Themes from "Our Town"

My arm/wrist/hand is still hurting so I can't type much.

I saw "Our Town" at a local playhouse over the weekend. It seems like a very simple play - few props, no music, no fancy scenery. Maybe I expect drama more nowadays with tv and movie influences. It's a very thought provoking piece.

As soon as I returned home, I looked online for analysis and background into Thornton Wilder. It was interesting to learn that the lack of props is deliberate. Wilder wanted people to focus on the people and themes. He felt that props would distract from the purpose of his works.

In my current state of... ambivalence? towards life... I found myself wondering how to apply some of the themes of the play to my own situation.

Theme 1: People should appreciate life while they are living it. Even ordinary, uneventful activities are important.

Theme 2: Carpe diem (seize the day). This Latin phrase, which has become part of the English language, urges people to live for the moment, seizing opportunities to enjoy or enrich their lives. Life is short, after all; such opportunities may present themselves only once.

Theme 3: Little things in life are really big things. This theme points out that seemingly insignificant happenings in everyday life are actually among the most important ones. However, people experiencing them usually do not comprehend this truth at the time.

Theme 4: No town can isolate itself from the rest of the world.

Theme 5: No community is perfect, not even idyllic Grover's Corners.