Our Town Play Analysis

Words: 1188
Pages: 5

What would one say if they could talk to their recently deceased grandmother? Would they vent to her about what has happened in their life? Gossip about Mrs. So-and-so? Or even get advice on which shirt they should order for soccer? These simple thoughts run through loved-one’s heads for the rest of their lives when they lose someone they were close to. Usually, whenever people grieve, they talk to others who have had similar experiences.The universal topic that people always talk about is how they wish that they could go back in time to talk to that one person. Our Town does an admirable job of capturing those feelings about time and loss and tying it all together into something relatable. This play is about the normal life of the residents …show more content…
This magic mirror shows what one’s heart most deeply desires; naturally, Harry saw his deceased family since he had been an orphan since age one. Professor Dumbledore then tells Harry, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” Dumbledore is saying that Harry can still think about his parents, but that he can’t be obsessed with living in the past. The images that he sees are not real and make him yearn to see his family again. This is similar to Our Town when Emily wanted to go back and relive a day of her life. As she observed her own funeral during her afterlife, some of the other spirits said that she could go back in time to watch a day of her life. They warned her not to; they knew the pain of what returning to a past life could bring. The feeling was like dying all over again. Disregarding the spirits’ advice, Emily picked a “boring” day and went back in time anyway. After seeing the little joys in a normal day, Emily was immediately sorrowed knowing that her death actually happened and that she couldn’t live her old life again. The spirits were very similar to Professor Dumbledore in advising that living in the past isn’t really living at