Thornton Wilder's Our Town

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Every day that passes is another day lost in the short-lived existence of a human. Many natural, recurring ideas are expressed throughout daily life. Mainly the passage of time shows how the duration of life can take you and grab you by the wrist to make your plans fit such a strict clock. That clock is life, he said. Through many references to the passage of time, Thornton Wilder's Our Town reinforces the transitory nature of life and the need to cherish its phases throughout the 3 acts of Our Town. In the book Our Town, George and Emily grow up together and experience time passing with one another. They experience most of their life together and understand how valuable time is compared to everything else in life. They first talk to each other …show more content…
George, you whistle to me; and I’ll give you some hints (Wilder 29).” This moment in the book captures the early times in George and Emily’s life when they first started talking to each other. This would eventually lead to much greater things in their life, as time passed their bond became stronger as they realized each other during everyday life. Later in the book George asks Emily if she, “Would like an ice-cream soda, or something before [she] goes home (66).” When George asks Emily if she wants ice cream it is three years after they first started talking. This captures how much time has affected their relationship with each other, as in just three years, it’s moved on so far. As George and Emily travel through life together, they both need each other to stick by their sides and help each other. As time passes, as the clock of life ticks, George stays by Emily's side as they both grow up together. Time works in wonderful ways because they eventually get married and start a life together, beginning a totally new chapter in their lives. They stay with each other for a while until one unfortunate event alters their lives, Emily goes into childbirth and …show more content…
Gibbs. The reader finds out what Mrs. Gibbs did with the money in Act III when Emily thanks her for leaving behind her legacy of $350. Mrs. Gibbs never got the chance to use the money so she gave it to her son and daughter in-law, they made the best of it and Emily says, “We wanted to show you the new barn and a great long-term drinking fountain for the stock. We bought that out of the money you left us” (95). The reader can infer that this money came from the furniture that Mrs. Gibbs sold and in the years since her passing, George and Emily were able to benefit from it and upgrade their farm. Mrs. Gibbs was smart with what she did and knew that going to Paris wouldn’t do anything to help, but when she left the money in her legacy, she was able to still help out her son even after she was gone. Throughout Our Town, passage of time is exemplified as a leading theme in the novel. As time passes throughout the three acts, the reader can see how the characters grow and adapt to different situations in their lives. As life ticks by, day by day they experience something new in their lives but also come closer to
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