happiness of the Gibbs and Webbs families with the misery of Simon Stimson. Is it true that Simon is just not cut out for small town life, or is there more to it?

On the surface, Thornton Wilder's drama Our Town depicts the happiness present in small town life. Its major plot revolves around the marriage of Emily Webb and George Gibb. Emily dies and in the third act when she comes back to the town as a ghost she marvels how people do not appreciate the goodness of life while they are living. On the surface, the play appears to celebrate small town life. However, there are many indications, particularly in the life of the minor characters, that small town life has a confining, depressing aspect to it. The most obvious example of this is the choir director Simon Stimson who hangs himself. But although not all of the...
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