Our Town – Thornton Wilder

Expectation: Honestly, I had no idea what to expect having somehow missed all productions and required readings of this classic play for more than 40 years.

Reality: It’s easy to interpret Wilder’s words as cursory but that’s a lazy examination of the masterful story he told here.

My Take:

For reasons I can’t explain, Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” had never been on my radar. It wasn’t until early reviews about Ann Patchett’s “Tom Lake” referenced the play as a primer on her story that I sought out a copy. 

There’s not much I can add to the nearly century’s long deconstruction of the themes of “Our Town” — many of which were discussed in great detail in the 75th anniversary edition I read — but I will say this: it was, simply, fantastic. 

If you first read this as a teen it’s easy for Wilder’s text to appear schmaltzy or kitsch. On the surface it appears to celebrate the much-fabled days of yore, a time when kids minded their parents, the milkman always stopped for a chat and life hummed along in small town America with hive-mind obtuseness in an effort to maintain the status quo. 

Yet, as an adult, it’s easier to see the subtle coding that Wilder infused into each of the three acts. There’s the city versus rural divide, the alienation of those that buck societal norms and the everpresent specter of anxiety wrought by change. 

It’s even more interesting if read through the lens of Wilder’s (assumed) latent homosexuality, which gives the text an almost cynical view of small town communities, especially for any perceived outsider. All that to say, even without the interestingly sentimental and dark third act, it more than earns its enduring place in popular culture and literature.

This is a story so often taken at the surface level — based on the relatively low rating it holds on Goodreads — or relegated in the same class of its ersatz brethren that I think it is an example of a story that should be re-read multiple times throughout life. 

Twenty years ago, I would've found it all a bit too on the nose but still affecting. Today, it challenges me to stop wishing time away. Twenty years from now? Who knows, but I’m willing to give it another read to find out.  

Rating (story): 4.5/5 stars

Rating (narration): N/A 

Format: Hardcover (personal library)

Dates read: September 5 – September 10, 2023

Multi-tasking: N/A