1. Thorton Wilder was one of the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated of American writers. Born in the Midwest on April 17, 1897, he was educated in China, in Germany language schools, in America, and in Rome. He was thoroughly familiar with classical literature. In 1938 he wrote Our Town. In this play Wilder gained admiration for his serious philosophical concerns and use of theatrical techniques. When reading Our Town it is difficult to find one major conflict. The ideas imbedded behind the scenes deal with the importance of love, the continuity of human life, the beauty of life, and the meaning of life. The topic of love is seen many times throughout the play. All the characters are brought together by love however, each relationship and each love is different. Throughout the play it is very easy to notice the different loves. In act one love is centered on the family, the main characters seem to show unconditional love for one another. In the second act the word of love cha!
             nges to romance, as Emily and George fall in love. In act three love is shown in the most unconditional way. Unselfish love that expects no return. As the play moved forward we work constantly reminded that like this one continuous cycle. The play itself begins with birth and ends in death. The stage manager also insinuates this idea by comparing generations. The strongest theme in Our Town is the beauty of life. This theme helps show us the wonderful happenings of everyday existence that most people will ignore and is only sometimes grasped by poets and saints. 2. After a short analysation of Our Town the plot reveals itself very easily. It has been said that Our Town has no plot at all, in that the stage manager tells a few stories about life in Grover's Corners and sends the audience on their way. The simplicity behind the plot is what brought excellence to the play. Wilder tries throughout the play to show the importance of ideas not personalities, and let...