“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 …showed first 75 words of 364 total…

…showed last 75 words of 364 total…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.