“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 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. Mrs. Webb reminds Wally to wash up well, while Mrs. Gibb is having an argument about chores. Later on, George and Mr. Gibb have a long talk about the issue of growing up. Within these small and meaningless happenings, Wilder foreshadows the love between George and Emily through their conversations. Dr. Gibbs also makes the comment pertaining to future plans for the two of them—George needing a larger allowance to be able to provide for “certain unspecified” things when he gets older.

Early in Act Two the Stage Manager tells us, "The first act was called Daily Life. This act is called Love and Marriage” (Wilder 48). He assumes that we expect the first act to be entitled "Death." The inability to see life beyond death seems rather ironic for a town whose central activities seem to focus on church.

As the play continues, the theme becomes more dominant and present. It becomes more acquainted to the small town people who take life for granted. Wilder brings out the fact that time and life go rather quickly, and each person should make the best of it. The people are often ignorant to this concept. “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” (Wilder 108).

Routine, then, seems to be the word that best describes the events in Act One of “Our Town.” There are reminders of other routines—a rooster crows at daybreak, a school bell calls children to school, and a whistle calls workers to the factory. The act begins just

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