Expectations of Living in Our Town
The play Our Town by Thornton Wilder relates directly to the quote “This is the story of America. Everybody’s doing what they think they’re supposed to do.” by Jack Kerouac because in Our Town, all of the characters have the decency to base their actions off of what the “normal” activities of the people around them. For example, Mr. Webb talks about how at Emily and George’s wedding, he states that at all weddings, the women have the floor and are the focus and that’s the way a classic American wedding goes and always has. He says to George, “All those good women standing shoulder to shoulder making sure that the knot’s tied in a mighty public way,” (59) to prove to him that there are certain things that just happen the way that they happen and that won’t change because, that’s how everybody is doing it- because they think they’re supposed to- just like the Jack Kerouac quote says.
Growing up in a very similar setting to the town, Grover’s Corners, NH, I understand how the small town story can relate to the quote “This is the story of America. Everybody’s doing what they think they’re supposed to do.” by Jack Kerouac. It seems to me that everyday, the people around the community have the same general schedule, and that is due to the need to maintain a normal and functioning town for the population. Each person has their own personal responsibility to the town- some involve cleaning, some involve running the local grocer and many others. The people of Grover’s Corners are supposed to do things that will positively affect the town and if they do,4 it will stay orderly- as long as “everybody does what they’re supposed to do.”
People tend to have visions of small towns- boring people doing everyday boring activities and having a structure that “makes their lives boring” but the fact of the matter is, most of the everyday activities that people in small towns are all for a bigger picture and have a strong affect on how the rest of the town operates. Our Town is the story of a small New Hampshire community and everybody’s doing what they know they have to do.
The play Our Town by Thornton Wilder relates directly to the quote “This is the story of America. Everybody’s doing what they think they’re supposed to do.” by Jack Kerouac because in Our Town, all of the characters have the decency to base their actions off of what the “normal” activities of the people around them. For example, Mr. Webb talks about how at Emily and George’s wedding, he states that at all weddings, the women have the floor and are the focus and that’s the way a classic American wedding goes and always has. He says to George, “All those good women standing shoulder to shoulder making sure that the knot’s tied in a mighty public way,” (59) to prove to him that there are certain things that just happen the way that they happen and that won’t change because, that’s how everybody is doing it- because they think they’re supposed to- just like the Jack Kerouac quote says.
Growing up in a very similar setting to the town, Grover’s Corners, NH, I understand how the small town story can relate to the quote “This is the story of America. Everybody’s doing what they think they’re supposed to do.” by Jack Kerouac. It seems to me that everyday, the people around the community have the same general schedule, and that is due to the need to maintain a normal and functioning town for the population. Each person has their own personal responsibility to the town- some involve cleaning, some involve running the local grocer and many others. The people of Grover’s Corners are supposed to do things that will positively affect the town and if they do,4 it will stay orderly- as long as “everybody does what they’re supposed to do.”
People tend to have visions of small towns- boring people doing everyday boring activities and having a structure that “makes their lives boring” but the fact of the matter is, most of the everyday activities that people in small towns are all for a bigger picture and have a strong affect on how the rest of the town operates. Our Town is the story of a small New Hampshire community and everybody’s doing what they know they have to do.