“Our Town” Symbol Analysis

For their yearly musical, Via’s school chooses to put on a production of Our Town. For all the adolescent individuals involved, Our Town represents a major shift in their growing independence and coming of age. For August, it's the first time he truly feels like he's seeing an adult piece of theatre, not a children's show. For Via, it ends up being one of the few times in her life that her parents unequivocally celebrate her and her accomplishments. Playing the lead unexpectedly also allows her to feel adult and independent. In the case of Miranda, who was originally cast as the lead, the play presents a number of opportunities for her to "choose kind," as she advocates for the theatre director to choose anything but the play The Elephant Man (which she felt wouldn't go over well with the Pullman family) and then feigns illness to give Via the opportunity to perform. In all cases, the play represents a major moment of growth and development for the book’s characters.