Our Town

Emily Webb Gibbs is the daughter of Charles and Myrtle Webb. Described as the same age as George, she is around 16 in Act I, 19 in Act II, and 28 in Act III. Emily is a happy and energetic girl curious about the world, love, and what the future will hold. In the first act, Emily is introduced at breakfast with her family and describes herself as having a “wonderful memory” (15). She is fully aware of her strengths and powers of manipulation. She brags about how well her speech went at school and asks her mother several times if she thinks she is pretty enough to attract attention. She walks with an “imaginary elegance” (26) that suggests a head-in-the-clouds attitude. Emily is egotistical and insecure at the same time, thinking mainly of herself and how others see her. Despite this flaw, she comes across as likable because she is genuine and honest. She is also outspoken and brave, as she is not afraid to tell George when he is changing for the worse. Emily exhibits the idealism of youth, demanding that George be perfect and take care of her “for ever and ever” (80). She becomes a mother and dies giving birth to her second child.

Emily is one of two deuteragonists in the play and goes through the most pivotal changes of any character. When introduced in Act I, she is aware of her potential and strengths but is wildly naïve to the world’s truths. She is preoccupied with her looks and the way others view her. Emily does share the same appreciation for nature and the night sky as her neighbors, paying particular attention to the bright white light of the moon. During Act II, Emily falls in love with George, and they get married. Although Emily is more mature than in Act I, she is still only 19 and fears letting go of her family and the life she knows. She is scared to let go once again in Act III when she dies and begs to be given a chance to relive a day in her life. Even though several people warn her at the graveyard not to go through with it, her stubbornness overrules them, and she requests the Stage Manager to take her back to her twelfth birthday. It is only minutes before she regrets her decision. She begins to realize that every moment she spent in her life, no matter how simple, repetitive, or seemingly insignificant, was a precious gift that she did not appreciate. Death allows her to see human life for what it truly is, full of earthly troubles and where people are “shut up in little boxes” (96). Emily experiences a full character arc between the three acts and represents both the pattern of human life and peoples’ lack of appreciation for it.

George Gibbs is the son of Julia and Frank Gibbs and one of two deuteragonists in Our Town. He is “about 16” in Act I, 19 in Act II, and 28 in Act III. His family and neighbors describe him as somewhat selfish, obsessed with baseball, and foolish. George falls in love with Emily Webb when they are both 16, as they begin talking through their windows at night. One day, he reveals this to her when they walk home from school together. He buys her an ice-cream soda, and they discuss their feelings for one another. They talk about how they have been watching each other for a long time, and George ponders the idea of going away to college. He tells Emily that he has heard from several farmers that agricultural college is pointless and that experience is more important. He decides to stay in Grover’s Corners and take over his uncle’s farm to be with Emily. George believes that love and marriage are the most important thing in life, and when he asks Emily to be that person for him, she replies, “I…I am now. I always have been” (72).

It is clear from the start that George is a naïve and bright-eyed boy who is not quite ready to take on the hardships of the world. In his first appearance, he can be heard complaining about how impossible it is to save money. Later, George is scolded for having his head in the clouds and failing to chop wood for his mother. In Act II, Emily becomes angry with him on their walk to the drugstore and tells him that he is becoming “conceited and stuck up” (65). Emily’s admonishment is a wake-up call for George, who swears to change his ways for the sake of being loved and accepted by Emily. He marries her, and they live together on their new farm. When Emily dies, George returns to her grave after the funeral and falls to his knees at her feet in despair. Like his father and Emily’s father, George is a family man and is distraught at the idea of living his life without his wife. Emily looks at him with pity, noting that people are never aware of the preciousness of life while they are alive.

Mrs Julia (Hersey) Gibbs is the mother of George and Rebecca Gibbs and the wife of Doctor Frank Gibbs. She spends most of her time at home keeping house, taking care of the children, or worrying about her husband’s health. She is with her best friend and neighbor, Mrs Webb, the rest of the time. The two are seemingly bound by a deep friendship and understanding as they live very similar lives. Mrs Gibbs is a “plump, pleasant woman in the middle thirties” (7), unlike Mrs Webb, who is quite a bit older and more cynical. She disciplines and scolds her children, but never harshly, and is always there to comfort them and quell their worries. Like Mrs Webb, she remains stable and strong throughout her hard and repetitive life. She is an emotional woman who cries easily and is never afraid to smile at the beauty of everyday life.

In Act I, Mrs Gibbs is shown to be a loving and patient housewife who is loyal to her family and friends. She gardens, fixes meals, and washes clothes without complaint. In Act II, Mrs Gibbs experiences a dramatic change in her life when her son George decides to get married. Although her husband Frank is reluctant, and so too is she, she firmly states that “people are meant to go through life two-by-two” (54). She believes it makes sense for George to marry and become a farmer because he will have the company and comfort of Emily and be able to live doing something he loves. She is saddened at the idea of George moving out, but when he assures her that he and Emily will visit every Thursday, she bursts into tears and feels ready to let go of her son. She reminds him that he is a man now and comforts him in his final moments of needing her. In Act III, Mrs Gibbs is revealed to have died of pneumonia while visiting her daughter Rebecca. She was still young when she died and sits at her grave, staring blankly. When she speaks, she does so indifferently, and she does not meet her husband’s eyes when he comes to mourn her grave. In death, she is being “weaned away from earth” (88) and is losing her attachment to people and life. She is still attached enough to recognize those around her, as well as to warn Emily against revisiting her memories. She explains to Emily that in death, people are waiting for and focusing on the future.

Doctor Frank Gibbs is the town doctor, the husband of Mrs Gibbs, and the father to George and Rebecca Gibbs. He is less of a family man than his counterpart, Mr Webb, spending most of his time working and feeling exhausted, but he is a loyal and devoted father and husband. He cares deeply about his wife and children and intervenes when Mrs Gibbs complains that George is not keeping up his share of the housework. He talks with George diplomatically, doing his best to ensure that George becomes a responsible and hardworking man like himself. Overall, Doc Gibbs is a static character who has a narrow-minded view of the world around him. When Mrs Gibbs discusses possibly taking a trip to Paris with her friend Mrs Webb, she explains that Frank is unwilling to open his worldview at the risk of learning to detest Grover’s Corners. Thus, Doc Gibbs is resistant to change. He shows this trait again when his son George wants to get married. Because he feels that George is not ready for marriage, he lectures him firmly and warns him that marriage and farm life will be hard work. On the other hand, Doc Gibbs is a big fan of American history, always reading books and visiting the Civil War battlefield every two years. He is proud to be an American and a descendant of men who fought for freedom and unity.

Mr Charles Webb is the writer and editor of The Sentinel, the local newspaper in Grover’s Corners. He first appears in Act I when the Stage Manager requests his services to explain the political and cultural landscape of the town. He is a calm and reasonable man who loves his family more than anything. Mr Webb also gets pleasure from the simple things in life, as the Stage Manager notes, “one in ten men thinks it’s a privilege to push his own lawnmower” (27). He teases his daughter Emily from time to time, but ultimately, he is a respectful family man who treasures his wife and children. When George tries to visit Emily on the wedding morning, he sits with Mr Webb instead. He tries to get some advice from his soon-to-be father-in-law, but all Mr Webb has to say is “never to ask for advice on personal matters” (60). He believes in carving one’s own path and doing things in the way that works best for them. When Emily gets married, Mr Webb comforts her when she doubts her decision. He asks George directly if he will take care of his daughter, and George agrees to try his best. Mr Webb is a flat character who represents the importance of family and the responsibilities of being a husband and father.

Mrs Myrtle Webb is the wife of Mr Charles Webb and the mother to Emily and Wally. She is also Mrs Gibbs’s best friend, and the two live next door to each other. They live parallel lives, in which they each have two children, a husband, and a garden; they sing together in the choir, and their children eventually marry each other, uniting the two families. Mrs Webb is a static character who reinforces the position of women in 1900s America, alongside her counterpart Mrs Gibbs. Mrs Webb is a “thin, serious, crisp woman” (7), a hardworking mother, and a loyal wife. The Stage Manager points out that she has raised two children over twenty years and “never a nervous breakdown” (49). She is slightly rougher around the edges than Mrs Gibbs, often yelling at her children and husband regularly scolding them. She does this out of love and a desire to keep order in her life. The only time she breaks out of this persona is when she witnesses her daughter getting married. The audience receives a glimpse into her mind, revealing that she is deeply concerned for her daughter’s future but feels like it is not her place to warn her. She ends her thoughts by saying, “the whole world’s wrong, that’s what’s the matter” (76), and it is subsequently understood that her abrasiveness and cynicism stems from a deep and hidden pain.

Mrs Soames appears briefly throughout Our Town. The first time she appears, she is walking home from choir practice with Mrs Gibbs and Mrs Webb. She stops to gossip with them about Simon Stimson’s drinking problem and then marvels at the beauty of the moonlight, commenting, “I hate to go to bed on a night like this” (40). Mrs Soames appears again at Emily and George’s wedding and cannot stop talking to her pew neighbor about how beautiful it is. She takes the final lines of Act II when she remarks on how life is about being happy. Finally, Mrs Soames appears at the graveyard after her death in Act III. She maintains more of the characteristics of her former life than the other dead people, continuing to gossip, smile, and marvel at the strange nature of life: “Wasn’t life awful—and wonderful” (93). Mrs Soames, along with Mrs Gibbs, tries to warn Emily about returning to her memories.

Mrs Soames is an elderly woman and could be considered the town gossip. Like many of the other characters, she is a person easily recognizable to audiences. Mrs Soames is highly emotional, often giddy, and constantly bemused by both the beauty and tragedy of life. She is livelier and more vibrant than many other people in the town. Although she is a flat character, her position in the play is still significant: she represents the small-town feeling that binds townspeople together.