Vocabulary in Our Town

In this play, the character who narrates the action, addresses the audience directly, and controls the flow of scenes — acting as a guide between the audience and the fictional world of the play.

Polite, light remarks exchanged in conversation that are friendly but not deeply meaningful, used here to show the routine social habits of small-town life.

To move or act slowly, wasting time; to linger without purpose. Used here to describe children taking their time on the way to school.

A serious and often fatal infectious disease caused by contaminated water, historically a major cause of death; referenced here as part of the town's past hardships.

A medical condition in which the appendix becomes inflamed and must be surgically removed; mentioned here as a cause of death in the town's history.

A frame or structure of crossed wooden or metal strips used to support climbing plants, here serving as a prop or scenic detail in the staging of the play.

To fasten or tie something, or to move with a jerky motion; used here in the context of hitching horses, reflecting the early-twentieth-century rural setting.

A local law-enforcement officer, similar to a town policeman; used here to refer to the figure responsible for keeping order in the small town.

The practice of abstaining from or strictly limiting alcohol consumption; referenced here in connection with social movements and the moral climate of the town.

The skill of speaking clearly and expressively, especially in public; mentioned here as a subject of lessons or local aspiration in the town.

A public announcement, traditionally made in church on three successive Sundays, that two people intend to marry — giving the community a chance to raise any objections.

The process of pursuing a romantic relationship with the intention of marriage; used here to describe the developing relationship between the young couple.

An old-fashioned term for a state of extreme mental and physical exhaustion or breakdown, often brought on by anxiety or emotional stress.

A person who plays the organ, typically in a church; used here to refer to a character whose drinking habit is a recurring subject of town gossip.

The crime of secretly stealing money that has been entrusted to one's care, typically from an employer; referenced here as part of a character's backstory.

Lasting or existing forever, without beginning or end; used here in the context of the dead souls' perspective on time and human life.

Dead; no longer living. Used here to describe the characters who have died and now occupy the graveyard, observing the living world with detachment.

A state of not caring or having no strong feeling about something; used here to describe the calm, detached attitude the dead have developed toward earthly concerns.

Subject to death; belonging to the world of the living. Used here to contrast the temporary human experience with the timeless state of the dead.

The moment of truly understanding or becoming fully aware of something important; used here as a central theme — the idea that the living rarely appreciate life while they have it.