Emily’s Soliloquy; Then and Now
Emily’s Soliloquy from Act 3 in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town:
We don’t have time to look at one another.
I didn’t realize. All that was going on in life,
and we never noticed.
Take me back – up the hill – to my grave.
But first: Wait! One more look.
Good-by, Good-by, world.
Good-by, Grover’s Corners.
Mama and Papa.
Good-bye to clocks ticking.
And Mama’s sunflowers.
And food and coffee.
And new-ironed dresses and hot baths.
And sleeping and waking up.
Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful
for anybody to realize you.
Do any human beings ever realize life
while they live it? – every, every minute?
Stage Manager’s Response:
No. The saints and the poets, maybe they do some.
Emily’s soliloquy has been an overarching paradigm in my life ever since using it with students early in my teaching career. It’s served many purposes ranging from various literary themes, to the power of reflection for writing and life. I’ve used the example of the soliloquy often with others, thinking it was a secret recipe for seeing and appreciating the smaller aspects of our daily lives. But recently, as I approach the same age my Mother was, well into her widowhood, I understand that like Emily, I too am deficient with a necessary ingredient to fully appreciate my day to day being…an innate wisdom.
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