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Our Town Analysis

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In Our Town, Thornton Wilder expresses the transience of human life through several characters during the play. Wilder addresses how rapid time flies, and that humans need to learn to appreciate the time we have. Throughout the passage, Wilder also portrays the importance of simplicity in life. He explains that humans tend to ignore these simple yet powerful experiences. At first glance, it seems as if the characters have similar views on human life, and that people are not truly grateful for the time they have on earth. However, as you look deeper into the passage, there are some key differences between the characters. Emily Gibbs and George Gibbs are two characters with two contrasting views on life. As a comparison of Emily and George show, Emily is more wise and aware of human ignorance than George. …show more content…
When she first got there, she still felt as if she were alive. She was optimistic, uplifting, and could only think of the positives of human life. Despite this outlook, when Emily returns from her memory, she understands how blind humans are in their everyday life. As Emily is coming to this realization she says, “Mama, just for a moment we’re happy. Let’s look at one another” (107). During this point in time, Emily becomes aware that humans never realize life while they live it. While she is leaving Grover’s Corners, she says goodbye to everything, knowing that she didn’t realize the importance of the mundane materials in her everyday life until after she died. Emily then says, “ Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you” (108). Towards the end of Act III, Emily comes to the conclusion that all human beings are just blind people, who cannot appreciate the earth for everything that it is. In the end, Emily comprehends that people who are alive do not understand the beauty of

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