Characters Discussed

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The stage manager

The stage manager, who acts as a chorus in explaining and commenting on the action and the characters as the play unfolds.

Emily Webb

Emily Webb, a sweet young woman who grows up in Grover’s Corners, a small American town. She works hard in school, tries to be cheerful, and falls in love with the town’s best baseball player. She dies in childbirth while still young and shyly takes her place among her relatives and friends in the little graveyard. She tries to relive her twelfth birthday, only to discover that to relive is no joy and that the dead can only pity the living who know not what joy they have in life.

George Gibbs

George Gibbs, a typical young American boy who loves baseball. He gives up going to college to marry Emily, whom he dearly loves. When his wife dies, he is filled with grief and goes to sob at her grave, not realizing that she pities him for not valuing the life he still enjoys.

Dr. Gibbs

Dr. Gibbs, the local physician and George’s father. He is shocked to find that his son wants to marry and become a farmer but finally realizes that the youth is really no longer a child, any more than the doctor was when he married. Dr. Gibbs is a hardworking man whose hobby is the American Civil War; his idea of a vacation is an excursion to some battlefield of that conflict.

Mrs. Gibbs

Mrs. Gibbs, George’s mother, a hardworking woman who loves her family, even though she does not always understand them. She has found joy in her marriage and hopes her son will find joy in his.

Rebecca Gibbs

Rebecca Gibbs, George’s sister.

Wally Webb

Wally Webb, Emily’s brother.

Mr. Webb

Mr. Webb, Emily’s father, the editor and publisher of the local newspaper. He writes editorials every day, yet he cannot bring himself to advise his son-in-law on marriage, though he tries.

Mrs. Webb

Mrs. Webb, Emily’s mother, a good-hearted woman. On Emily’s wedding day, she finds herself unable to give her daughter advice on marriage, though she had meant to do so.

Simon Stimson

Simon Stimson, the local choir director. He has become an alcoholic because he cannot find happiness in the small town. Even in death, after committing suicide, he believes life is ignorance and folly.

Joe Crowell

Joe Crowell, a newspaper boy.

Howie Newsome

Howie Newsome, a milkman.

Characters

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Constable Warren

Crime is rare in Grover's Corners, so Constable Warren focuses on keeping the townspeople secure. He helps a man who has drunkenly fallen into a snowbank and makes sure young boys like Wally Webb steer clear of smoking. He also ensures that Simon Stimson, who often roams the streets intoxicated at night, returns home safely.

Sam Craig

Similar to the Crowell brothers and Howie Newsome, Sam Craig and Joe Stoddard deliver news, but rather than reporting on life, they bring news of death. Through them, the audience learns about recent passings and their impact on the community.

Joe Crowell

Joe Crowell and his brother Si serve as the town's newspaper delivery boys. They rise early to distribute newspapers before the town stirs. As the play unfolds, the Stage Manager reveals that Joe was intelligent but tragically died in France during World War I.

Si Crowell

Si Crowell, alongside his brother Joe, delivers newspapers throughout the town. Neither brother holds a favorable view of marriage; Si and his Grover's Corners teammates lose "the best baseball pitcher Grover's Corners ever had" when George Gibbs chooses...

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to marry Emily Webb and pursue farming.

Dr. Frank Gibbs

Frank Gibbs is a devoted father and a caring husband. He is well-acquainted with nearly everyone in town and is completely content living in Grover's Corners. Although some differences set him apart from Charles Webb, both characters play similar roles and serve comparable functions in the play.

George Gibbs

George Gibbs embodies the quintessential All-American boy—or, more accurately, what some envision as the typical boy—polite and pleasant, yet not particularly strong in academics; affectionate, but not adept at expressing his feelings; and perfectly content to remain on the farm.

George is genuine, though slightly awkward when trying to express his love for Emily in Act Two. He is neither a rebel nor someone seeking to change the world. He simply wants to fall in love, marry, and live happily until "death do us part." Although the happiness didn't last as long as he hoped, that's exactly what happened with George and Emily.

In Act Three, George remains silent, yet when he throws himself onto Emily's grave, his actions speak louder than words.

Julia Hersey Gibbs

Mrs. Gibbs, as a wife and mother, mirrors the character of Myrtle Webb. Both are concerned about their husbands and children. While they seem satisfied with life in Grover's Corners, Mrs. Gibbs does express a wish to use the money from selling an antique to persuade her husband to vacation in Paris, rather than their usual trips to Civil War battlefields. However, she ultimately saves the money and bequeaths it to George and Emily in her will, who use it to enhance their farm.

Rebecca Gibbs

Rebecca, George Gibbs' younger sister, is depicted alongside Wally Webb as a child often quarreling with her older sibling in family scenes, particularly in Act One. In Act Three, the Stage Manager informs the audience that Rebecca has married and relocated to Ohio.

Howie Newsome

Howie Newsome, the local milkman, is an early riser in the town. Known for being friendly and talkative, Howie shares the latest gossip along with his milk and cream deliveries each morning to the residents of Grover's Corners.

Louella Soames

Mrs. Soames is the town's talkative resident. She always has something to say, even in death. It is Mrs. Soames who discloses Simon Stimson's drinking issue and who enthusiastically talks about the wedding. In the afterlife, she comments on how life was both dreadful and delightful.

Stage Manager

The play's most crucial character remains unnamed and plays a minor role in the storyline's events. However, he has the most extensive role, with more dialogue than any other character, and is constantly on stage. Some critics suggest he resembles the omniscient narrator found in literature. He often seems to engage in casual conversation with the audience, offering folksy insights and embodying common sense.

In traditional Greek theater, the chorus played a significant role. As a group of impartial observers, the chorus provided commentary on the play's events and guided the audience on how to react to the drama. The 19th-century focus on depicting "reality" on stage led to the elimination of asides (remarks made by actors intended for the audience but not other characters). Wilder revives this convention by using the Stage Manager as a chorus figure to pause the action, intervene in the narrative, shift through time, and emphasize that the stage portrayal is not “reality” in a naturalistic sense.

Besides his role as the "chorus," the Stage Manager also takes on the parts of the proper Mrs. Forest, the traditional and conservative Mr. Morgan, and the solemn minister.

Simon Stimson

Simon Stimson serves as the church organist in Grover's Corners and is often the subject of town gossip due to his drinking problem. A conversation between the undertaker and Emily's cousin reveals that Stimson took his own life, and instead of an epitaph, his gravestone features musical notes. He stands out as the only character in the play who is deeply unhappy. While others, like Doc Gibbs, mention Stimson's troubles, they speak in vague terms and never specify his issues. Even in death, Simon Stimson remains a bitter figure.

Joe Stoddard

Similar to the Crowell brothers and Howie Newsome, Joe Stoddard and Sam Craig deliver news, but their news pertains to death rather than life. Through them, the audience learns about recent deaths and their impact on the community.

Charles Webb

Charles Webb, much like Dr. Frank Gibbs, is a devoted father and a caring husband who maintains his humor despite the pressures of their children's marriages. Each man has a distinct interest—Civil War battlefields for Doc Gibbs and Napoleon for Editor Webb—but their speeches are interchangeable without losing significance.

Emily Webb

Emily Webb is often considered the quintessential "American girl." She is intelligent, articulate, and, even with the worries she shares with her mother, a captivating figure. She is central to the play's action. In Act One, Emily is portrayed as an innocent schoolgirl; in Act Two, she matures into a young woman; and in Act Three, she is the mother who dies during childbirth. Emily’s journey marks the passage of time throughout the play.

Emily’s emotions resonate with the audience. From being an uncertain teenager gazing at the moon to a bride facing last-minute wedding jitters, her experiences are relatable. Through Emily, Wilder conveys his central life-affirming message: "Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you."

Myrtle Webb

Myrtle Webb and Julia Hersey Gibbs are portrayed as nearly interchangeable characters. Both are content with their lives in Grover's Corners, each focusing on their roles as wives and mothers.

Wally Webb

Wally Webb, Emily's younger brother, is depicted throughout the play as a child often bickering with his sister, particularly in Act One. His character parallels that of Rebecca Gibbs. At the start of Act Three, the Stage Manager informs the audience that Wally Webb, who died from a ruptured appendix during a camping trip, is among those in the cemetery.

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