorious criminal who happened to be the pageant host, Kathy Morningside, played by Candice Bergen. The stereotypical topic Miss Congeniality addresses is women not being good enough to do a man’s job; though the feminist defense in the movie proves the stereotype wrong. It would seem as though Miss Congeniality struggles with an ideological conflict by suggesting that being a feminist is acceptable, yet a woman must stay out of the work traditionally done by men. The conflicted opinions in Miss Congeniality are easily recognized by men and women being represented in film differently, misogyny in the workplace, the juxtaposition of feminism and misogyny, and the future with a continuation of struggles from both sides.

Our Town is a play written by Thornton Wilder set in a small town known as Grover’s Corners. Wilder conjured the Stage Manager to be a representation to the theme of the play. The theme of universality placing Grover’s Corners in view with the rest of the world. Wilder makes a point to the audience that people have a big impact and influence over the next person, whether they were important or insignificant to that individual’s life. Therefore, the Stage Manager emphasizes on this very viewpoint that the lives of certain people are overlooked so are their influences. The Stage Manager himself is a physical embodiment of Wilders own views and opinions of humans and life itself. Throughout the play, the Stage Manager plays various of roles in order to force the realization to the audience into understanding the importance human life and the influence of others.

Charlotte Bronte created one of the first feminist novels--Jane Eyre--of her time period when she created the unique and feminist female heroine, Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel, Jane becomes stronger as she speaks out against antagonists. She presses to find happiness whether she is single or married and disregards society’s rules. The novel begins as Jane is a small, orphan child living with her aunt and cousins due to the death of her parents and her uncle. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Her cousin--John Reed--hits her and then Mrs. Reed chooses to punish her instead and sends her to the room in which her uncle

Wilder used experimental techniques in staging the play to complement the experimental innovations in characterization and structure. There is minimal scenery in Our Town, which was a technique never tried before: “The audience, arriving, sees an empty stage… the Stage Manager begins placing a table and three chairs” (p. 3). There is also no curtain. The act begins with an open stage. Every single play produced before this had a curtain. Wilder was one of, if not the first, to use this innovative style for his work. There are no props in the show either. The actors have to pantomime their actions where props would typically be used: “carrying an imaginary rack with milk bottles.” (p. 10). To add more detail to the character’s actions, there