Our Town is a play that tells a story of a fictional American town known as Grover’s Corners found in New Hampshire near Massachusetts. Divided into three acts, the first act of the play explores the daily life of the people in the small town. The play is set in the period between 1901 and 1913 when technology and other advances seen today were not in existence. From the play, it is evident that most human activities were less complex and used less technological assistance used in the present world. The first activity epitomizing ancient life is that of Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs entering their kitchens where they light their stoves and make breakfast. Ancient life in the world of the play is also epitomized by people reading papers in the streets in the morning, milk people doing doorstep delivery of milk every morning, fathers dispensing allowances, people taking dates to soda shops, and mothers taking care of households.
There are some similarities between the world or set of Our Town and today’s world. First, the contemporary world still upholds the thought that the primary role of women or mothers is to take care of households. In most modern families, women still play a huge role when it comes to matters related to cooking and taking care of children. This is similar to the world or setting in our Town where mothers were tasked with taking care of the household; either taking children to school or preparing meals for the family. Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs, to be specific, enter their kitchens and make breakfast for their respective families. Second, just like the setting of Our Town, the contemporary world firmly believes in the role and superiority of men, especially when it comes to the family situation. In today’s world, fathers are tasked with dispensing allowances to facilitate family operations. Similarly, in the world or setting in Our Town, fathers dispensed allowances including funding the education of their children.
The identified similarities notwithstanding, there are several differences between today’s world and that of Our Town. First, unlike the ancient world especially in the early 1900s where people consumed milk got directly from cattle and delivered to their doorsteps, the modern population prefers to purchase processed milk from shops and other outlets. Advancements in agricultural technology can be attributed to the increased milk processing activities that have seen people shift allegiance to processed milk. Second, Our Town‘s setting is characterized by people filling the streets to read papers, especially in the morning, which can be attributed to minimal technological development. Today, people hardly read print media such as newspapers but access news and other information from digital platforms. In fact, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become widespread, and through these platforms, people have fast and easy access to information. This underscores the reduction in the number of people filling the streets to access information every morning in today’s world. Moreover, relationships in today’s world have been heightened and strengthened by social media platforms such as Facebook. Therefore, unlike in the ancient world such as that in Our Town where relationships were strengthened by dates in soda shops, modern relationships take place on social media platforms. These noticeable differences between today’s world and that of Our Town can be attributed to the huge gaps between the two in terms of technological development.