Our Town

I think one of the most profound moments in the play Our Town is at the wedding of George and Emily. It's when George says "Ma, I don't want to grow old. Why's everyone pushing me so?" and Emily says "Don't you remember that you used to say-all the time: that I was your little girl! There must be lots of places we can go to. I'll work for you, I could keep house.". It's at these moments that they try to stand against the passage of time, as we all inevitably do at some point in our lives, to stay where we are when time is pushing us forward. We can try to stay put, but it's only self harming and only a mental state. Thankfully George and Emily don't remain stalled for long, and while they are nervous and uncertain, it is nature that they follow this path, it's a path that time dictates.