Living in Ignorance:

A Wilderian Analysis of
Misinformation in the
Living World

Aubree Piepmeier
 Characters are ignorant to
complexities and contradictions
within themselves
Critical
Postmodern theory

Ignorance Of
the Living
World

Critical Marxist Critical Post-

theory Structuralist theory
Ignorance, apprehension shared ignorance of the
about the future living world to the value of
life
 Evidence: “Some people
Critical ain’t made for small town
Marxist life. I don’t know how that’ll
end” (41)“I don’t know how
Theory that’s goin’ to end, Mr.
The living exist in a Webb” (44)
constant state of
ignorance and
apprehension
about the future.
They do not find the
answers to these
Peer Review: “Thornton
questions till after Wilder, by Dayton
death Interpretation: In “Our Town,” the
Kohler
characters consistently wonder about their -Wilder understands life
futures. According to Marx, this confusion and its essential truths,
and anxiety about the future fuels social
including the timeless
change. The quotations reflect multiple
instances of feeling uncertain about the confusion and anxiety
future as the characters question how about the unknown
situations will end. Dayton Kohler notes
Wilders ability to capture this universal
emotion and other essential truths
Critical Post- Evidence: “’Haven’t any
Modern troubles on your mind,
have you, Emily?
theory ’‘troubles, papa? No.” (45)
The characters attempt “that’s the happy existence
to label themselves and you wanted to go back to.
others with black and Ignorance and blindness.”
white terms, unaware of (109)
the various emotional
dimension they hide
from themselves and
each other

Interpretation: Through the post-modern

theory one can recognize the elements of Peer Review: “In
tragedy that color Wilder’s seemingly Our Living and in
content characters. The characters Our Dying,” by
themselves seem ignorant to this presence Arthur H. Ballet
until they are dead. As a child, Emily never
imagines she could feel any discontent yet Ballet recognizes
after death she realizes this “happiness” the various tragic
was merely blindness and her emotions ran layers beneath the
much deeper. These deeper tragic surface of Wilder’s
dimensions are recognized by Ballet characters
Critical
Evidence: “Choose
Post- the least important
Structurali day in your life. It
will be important
st
TheTheory
society of the enough” (100)
living world attempts
to measure the
importance of each
individual day,
though in truth, each
day is significant, as
recognized by the Peer Review:“Thornton
dead Wilder and the Tragic
Interpretation: Untouched by the
Sense of Life,” by Robert
realizations of the dead, the living
world is ignorant to the true value of W. Corrigan
life as a whole and the importance of -Wilder finds the
each day. The deceased Mrs. Gibbs
significance in the
advises Emily that a day which
seems insignificant in life is very
simplest elements of
significant in death. Corrigan everyday life
supports this point, stating that
Wilder illustrates the significance of
everyday events.
The living world exist in a constant state of
ignorance, misunderstanding, and
apprehension. The living are in question
about the events of the future, their own
emotions and identities, and the value of
the time they spend on earth. This
consideration of the living’s capability to
assess their presence on Earth introduces
questions about existence and knowledge
received in after death.