Question

In about 150 words, explain why you think Wilder chose to end the play where he did

Answer 1

It might be contended that the intrusion of the Stage Manager has the continuous effect of reminding the audience that they are not watching reality but are watching a play. This effect is also enhanced by the fact that there are virtually no props or backdrops. If anything has to be moved it is not done behind a closed curtain. Stagehands simply walk in and do whatever is needed. In the cemetery scene the dead people are not lying down but are all sitting straight up on wooden chairs--and yet this is the most moving scene in the play. We are especially moved by the presence of young Emily, who had such optimistic hopes and dreams and plans but died in childbirth. She doesn't seem to belong among all these old people who have lived their lives.

Answer 2

The play Our Town is remarkable in respect to the thematic changes that it undergoes. The play traces the development of life, and shows how people go through birth, youth, love and death in the same way. This does not make the experiences of people less unique. In fact, it makes them more so, as it connects all humans in a similar way.

Wilder ends the play with the topic of death. This serves two purposes. On the one hand, this illustrates how all lives end, and the impact that death has on those who remain. It also suggests that death is the ultimate "end," which is why it becomes the end in the play as well. The second purpose is to remark on the fact that humans rarely appreciate their lives while they have it, and they forget to think of the inevitability and reality of death.