Thornton Niven Wilder was born in Madison, Wisconsin on April 17, 1897. He was brought up under deep moral and religious values. He received education in Hong Kong, and after his high school graduation, attended college "graduating from Yale University with a literary degree. He then went on to pursue his future career. He published a book, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, which allowed him to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1928. Another one of his works, "Our Town,"" was a play which also won the Pulitzer Prize for "letters: Drama- in 1938. The creativity and attention to detail within, that emerge in such works, have earned Wilder a great deal of respect and renown in the literary realm and beyond .
"Our Town- begins in the town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, just before sunrise on May 7, 1901. The reader is given an introduction to the many different scenes and places upon the stage, as the stage manager narrates, "Up here is Main Street Here's the Town Hall and Post Office combined First automobile's going to come along in about five years; belonged to Banker Cartwright, our richest citizen lives in the bid white house up on the hill- (Wilder 4-6).
The audience is often overcome with the question and wonder as to why the stage is nearly bare throughout the entire play. Wilder doesn't want the play to be time-stamped with stage props. When the play first opened in Boston, audiences found it different and strange. Once they got past the fact that the stage would be almost bare, they were then able to view the play as Wilder wanted them to "with wonder. .
"Our Town- is a play about simple life, ordinary events, learning to not take life for granted, and treasuring every moment of each day. This comes to be the conflict, as well as main theme. .
The first act talks a lot about everyday life and the subject of birth. The conflicts within the Webb and Gibb house can be seen as an example of this.
