Our Town

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Our Town features a glimpse into the simple lives of everyday Americans in the early 1900s but was written by Thornton Wilder in the late 1930s.

• Why might Wilder have chosen to write a play on a simpler version of American life during the 1930s? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, consider historical events of the period that might have inspired his return to a simpler time, as well as the aspects of the play that most illuminate simplicity.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explore the possible reasons why Our Town continues to serve its purpose of returning to simplicity.

2. Thornton Wilder insisted on using few props and stage equipment in his plays in the hopes that the audience would be able to place their own world within the ones he created.

• How does stage lighting convey mood, emotion, and context throughout Our Town? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, include specific examples of how and when stage equipment is used and when it is absent, as well as what effects these have on mood, context, and emotion.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, discuss how the absence of stage props allows the play to be relatable for anyone.

3. In death, Emily is immediately desperate to return to the world of the living.

• Why is Emily so eager to revisit her life, and why do the dead warn her against it? What does she learn from her experience? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, discuss Emily’s emotional state and how this rapidly shifts as she processes her own death. Include at least one quote that exhibits Emily’s epiphany.
• In your conclusion, describe what you personally learned from observing Emily’s character arc.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Mrs. Gibb and Mrs. Webb live parallel lives as homemakers. They both feel uncertain about their children’s marriages but feel powerless to resist the societal norms that compel these young people to wed. What does this say about them, their role as women, and American life in the early 1900s? Be sure to include direct quotes in your essay.

2. The Stage Manager often pauses to reflect on life and pose philosophical ideas to the audience that relate to the scene. What does the Stage Manager mean in Act III when he says, “There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being,” and why is this statement significant to the play? Consider the play’s theme of The Cycle of Life, Love, and Death That Continues Throughout Human History and Eternity and reference specific moments in the play to support your ideas.

3. Our Town is a play that continues to resonate with American people almost 100 years after it was written and over 100 years after it takes place. What is the significance of placing a copy of the play inside the cornerstone of the new bank (time capsule), and why does the Stage Manager feel that this glimpse into everyday life is worth documenting? Your essay should include references to specific scenes in the play.