Our Town Mrs. Webb is Mrs. Gibbs

“Mrs. Gibbs is Mrs. Webb is Mrs. Gibbs” In Thorton Wilder’s classic play about life in a small town, no other two characters share so much in common with one another as Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb do. Their purpose in the story, on a figurative level, is to represent the monolithic thinking of a small town. Emily Post, an American etiquette authority of the early 1900’s, said, “To do exactly as your neighbors …

…sole purpose in the story is to provide the reader with a consensus of what Grover’s Corners is really about. Both Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Gibbs provide a type of background needed to fully understand a play such as “Our Town.” There is a point to their roles however uneventful they may seem. The two women show that Grover’s Corners is essentially a normal town; therefore it is an example of any town.