Our Town Mrs Webb Is Mrs Gibbs

Essay, Research Paper

Mrs. Gibbs is Mrs. Webb is Mrs. Gibbs

In Thorton Wilder s classic play about life in a small town, no other two characters share so much in common with one another as Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb do. Their purpose in the story, on a figurative level, is to represent the monolithic thinking of a small town. Emily Post, an American etiquette authority of the early 1900 s, said, To do exactly as your neighbors do is the only sensible rule.

Without a doubt, any intelligent reader of this play can see the obvious similarities between Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs. On a purely literal level, the two seem to run parallel to one another. For example, their morning routine is abnormally similar, they both attend choir practice, they both enjoy the town gossip, and the basic makeup of their families are the same.

Looking deeper into the similarities of the two women on a figurative level, only demonstrates that both women can be considered one person. Not only do they act alike, but they think alike as well. Thorton Wilder s use of two women who are virtually the same serves as an example of how the woman in Grover s Corners act. In fact, Wilder s use of these two women enforces the small town mentality, in which everyone should live by a set standard.

These two women are pieces of the puzzle that is Grover s Corners. They represent the norm who is just another person who has lost his or her individuality. The two women are not meant to remain in the mind of the reader because of their performance. Oddly enough, their claim to fame comes because of their lack of individuality. Therefore their sole purpose in the story is to provide the reader with a consensus of what Grover s Corners is really about.

Both Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs provide a type of background needed to fully understand a play such as Our Town. There is a point to their roles however uneventful they may seem. The two women show that Grover s Corners is essentially a normal town; therefore it is an example of any town.