"Quite a Moon!": The Archetypal Feminine in Our Town (2007)

Near end Act I Our Town, Wilder enumerates different characters' casual reactions to moon or moonlight, (1) establishing mood or feeling which audience is nearly powerless to resist (Haberman 71). same irresistibility characterizes entire play, which, despite its apparent simplicity, encompasses a great ineffable force centered around moon. To achieve a better understanding this mysterious power, we may explore playwright's thoughts on playwriting. Thornton Wilder believes that the theater is an art addressed to a group-mind, which imposes upon {...} {the dramatist} necessity treating material understandable by large number (Intent 90-92). meaning this group-mind idea is twofold: one, it aims at collective experience audience as a whole, and two, it requires a special way presenting play so that it will bring about a common response collective mind audience. A striking parallel exists between Wilder's group-mind idea and Jung's theory collective unconscious, which is of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature and is identical all individuals (Jung 43). collective unconscious consists archetypes generally represented symbolic patterns or images, among which moon stands out significantly Our Town. archetypal moon has a long association with modality. (2) It was viewed as male, female or hermaphrodite ancient mythology, folklore, and rituals around world, (3) but his essay The Moon and Matriarchal Consciousness, Erich Neumann states that in every case it belongs among central symbols feminine (Feminine 71-72). positive qualities feminine--or Great Mother--archetype according to Jung, include maternal solicitude and sympathy; {...} wisdom and spiritual exaltation that transcend reason; any helpful instinct or impulse; {...} {and} all that cherishes and sustains, that fosters growth and (82). thus described is very much moon-attuned, with one typical equations resting on moon's character swelling up and shrinking connected with (Neumann, Feminine 70). Apart from cyclic phases associated with menstruation, life, and rebirth, moon's trek across night sky also promises creative inspiration and qualitative timing, which lead to wisdom. archetypal principle as manifested by moon finds its rich embodiment Our Town, imbuing play with harmonious beauty. archetype--specifically fertility and wisdom--points directly to audience's group-mind and contributes to play's universal appeal. structure Our forms a clearly visible cycle. It begins with act entitled Daily Life, where first conversation tells twins born over Polish Town (8). birth motif having been emphasized five times (7, 8, 9, 10, 15), play then proceeds to show daily life town, represented by Gibbs and Webbs: children getting up, having breakfast, going to school, returning home, and doing homework while parents guide and provide for their natural growth. With its serene mood, Act I sets tone praising life for entire play. In second act, Love and Marriage, stage manager takes some time commenting on passing time and on nature's pushing and contriving (30), while audience is also presented with characters as they grow up and fall love, followed by a ritualistic wedding ceremony. Here we see life prospering love and marriage, but more notably, growth. In Act III, Emily dies giving birth to her second child and subsequently relives her twelfth birthday. Her firstborn son, however, lives and he loves spending day at Mr. and Mrs. Carter's (56), which signifies continuity life and growth nurtured by community town. …