Criticism Without Understanding (Our Town)
One of the most important relationships between characters in Our Town by Thorton Wilder is between George Gibbs and Emily Webb. They begin as neighbors and friends, but later on are married and have a happy relationship until Emily’s sad death at the conclusion of the play. However, their romantic relationship had a rather interesting, uncommon starting point that connects to what Nick Carraway's father told him in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. As Nick says in the novel, “‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.’” When people criticize others, it is because they have a lack of understanding of what the other person is going through. Nick Carraway’s father is reminding him to try to understand others’ perspectives.
George and Emily from Our Town learned this lesson as well. After George asks Emily if she is mad at him and tells her she has been acting funny lately, Emily says that “we’d been friends so long… and then you began spending all your time at baseball… and you never stopped to speak to anybody anymore. Not even to your own family you didn’t… and, George, it’s a fact, you’ve gotten awful conceited and stuck up” (Wilder, 65). George replies by saying he didn’t know this was happening to him but also admitted he had faults “creep into his character.” He says nobody can be perfect. Emily admits that she’s not perfect either and apologizes to George for insulting his character. George invites her to have a soda with him, and tells her he will work to improve his character. The pair then finds that they care about each other. Emily learns that she and her friends shouldn’t have judged George because he didn’t even know he had these issues and once he found out, he wanted to fix them. George’s resolve shows he doesn’t truly have bad character. After talking to him, Emily can see George’s perspective and reaches a level of understanding with him that strengthens their relationship.
Instead of criticizing someone without remembering their disadvantages (George’s being that he doesn’t realize there is a problem), it is beneficial to try to understand them, and if you cannot, be kind to them despite this. In Our Town, Mrs. Gibbs tries to understand Simon Stimson. When Mrs. Soames discusses how Mr. Stimson drinks so much, Mrs. Gibbs replies, “We all know about Mr. Stimson, and we all know about the troubles he’s been through, and Dr. Ferguson knows too, and if Dr. Ferguson keeps him on there in his job the only thing the rest of us can do is just not to notice it” (Wilder, 39-40). Whereas Mrs. Soames just criticises Mr. Stimson, Mrs. Gibbs reminds her that Mr. Stimson has been through a lot and hasn’t had the advantages everyone else in Grover’s Corners has had.
George and Emily from Our Town learned this lesson as well. After George asks Emily if she is mad at him and tells her she has been acting funny lately, Emily says that “we’d been friends so long… and then you began spending all your time at baseball… and you never stopped to speak to anybody anymore. Not even to your own family you didn’t… and, George, it’s a fact, you’ve gotten awful conceited and stuck up” (Wilder, 65). George replies by saying he didn’t know this was happening to him but also admitted he had faults “creep into his character.” He says nobody can be perfect. Emily admits that she’s not perfect either and apologizes to George for insulting his character. George invites her to have a soda with him, and tells her he will work to improve his character. The pair then finds that they care about each other. Emily learns that she and her friends shouldn’t have judged George because he didn’t even know he had these issues and once he found out, he wanted to fix them. George’s resolve shows he doesn’t truly have bad character. After talking to him, Emily can see George’s perspective and reaches a level of understanding with him that strengthens their relationship.
Instead of criticizing someone without remembering their disadvantages (George’s being that he doesn’t realize there is a problem), it is beneficial to try to understand them, and if you cannot, be kind to them despite this. In Our Town, Mrs. Gibbs tries to understand Simon Stimson. When Mrs. Soames discusses how Mr. Stimson drinks so much, Mrs. Gibbs replies, “We all know about Mr. Stimson, and we all know about the troubles he’s been through, and Dr. Ferguson knows too, and if Dr. Ferguson keeps him on there in his job the only thing the rest of us can do is just not to notice it” (Wilder, 39-40). Whereas Mrs. Soames just criticises Mr. Stimson, Mrs. Gibbs reminds her that Mr. Stimson has been through a lot and hasn’t had the advantages everyone else in Grover’s Corners has had.